Under the British, there was a clear colonial context, with the VCOs being the highest ranks that an Indian could attain. The full commissioned officers were British, from the 18th century up to the beginning of the 20th century. However, that changed slowly under the principles of Indianisation. In 1905, a special form of King’s Commission in His Majesty’s Native Land Forces was instituted. Indians who had qualified through the Imperial Cadet Corps would earn a commission that was limited to authority over Indian troops only and its holders could not rise above the rank of Major. From 1917, in the midst of World War I, Indians 'with good family background' became eligible to study at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and then earn a commission as King's Commissioned Indian Officer (KCIO).[1] By the time of independence in 1947, there were many Indian (and Pakistani) officers who had graduated from Sandhurst or the Indian Military Academy.
Ranks and appointments
British Indian Army viceroy's commissioned officer (VCO) rank insignia
As a company commander a Subadar was roughly equivalent to a native Infantry 'Captain'.[4] Nonetheless, in World War I, he was classified as native 'Lieutenant' but remained in the position of company commander. In result, there was no equivalent rank for a native 'Captain' in the Indian native Infantry etc. at that time.
Until May 1819, in the Madras Army Native Foot Artillery (Golundauze) the Subedars of the lascars (servants or hands, analogous to the matrosses in British artillery) were called Syrang and the Jemadars were designated 1st Tindal (while Havildar ranked as 2nd Tindals), in order to distinguish them from the native officers of native artillerymen. It is unclear whether the same procedure was followed with the Sirdars 1st and 2nd class of Gun Drivers, Miners and Syces (native stable-helpers and grooms in artillery and cavalry).[5]
There was only one Rissaldar-Major or Subadar-Major per regiment. The latter was established between 1817 and 1819 in the Bengal Army resp. the Madras Army.[6] In 1825, the equivalent rank of Risaldar-Major was adopted by all Presidency armies.[7] Both ranks would serve as a representative of their people to British officers, but could also command independent companies resp. troops of irregular regiments. While providing guidance to inexperienced British subalterns, they also discussed major issues concerning the Indian soldiers of all ranks with the Colonel (Infantry) or Commandant (Cavalry).[8] Rissaldar-Majors or Subadar-Majors could be appointed Native A.-D.-C. to the Viceroy or the Governor of their British India Province.[9]
Beginning from 1903, there were also six (four from 1904) King's Indian Orderly Officers (KIOO), chosen each year to serve as the King's honorary bodyguard in the United Kingdom. They were appointed regardless of their specific ranks.[10]
In the Indian cavalry existed the appointment of Woordie-Major. He was the assistant to the British adjudant.[11] Usually, a capable Ressaidar, Jemadar or Naib Risaldar (brevet Risaldar, in the Bombay cavalry only) was promoted to this position, then ranking above his substantive rank.[12] The Naib Risaldar (also spelled Naib Ressaldar) ranked below Ressaidar and above Jemadar, but was roughly equivalent with the latter. The rank was abolished in 1865.[13]
The VCO's status could be bolstered by honorary promotions, e.g. a Rissaldar-Major could held the honorary rank of Captain simultaneously, or a Jemadar was awarded by the honorary rank of Second Lieutenant. A custom often practised on retirement, but not exclusively.[1] An honorary rank was not only a distinction but had the financial benefit of doubling the pension to be received by the retiring Indian officer.[14]
Status and responsibilities
The term 'Viceroy's Commissioned Officer' was formally adopted in 1885 as a substitute for the previously used 'Native Officer' (NO).[15] In the same year, the term Native was dropped from regimental titles.[16] These ranks were created to facilitate effective liaison between the British officers and their Indian troops. The soldiers who were promoted to VCO rank had long service and good service records, spoke reasonably fluent English, and could act as a common liaison point between officers and men and as advisers to the British officers on Indian affairs.[17]
