Chief of the General Staff (India)

The Chief of the General Staff, India was a senior military commander in the British Indian Army from 1906 to 1947, and in the independent Indian Army from 1947 until 1965.

Chief of the General Staff
First in office
Lieutenant general Sir Beauchamp Duff
March 1906—October 1909
British Indian Army
Indian Army
AbbreviationCGS
Reports toCommander-in-Chief, India
SeatGHQ India
Term lengthNo fixed term
FormationMarch 1906
First holderLieutenant general Sir Beauchamp Duff
(British Indian Army)
Final holderLieutenant General Moti Sagar (Indian Army)
AbolishedJanuary 1965
SuccessionVice Chief of the Army Staff in 1965

History

During British rule, the Chief of the General Staff, India assisted the Commander-in-Chief, India in commanding the British Indian Army. The post was largely honorary as all power resided in the hands of Commander-in-Chief, India.[1] After Indian independence in 1947, the CGS remained a senior staff appointment. In January 1959, the appointment of Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (DCOAS) was established as the deputy commander of the Indian Army until it was superseded by the new post of Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) In January 1965. Subsequently, the post of VCOAS replaced the CGS.[2]

Chiefs of the General Staff

Holders of the post have been:[3]

British Indian Army (1906–1947)
No. Name Took office Left office Unit of commission Ref
1 Lieutenant-General Sir Beauchamp Duff Mar 1906 Oct 1909 Royal Artillery [3]
2 Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig Oct 1909 Feb 1912 7th Queen's Own Hussars [3]
3 Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Lake    Feb 1912 Jan 1916 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot [3]
4 Lieutenant-General Sir George Kirkpatrick Jan 1916 Jan 1920 Royal Engineers [3]
5 General Sir Claud Jacob Jan 1920 Nov 1924 Worcestershire Regiment [3]
6 General Sir Andrew Skeen Nov 1924 Oct 1928 King's Own Scottish Borderers [3]
7 General Sir Philip Chetwode Oct 1928 Jul 1930 Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry [3]
8 Lieutenant-General Sir Cyril Deverell Jul 1930 Mar 1931 Prince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment [3]
9 General Sir Kenneth Wigram Mar 1931 May 1934 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) [3]
10 General Sir William Bartholomew May 1934 Oct 1937 Royal Artillery [3]
11 General Sir Ivo Vesey Oct 1937 Jun 1939 Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) [3]
12 General Sir Eric de Burgh Jun 1939 May 1941 Royal Dublin Fusiliers [3]
13 Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Hutton    May 1941 Dec 1941 Royal Artillery [3]
14 Lieutenant-General Sir Edwin Morris            Dec 1941 Apr 1944 Royal Engineers [3]
15 Lieutenant-General Sir John Swayne Apr 1944 Jan 1946 Somerset Light Infantry [3]
16 Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Smith Jan 1946 Aug 1947 Coldstream Guards [3]

Indian Army (1947–1965)
S.No Name Regiment of commission Assumed office Left office References Notes
1 Major General K. M. Cariappa OBE Rajput Regiment August 1947 November 1947 [4] Later became first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
Major General Pran Nath Thapar 1st Punjab Regiment December 1947 February 1948 [5] Officiating Chief of the General Staff. Later served as Chief of the Army Staff.
Major General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri OBE 7th Light Cavalry February 1948 May 1948 [6] Officiating. Later served as Chief of the Army Staff.
2 Lieutenant General Kalwant Singh 1st Punjab Regiment May 1948[n 1] March 1950 [8][9] Later served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command.
3 Major General S. P. P. Thorat KC, DSO 14th Punjab Regiment 3 April 1950 January 1953 [10][11] Later served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command.
4 Major General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri OBE 7th Light Cavalry 29 September 1953 December 1955 [12][6][13][14] Later served as Chief of the Army Staff.
5 Major General Mohinder Singh Wadalia Kumaon Regiment December 1955 May 1957 [15][16][17]
6 Lieutenant General S. D. Verma May 1957[n 2] December 1958 [19][20]
7 Lieutenant General Lionel Protip Sen DSO Baloch Regiment February 1959 8 May 1961 [17] Later served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command.
8 Lieutenant General Brij Mohan Kaul PVSM Rajputana Rifles 8 May 1961 4 October 1962 [21][22]
9 Lieutenant General Moti Sagar 4th Gorkha Rifles 4 October 1962 15 January 1965 [23][24]

See also

Notes
  1. Promoted to Lieutenant General in 1949.[7]
  2. Promoted to Lieutenant General in 1958.[18]

References
  1. The Indian Army in 1914 Archived September 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Part II-Section 4: Ministry of Defence" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 May 1965. p. 140.
  3. Army Commands Archived July 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GENERAL K .M. CARIAPPA" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 18 August 1952.
  5. "NEW CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 27 December 1947.
  6. "General J.N. Chaudhuri" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 9 November 1965. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. "INDIAN DEFENCE DELEGATION IN OTTAWA" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 12 May 1949.
  8. "DEFENCE MINISTER ENTERTAINS MOHAN BAGAN" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 26 October 1948.
  9. "INDIAN DEFENCE DELEGATION IN OTTAWA" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 12 May 1949.
  10. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 May 1950. p. 35.
  11. "SATISFACTORY PROGRESS OF N.C.C." (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 5 May 1952.
  12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 31 October 1953. p. 238.
  13. "INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S APPRECIATION" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 29 March 1954.
  14. "ARMY COMMANDERS CONFERENCE" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 6 December 1955.
  15. "DEFENCE SERVICES DELEGATION LEAVE FOR CHINA" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 25 September 1956.
  16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 May 1957. p. 129.
  17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 May 1959. p. 114.
  18. "CHANGES IN SENIOR ARMY APPOINTMENTS" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 9 December 1958.
  19. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 May 1957. p. 129.
  20. "ATOMIC RESOURCES IN INDIA" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 4 April 1958.
  21. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 May 1961. p. 128.
  22. Davar, Praveen (1 December 2017). "How 1962 war cut short 2 brilliant careers". The Asian Age. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  23. "Press Communique" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 8 May 1964. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  24. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 6 February 1965. p. 73.
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