Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh
Kapurthala Imperial Service Infantry
Introduction
It is fortunate that
Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh’s service history is well documented due to the
rank in which he rose. I have been able to uncover a lot of new information,
especially concerning Singh’s service in East Africa. Like the vast majority of
Indian soldiers I research I haven’t been able to provide any biographical
information. The war diaries for units which served in East Africa during the
First World War have recently been digitized so I was able to swap my
photographs of the diaries for pdf copies. I have been unable to find any
photographs of Nihal Singh, but due to his rank and long service they
undoubtedly exist.
Service before the
First World War
The Kapurthala Infantry (Jagatjit
Regiment) was raised on 1 February 1890 with its regimental centre at
Kapurthala. I have referred to Regiment as the Kapurthala Infantry throughout
for simplicity. The Regiment was formed from the 1st and 2nd
Kapurthala Infantry, which had served as part of a mixed contingent during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878-80. This contingent comprised of 700 infantry,
cavalry plus artillery men and served at Bannu, on the North West Frontier.
(Afghan medals to men who served with Kapurthala contingent often appear on the
market). The regiment would be comprised of a mixture of Sikhs and Punjabi
Muslims with a strength of 590.
Nihal Singh joined the armed forces of the Kapurthala state
on 4 January 1886 (the January 1920
Imperial Service List has the
year as 1880, but this is an error often encountered between a 6 and a 0). It
is very likely that Nihal Singh was serving with one of the Kapurthala Infantry
regiments before he was appointed to the Jagatjit Regiment on 1 May 1890.
The Regiment was mobilized as part of the Tirah Field Force in 1897, serving initially at Kohat, and providing 200 men as part of the Kurram Moveable Column. On 6 November 1897, a piquet consisting of a Subadar and 35 men was massacred by tribesman when it was caught in a defile. The Regiment would serve in Masozai country and at Thai before returning to India on 15 January 1898. Below is Nihal Singh’s “War Service” entry which appeared in the ISL January 1920.
“N-W Frontier of India, 1897-98-
Operations on the Samana and in Kurram Valley- Medal and 2 clasps. Tirah,
1897-98- Clasp”. Nihal Singh was awarded the Indian General Service Medal
(18951902) with three clasps: Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Samana 1897 and Tirah
1897-98. Unfortunately, this medal is missing from the group along with the
British War Medal. This would be Singh’s only active service until the outbreak
of the First World War. It also marks the beginning of a gap of over 10 years
before any new information can be added to Singh’s service (unfortunately, the
earliest edition of the ISL I have access to is July 1915). For its service on
the frontier, the Regiment was given the battle honour “Punjab Frontier
1897-98”.
On 1st November 1911, Nihal Singh was appointed
as the Regiment’s adjutant. This information is from the aforementioned ISL and
I have included the page in my research folder. In Singh’s remarks column there
are the following three numbers (1), (5) and (6) which show that he had passed:
•
1. Musketry School, Meerut.
•
5. Drill Course.
•
6. Transport Class.
Nihal Singh also took part in the Delhi Durbar of 1911 and
the Delhi Durbar Medal inscribed 65
Captain Nihal Singh is part of his medal group. In 1911, a
General Staff report found that the
Kapurthala Infantry had a
strength of 568 men against an authorized strength of 600 (in the ISL the
Regiment’s strength is always given as 602). The Regiment was formed into 6
companies, four of which were Sikh and two Muslim. The following is taken from Maharajas’ Paltans (P491) by Richard Head and Tony
McClenaghan describing the composition of the Kapurthala forces just prior to
the outbreak of war:
“Of the local forces, the
cavalry were considered to be formed of good men, fairly well mounted but untrained.
They were armed with sword and lance. The Artillery guns were noted to be old
muzzle-loaders. The infantry, a mixture of Sikhs and Muslims, were considered
to be of fairly good class, but quite untrained. The report noted that the
troops had no particular local patriotism and would probably prefer to side
with the British.”