VCOs were treated and addressed with respect. Even a British officer would address a VCO as, for instance, 'subedar sahib' or 'sahib'.[18] Nevertheless, they were only saluted by Indian rank and file, not by European other ranks and officers.[19] Furthermore, VCOs did not mess with British officers but ran their own.[20]
The three former presidency armies of Bengal, Bombay, and Madras were transformed into the newly established Army of India, in 1895. Each infantry regiment consisted now of one battalion of eight companies, with six British officers in the headquarters and two further British officers as wing officers resp. wing commanders. A 'wing' was a half-battalion of four companies. A company was led by one Subadar, assisted by one Jemadar. The company itself counted ten native NCOs, 75 sepoys and two drummers. In the 1890s, the two wings were replaced by four 'double companies', commanded by one British Major or Captain, while the Indian chain of command maintained unaffected.[21] By 1914 the proportion of VCOs to KCOs in an Indian infantry battalion was 16 to 14.[22]
In irregular regiments such as those of the Silladar Cavalry, VCOs enjoyed a greater leeway and consequently a higher status due to the smaller number of British officers present. Usually, only the Commandant, the Second-in-Command, the Adjutant and the Surgeon were British, so a troop (equivalent to an infantry company) was commanded by a native resp. Indian Officer, who could even rise to squadron commander.[16][23] From 1885, a Silladar regiment consisted of four (previously three) squadrons, with a British commander and a British S-in-C each. Each squadron had two 'half-squadrons' or troops of nine Indian NCOs, 70 sowars and one trumpeter, each led by a Rissaldar and a Jemadar as S-i-C.[16]
Pay
For example, in the last third of the 19th century, in the Bengal Army as the largest presidency army, the ranks of Subadar, Ressaldar, Ressaidar and Jemadar were divided in three (sometimes two) paygrades each (native sappers and miners, cavalry, infantry, but not native artillery).[24]
Around 1867/68, in native miners and sappers as well as in native infantry, the pay scale ranged from 30 Rs. for a Jemadar, 2nd Class to 100 Rs. for a Subadar, 1st class. A Jemadar, 1st class had to be content with 35 Rs. whereas a Subadar, 3rd class was paid 67 Rs. and a Subadar, 2nd class drew 80 Rs. In the artillery, NOs were not split in different paygrades but were attached to them, so a Subadar in the light artillery was paid like a Subadar, 1st class (100 Rs.), in Garrison and Mountain artillery the sum was related to the pay of a Subadar, 2nd class (80 Rs.). A Jemadar drew 35 Rs. in all sorts of artillery, like a Jemadar, 1st class.[24] The appointment of Subadar-Major (infantry only) earned an additional allowance of 25 Rs.[25]
Pay in native cavalry was much higher. In a regiment of six troops, a Jemadar, 3rd class drew 60 Rs. (i.e. 6 Pounds[26]) per Mensem while a Jemadar, 1st class drew 80 Rs. The highest native officer's paygrade, Ressaldar, 1st class, drew 300 Rs. A Woordie-Major earned 150 Rs., exactly the same as a Ressaidar, 1st class.[27]
In comparison, a Lieutenant in one of the seven European cavalry regiments of the Bengal Army in 1867/68, drew about 305 Rs. p.M., a Cornet's pay was about 250 Rs. A Cavalry Regimental Sergeant Major drew a bit less than 52 Rs.[28] His colleague in the European infantry attached to the Bengal Army came near to 49 Rs., while a Colour Sergeant drew almost 32 Rs.[29]
Uniform and Rank Insignia
In the infantry and artillery the native officer's military dress included Indian and British elements. Foot-, leg- and headwear were usually based on that of the local enlisted men. By contrast, the coatee was often similar to that of the British officers. In the cavalry, especially in irregular units, the native officer's uniform could mirror entirely Indian style, when being richly ornamented with additional braids and embroidery.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, rank insignia in cavalry and horse artillery consisted of varying sets of gold or silver cuff laces. For the foot arms, i.e. infantry, native foot artillery (Golundauze) and engineers, the rank insignia developed roughly as follows: A red waist sash and one or two gold epaulettes (depending on rank and era),[30] that were smaller and of different style than those of European commissioned officers; native officers in grenadier companies wore a pair of shoulder wings. Also common were tight-fitting rows of white beads around the neck: for Jemadars one row, for Subedars two rows.[31][32]