Service during the
First World War
The Kapurthala Infantry was
mobilized for war on 14th September 1914. When the Regiment left
India on the SS Begum at Bombay on 19th September,
its strength was 418. The Regiment landed at Mombasa, on 3rd October
and there is a war diary covering the Regiment between September and November
1914 (catalogue reference is WO95/5370/4). However, the war diary is very poor
with many of the dates having no entry. The only detailed entries concern the
action at Longido on 3rd November 1914. I can see no mention of
Nihal Singh in this short war diary, but it is almost certain he would have
been with the Regiment. The war diary was written by Major Ivan Hugh Gordon who
was attached to the regiment as a Special Service Officer. Major Gordon, who
wrote the Regiment’s war diary, was found shot dead on 2nd September 1917.
While searching for Singh’s
original recommendation for the OBI I came across the following recommendation
written by Major Gordon concerning two Havildars of the Regiment and their
actions at Longido. The report was written at Camp Namanga (170km from Nairobi
on the presentday Kenyan-Tanzanian border) on 13th November 1914 and
can be compared to the General Staff report for 1911 where the Kapurthala
Infantry was noted as being “quite untrained”.
Camp Namanga. 13. 11. 1914 (Page
218)
With reference to my report on
the action at Longido on the 3rd instant, I have the honour to bring
to your notice the conduct of No. 1486 Havildar Diwan Singh and No. 1761
Havildar Karm Singh. These two Non-commissioned Officers were invaluable to me
at a trying time, when their men were inclined to be panicky, and by their
coolness and good example, steadied their men and enabled me to hold on in the
position I had taken up. I. H. Gordon, Special Service Officer.
Operations in East
Africa: reports of engagements, honours and rewards.
IOR/L/MIL/7/17250 (page 218)
Captain Nihal Singh was promoted
to Major on 16th August 1915. As Singh’s 1914-15 Star is impressed
with the rank of Captain he must have entered the theatre of war prior August
1915. Unfortunately, there is now a gap of 9 months between war diaries. During
its time in East Africa the Regiment would serve on the Lines of Communication
and it’s very likely that the Regiment spent its time guarding railway lines
and bridges. The next war diary to turn to is for August 1915 - November 1917
(WO95/5370/5) which is actually part of the earlier war diary which the
National Archives has split in half.
There are frequent mentions of Nihal Singh throughout this war diary, with the first mention occurring on 17th April 1916. On 24th August 1915, Major-General S. Pooran Singh joined the Regiment at Msambweni (now a small fishing town in south-eastern Kenya). Major-General Singh would command the Regiment until he returned to India in August 1917, when Nihal Singh took over.
On the 26th August
1915, there was a fierce skirmish between a patrol of the Regiment and the
Germans at Mrima which led to their largest number of casualties during the
war. There is now another gap in the war diary which recommences in December
1915 when the Regiment is at Sultan Hamud, 110km south east of Nairobi. The war diary’s entry for the 1st December
1915 reads “The unit on Railway Defence, guarding stations, bridges and railway
line from Simba to Athi River, both inclusive, with headquarters at Sultan
Hamdu”. The Regiment would stay at Sultan Hamud until 31st March
1916, continuing to guard the railway and bridges, when it moved to Kiu (a
small town approximately 40km from Sultan Hamdu). The Regiment’s headquarters
is at Makindu, and it takes over the “No.2 Section of the Railway Defence”.
There is a further mention of Nihal Singh in the war diary on 17th April
1916 at Kiu:
One Indian officer and 51
rifles, 2 followers arrive from Kidongai and are posted to Tsavo under Captain
Nihal Singh [he had been promoted to Major].
Tsavo was an important crossing
of the Uganda Railway over the Athi River and had become famous prior to the
war due to “Tsavo Man-eaters”. These two lions had been responsible for a large
number of deaths in the construction of the railway and were successfully shot
by John Henry
The next mention for Nihal Singh
is on the 30 July 1916, on the day the Regiment disembarked at the former
German Post of Tanga (scene of the disastrous battle in November 1914):
30th July 1916. Unit disembarked at 7am under orders
of the Base Commandment the following strength was immediately sent to the
Posts mentioned below:
•
Pongwe 1 Indian officer, 20 rank and file, 1
follower.