When British Army officer rank insignia switched generally from laces or epaulettes to collar-worn rank insignia in the mid-1850s, native officers also followed suit. Jemadars wore one gold sword, Subedars two crossed gold swords on each side of the collar, Subedar-Majors one gold crown. On collarless clothing, such as the Zouave jacket, one insignia only sat at the top of the right chest.[33]Gurkha VCOs were characterized by miniature kukris, edges downward, instead of the sword insignia.[34] In place of the epaulettes, a pair of crimson worsted silk cords were prescribed. Instead of epaulettes a pair of crimson silk worsted cords was to be worn. From about 1856 commissioned officers and VCOs wore now the sash over the right shoulder (from 1859 Havildars over the left shoulder).[35]
Since 1888 (Gurkhas 1891), rank insignia was worn on the shoulder-straps or shoulder-chains.[36] From those dates on, the VCO's embroidered rank insignia (metal for full dress since 1906) were usually silver, while those of the (European) commissioned officers were gold.[37] Jemadars wore one star, Subadars and Rissaldars had two stars. In the Bombay Cavalry, Rissaldar and Ressaidar shared the same rank insignia, e.g. two silver metal stars.[38] VCOs in Gurkha regiments wore bronze or black insignia; the latter on the black shoulder cords of their rifle green tunics.[39] In the Indian Infantry, the Subadar-Major's insignia was one silver metal crown.[40] In contrast, Rissaldar-Majors in the Indian Cavalry had three silver metal stars only,[41] before the insignia changed to a metal crown.[2] From the middle of the Second World War a yellow and red stripe had to be worn under the insignia.[42]
Until the late 19th century, the placement of Subadar-Major in the VCO-hierarchy of the Madras Army could vary. While in Bengal and in Bombay Cavalry the ranks Rissaldar and Rissaldar-Major were established, they were not in Madras Cavalry. There, the VCO-hierarchy was Jemadar - Subadar - Subadar-Major at least until 1885.[43] The rank insignia of a Subadar-Major in the Madras Cavalry was three gold metal stars, while his colleague in the Madras Infantry wore one embroidered silver crown.[44]
Variety of rank spellings
The spellings of the VCO ranks could vary significantly, mostly from presidency army to presidency army. Besides, there was also variation within the same army, between its different arms and bodies. For example, one finds for Rissaldar also Risaldar, Ressaldar and even Russuldar (in Bombay Cavalry only), at the same time.[45][46] The spelling Ressalder was also known. Jemedar would alternativley spelled Jamadar or Jammadar, and Wurdie-Major could stand for Woordie-Major. At the beginning of the 19th century Subadar was alternatively spelled Soobahdar.
Epaulette is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes are referred to as shoulder scales.
Listed in the table below are the insignia—emblems of authority—of the British Army. Badges for field officers were introduced in 1810 and the insignia was moved to the epaulettes in 1880. On ceremonial or parade uniforms these ranks continue to be worn on the epaulettes, either as cloth slides or as metal clips, although on the modern 'working dress' they are usually worn as a cloth slide on the chest. Although these insignia apply across the British Army there is variation in the precise design and colours used and it can take some time to become familiar with them all.
"Other ranks" (ORs) is the term used to refer to all ranks below officers in the British Army and the Royal Marines. It includes warrant officers, non-commissioned officers ("NCOs") and ordinary soldiers with the rank of private or regimental equivalent. Officers may, in speaking, distinguish themselves from those "in the ranks".
The Indian Army during British rule, also referred to as the British Indian Army, was the main military force of India until national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency Armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have their own armies. As stated in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, the "British Government has undertaken to protect the dominions of the Native princes from invasion and even from rebellion within: its army is organized for the defence not merely of British India, but of all possessions under the suzerainty of the King-Emperor." The Indian Army was an important part of the forces of the British Empire, in India and abroad, particularly during the First World War and the Second World War.
Risaldar, meaning the commander of a risala or risalah in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian and Pakistan Army. In other arms, such as the infantry, the equivalent rank is subedar.
Subedar is a military rank in the militaries of South Asia roughly equivalent to that of a warrant officer. Historically classed in the British Indian Army as a Viceroy's commissioned officer, the rank was retained in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army after independence. The rank of subedar is classed as a junior commissioned officer rank in India and Pakistan.
Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent.
Junior commissioned officer (JCO) is a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar and lower than lieutenant. The term is only used by Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Senior havildars are promoted to JCO rank on the basis of merit and seniority, restricted by the number of vacancies. JCOs are treated as a separate class and hold additional privileges. Primarily the term was associated with armies but since the 2000s India's and Pakistan's navies and air forces are using the term to indicate their chief petty officers and warrant officers.
Ressaidar was a Viceroy's commissioned officer's (VCO) rank in the British Indian Army. Ressaidar denoted a junior commander of a risala or risalah in Persian.
The Indian Army, the land component of the Indian Armed Forces, follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile British Indian Army (BIA).
Subedar-major is the senior-most rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian and Pakistani Armies, formerly known as the Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army.
Risaldar-major was originally a cavalry officer rank of the British Indian Army. During the British Raj, it was the highest rank natives could achieve.
The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the Piffers in reference to their military history as the PIF of the British Indian Army, or as the FF. The regiment takes its name from the historic North-West Frontier, a former province of British India and later Pakistan.
4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) is a part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, which had its beginnings as an irregular cavalry regiment during the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The Silladar Cavalry, also known as the Risalah, was a term describing a mounted force of irregular cavalry regiments at times in Indian history. Silladar means “bearer of arms” in Persian and was given to native cavalrymen (sowars) of irregular regiments. A recruit or "Khudaspa" was supposed to provide his own mount and weapons as well as stabling attendant, forage, tent and clothing. It was opposed to having them provided for them by any local or central group or command. They were recruited from local dominant landowning clans, who were cultivators and who traditionally owned weapons and provided military service to local feudal chiefs. The irregular cavalry regiments were almost entirely composed of Muslims, because "the Hindoos are not, generally speaking, as disposed as the Mahomedans to the duties of a trooper."
The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, after independence as the fourth oldest and one of the senior cavalry regiments of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.
The 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) is one of the oldest and a highly decorated armoured regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of two of the oldest regiments of the Bengal Army – the 2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner's Horse) and the 4th Cavalry.
The Deccan Horse or 9 Horse is one of the oldest and most decorated armoured regiments of the Indian Army. The Royal Deccan Horse , which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army was formed from the amalgamation of two regiments after World War I. They saw service from the Mutiny of 1857 up to and including World War II.
The Central India Horse was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army and is presently part of the Indian Army Armoured Corps.
The 18th Cavalry is an armoured regiment of the armoured corps of the Indian Army. The regiment was created in 1921 through the amalgamation of the 7th Hariana Lancers and 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry.
References
1 2 Singh, Brigadier, Member of Parliament (retd) (14 December 2019). "How Indians rose up to be Officers". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 9 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
1 2 Plumon, Eugène (1914). Vade-mecum for the Use of Officers and Interpreters in the Present Campaign: French and English Technical and Military Terms. London: Librairie Hachette & Cie. p.10.
↑ Carman, W.(William) Y. (1961). Indian Army Uniforms under the British from the 18th Century to 1947: Cavalry. London: Leonard Hill. p.225.
↑ Stevenson, Richard (2015). Beatson's Mutiny. The Turbulent Career of a Victorian Soldier. London. New York: I.B.Tauris. pp.xi–xii (Glossary), 37. ISBN978-1-784531-10-2.