•
Ngomeni 1 Indian officer, 20 rank and file, 1
follower.
•
Muhiza 1 Indian officer, 20 rank and file, 1
follower.
Major Nihal Singh was also sent with above [?] to see all arrangements of the posts and to come back from the last post when done with.
There are three further mentions
in August 1916, when Major Nihal Singh severely injured himself when he fell
from a railway trolley. He would spend three months in hospital before
recovering from his injury:
5th
August 1916 - Major Nihal Singh, 3 Indian officers, 75 rank and file and 7
followers proceeded to Pangani.
5th August 1916 - Pangani
Detachment arrives. Major Nihal Singh falls from trolley and hurts his head.
Sub assistant Surgeon sent to attend.
10th August 1916-
Major Nihal Singh admitted into field hospital Tanga and Subadar Maiya Singh
sent to Panigani in his place.
13th November 1916
- Major Nihal Singh rejoined from Nairobi Hospital.
When Major Nihal Singh rejoined the Regiment they were at
Korogwe, a town near Tanga in present-day Tanzania. In late November 1916, the
Regiment moved to Amani, near Tanga. The Regiment would garrison a large number
of posts, and suffered severely from disease, chiefly malaria. The excerpt
below shows the locations of the Regiment in April 1917, and the impact disease
had had on their numbers.
For his service in East Africa during the First World War,
Nihal Singh was awarded the Order of British India (OBI) 2nd Class
(Gazette of India, No. 638, 28 April 1917). I have been able to uncover the
original recommendation, by General Smuts, for Singh’s OBI. It was contained in
a file held at the British Library: Operations in East
Africa: reports of engagements, honours and rewards.
IOR/L/MIL/7/17250. This is one of
a number of files at the British Library which cover honours and awards granted
to Indian soldiers during the First World War into the 1920s. When I researched
Sundar Singh IDSM I had hoped to find his citation in a similar report for
Palestine.
Reason for
Recommendation
For the display of a high devotion to duty and for the zeal
and ability in which has at all times so prominently exhibited in his
work.
The report of Singh’s award appeared in the Regiment’s war
diary on 30th June 1917.
There is a similar report in the war diary on 1st September 1917 where it was noted that “this appointment will be supernumerary to the authorised establishment, Simla dated 4th May 1917”.
There are further mentions of
Nihal Singh in the war diary for July, when the Regiment was still stationed at
Amani:
5th July 1917 - Major
Nihal Singh with 11 rank and file came from Tabora to Dar es Salaam.
16th July 1917 (A)
Major Nihal Singh with 9 rank and file came from Dar es Salaam to Amani.
The unit headquarters would move
to Tanga, and this is likely where Nihal Singh would have been stationed. The
final entry for Major Nihal Singh confirms his promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel
on 31st October 1917:
1st November 1917 -
Major Nihal Singh Bahadur, promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel with effect from 31st
October 1917 (Authority - Kapurthala Durbar’s wire dated 31 October 1917).
On 9th November 1917, the Regiment moved to Lindi where its strength was down to 306 rank and file. The Regiment had been increased in size during the war, so it was operating at well under 50% of its strength. The final war diary entry is for November 1917.
Nihal
Singh’s signature on the last page of the Regiment’s war diary for East Africa.
The Regiment left East Africa on
24th December 1917, and arrived back at Kapurthala on 9th
January 1918. In The Maharajas’ Paltans, Nihal Singh is
listed as having been Mentioned in Despatches while a Lieutenant-Colonel (three
MID in total for the Regiment, two were to the Havildars who steadied the ranks
at Longido). The Regiment was granted the theatre honour “East Africa
1914-1917” for its service.
Lieutenant-Colonel Singh was
still commanding the Regiment when it was mobilized for service during the
Third Anglo-Afghan War in June 1919. There is a very brief war diary,
June-August 1919 WO95/5418, covering the Battalion’s service in Seistan (now
Sistan, an area which covered presentday eastern Iran, Southern Afghanistan and
the Nok Kundi region of Balochistan). In July 1919, disaster struck the
Regiment when it got lost and ran out of water while crossing the desert. The
war diary contains detailed entries and a convoy had to be sent out to rescue
them. The war diary reports on 25th July 1919:
Convoy sent to meet and bring
in regiment. Men in very great distress from want of water. About 70 men
missing of whom levies brought in throughout the day some 55 men.