↑ Carman, W.(William) Y. (1969). Indian Army Uniforms under the British from the 18th Century to 1947: Artillery, Engineers and Infantry. London: Morgan-Grampian. p.27.
↑ Longer, V. (1974). Red Coats to Olive Green: A History of the Indian Army, 1600-1974. Bombay: Allied Publishers. p.62. ISBN9780856551307.
↑ Creese, Michael (2014). Swords Trembling in their Scabbards. The changing status of Indian officers in the Indian Army 1757-1947. Helion Limited. pp.123–124. ISBN978-1-909982-81-9.
↑ Creese, Michael (2014). Swords Trembling in their Scabbards. The changing status of Indian officers in the Indian Army 1757-1947. Helion Limited. p.135. ISBN978-1-909982-81-9.
↑ Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). p.70.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Cardew, Lt. Francis Gordon (1903). A Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army to the Year 1895. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government, India. pp.165, 333.
↑ Creese, Michael (2014). Swords Trembling in their Scabbards. The changing status of Indian officers in the Indian Army 1757-1947. Helion Limited. p.180. ISBN978-1-909982-81-9.
1 2 3 Raugh, jr., Harold E. (2004). The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. Santa Barbara. Denver. Oxford: ABC.Clio. p.179.
↑ Mason, Philip (1986). A Matter of Honour. An Account of the Indian Army, its Officers and Men. Macmillan. pp.174 & 457. ISBN0-333-41837-9.
↑ Raugh, jr., Harold E. (2004). The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. Santa Barbara. Denver. Oxford: ABC.Clio. p.178.
↑ Sundaram, Chandar S. (2019). Indianization, the Officer Corps, and the Indian Army. The Forgotten Debate, 1817–1917. Lanham. Boulder. New York. London: Lexington Books. p.1.
↑ Thompson, Julian (2010). Forgotten Voices of Burma. The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict. London: Ebury Press. p.381.
↑ Raugh, jr., Harold E. (2004). The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. Santa Barbara. Denver. Oxford: ABC.Clio. pp.178–179.
↑ Creese, Michael (7 September 2023). Swords Trembling in their Scabbards. Helion Limited. p.46. ISBN9-781909-982819.
1 2 Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). pp.285–293.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). p.293.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Society of Arts (1870). A Gold Currency for India. Report of Conferences, held by the India Committee of the Society of Arts. London: Bell and Daldy. p.3.
↑ Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). p.288.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). p.287.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Parliament, House of Commons (1867). Accounts and Papers: thirty-eight volumes (15.). East India. Military and Budget Estimates. Session 5 February-21 August 1867. Vol. VIII. London (?). p.292.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 27, 29
↑ The Journal of the United Service Institution of India. Volume 94-95. p. 29. United Service Institution of India. New Delhi 1964
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 98
↑ Jackson, R. P. (1898). Historical Records of the XIII Madras Infantry. London, Calcutta, Simla: W. Thacker & Co. / Thacker, Spink & Co. (India). pp.108, 225.
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 200
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 155
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 108, 155, p. 200
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 108, 155, 158
↑ Government of India, Military Department (1891). Army Regulations, India. Volume VII. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendentof Government Printing, India. p.59.
↑ Carman (Artillery, Engineers, Infantry. 1969), p. 201
↑ Government of India, Military Department (1891). Army Regulations, India. Volume VII. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. pp.84, 88.
↑ Government of India, Military Department (1891). Army Regulations, India. Volume VII. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. pp.60, 78.
↑ Sethna, A. M.; Katju, Valmiki (1983). Traditions of a Regiment: The Story of the Rajputana Rifles. New Delhi: Lancers Publishers. p.125.
↑ Government of India, Military Department (1891). Army Regulations, India. Volume VII. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendentof Government Printing, India. pp.70, 95.
↑ H. G. Hart (Major General), The New Annual Army List, Militia List, and Indian Civil Service List, London 1878, p.430, p.522
↑ Government of India, Military Department (1891). Army Regulations, India. Volume VII. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India.
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British Indian Army epaulette rank insignia