26th July 1919:
More men brought in by levies. Phone messages give information of 9 more who
have reached Seistan. Decided to halt for 4 days to rest regiment.
12 soldiers lost their lives on
25th July 1919 and are commemorated on the Tehran Memorial. The total
casualties for the Regiment during the First World War and Third Anglo-Afghan
War were 66. There are two references to Lieutenant-Colonel Singh in this war
diary, both concerning a court of enquiry:
5 August 1919 - Court of
Enquiry into causes which led to casualties on March commenced. Major Fox Male,
Lieutenant Hicks and Davis and Colonel Nihal Singh examined.
There is a further mention of evidence given by
Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh on 18th August 1919.
The Kapurthala Regiment qualified for the Indian General Service Medal (1908-35) with the clasp Afghanistan N. W. F. 1919. This medal is also missing from Nihal Singh’s group. The Regiment was awarded the battle honour “Afghanistan 1919”. In the January 1920 Indian State Forces List, Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh is acting commandant. Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh was superseded by Major Moti Singh, as officiating commandant, on 17th February 1920.
I have also included the war
diary covering the Regiment’s part in the Iraqi Rebellion. The Kapurthala
Infantry qualified for the General Service Medal with Iraq Clasp and the Medal
Index Cards have survived for the Regiment. I have checked for
Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh and there is no card.
Medal Group
•
Order of British India, 2nd Class
Gazette of India 28 April 1917. In total three OBI were awarded to the Regiment
during the First World War. OBI 1st Class Major-General Pooran
Singh. OBI 2nd Class: Major Nihal Singh, Captain Poor Singh. (listed
a DS-350)
•
Indian General Service Medal (1895-1902) with
three clasps: Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Samana 1897 and Tirah 1897-98
•
1914-15 Star Captain Nihal Singh (listed a DS-360)
•
British War Medal (noted as missing in Dix
Noonan Webb catalogue 12 December 2012)
•
Victory Medal Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh.
With Mentioned in Desptaches as a Lieutenant-Colonel. (listed a DS-370)
•
Indian General Service Medal (1908-35) with the
clasp Afghanistan N. W. F. 1919
•
Delhi Durbar 1911 engraved in running script to
65 Capt. Nihal Singh (listed a DS-340)
DS-340 Delhi Durbar Medal 1911
Obverse: King
George V and Queen Mary’s crowned conjoined busts, within a rose and laurel
wreath.
Reverse: In
Persian script, “Delhi 1911”, surrounded by “The Durbar of George V, Emperor of India,
Master of the British Lands”.
Composition:
Silver, Diameter: 38.5 mm
Issued to: 65
Captain Nihal Singh (later Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal Singh, Kapurthala Imperial
Service
Infantry)
Note : This
medal was issued to commemorate King George V’s Coronation Durbar celebration
in British India on December 1911.
DS-350 Order of British India (O.B.I.) , 2nd Class neck badge
Obverse: Lion
facing left with “Order of British India” surrounding it, and all enclosed
within a wreath and 8 pointed star like shape.
Reverse: Nil
Composition:
Gold and dark blue enamel center, Diameter: ?? mm
Issued to: Lieutenant-Colonel
Nihal Singh, Kapurthala Imperial Service Infactory
Note : Lieutenant-Colonel Nihal
Singh was awarded four group of medals. There are the Order of British India 2nd
Class Gold neck Badge, 1914 – 1915 Star (Captain Nihal Singh , Kapurthala I.S
Infantry), Victory Medal 1914 – 1919 (Lt. Col Nihal Singh Bahadur, Kapurthala
Infantry) and the Delhi Durbar 1911 Medal (65 Captain Nihal Singh). The O.B.I
medal award to Lt.Col. Nihal Singh is noted in the Gazzette of India issued on
28th April, 1917, Part 1, Notice No. 638.
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