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{{Short description|Military Surgeon in British Indian Army}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox military person
| name =Sir Hiraji Jehangir Manekji Cursetji
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date =14 August 1885
| death_date =26 July 1964 (aged 78)
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname =
| allegiance ={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]
| branch =[[File:British Raj Red Ensign.svg|23px]] [[British Indian Army]]
| serviceyears =1912-1946
| rank =[[Major General (United Kingdom)|Major-General]]
| unit =
| commands =
| battles =[[World War I]]
*[[Mesopotamian Campaign]]
[[World War II]]
| awards =[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of the Star of India]]<br>[[Distinguished Service Order]]
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}

[[Major-General (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''Sir Hiraji Jehangir Manekji Cursetji''', [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]], [[Order of the Star of India|CSI]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] (14 August 1885 – 26 July 1964) was an Indian [[military surgeon]] and general in the [[British Indian Army]] during the [[Second World War]].

==Biography==
Born in [[Mumbai]] (then Bombay), to a prominent [[Parsi]] family,<ref name="cursetji">{{Cite journal | last1 =McR. | first1 =G. R. |jstor =25399910 | title =Major-General Sir Heerajee J. Manockjee Cursetjee, K.C.I.E. C.S.I., D.S.O., M.B., B.Ch., I.M.S. (Ret.) | journal =[[British Medical Journal]]| volume =2 |number =5406 | pages =453 | date =15 August 1964 }}</ref> Cursetji initially aspired to a cavalry commission in the [[British Indian Army]] due to his fondness for riding, but ultimately opted for the Indian Medical Service.<ref name="cursetji"/> He studied at Gonville and Caius Colleges at [[Cambridge University]] and at [[London Hospital]] before entering the [[Indian Medical Service]] as a lieutenant on 27 January 1912.<ref name="cursetji"/><ref name= "orders">{{cite web|url=http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/permanent-galleries/world-wars-1905-1947/gallery-highlights/indian-army|title=Indian Army:Orders and medals of Major-General Sir Heerajee Jehangir Manockjee Cursetjee, Indian Medical Service, 1914-46 |date=9 June 2011|work=National Army Museum: Indian Army|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313143211/https://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/permanent-galleries/world-wars-1905-1947/gallery-highlights/indian-army|archive-date=2013-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28638|page=6292|date=23 August 1912}}</ref> During the [[First World War]], he served in Egypt, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia.<ref name= "orders"/> He was promoted to captain on 27 January 1915.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29186|page=5526|date=8 June 1915}}</ref> In October 1916, he was appointed a Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)|Order of the White Eagle]] of [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]] (5th Class, with swords).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29945|supp=y|page=1607|date=13 February 1917}}</ref>

As a medical officer attached to the [[14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs]] during the [[Mesopotamian campaign]], Captain Cursetji was awarded the DSO on 26 May 1919 for his service at the battles of Mushaq (26–27 October 1918) and [[Battle of Sharqat|Sharqat]] (29 October 1918):

{{Quotation|For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Mushaq, 26th-27th October and at Sharquat, 29th October. Throughout the operations he displayed the greatest zeal and disregard for danger while tending the wounded under heavy fire, working unceasingly for forty-eight hours. He has previously rendered excellent service, and once was severely wounded.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31356|page=6466|date=23 May 1919}}</ref>}}

Cursetji was promoted to major in the IMS on 27 January 1924, and was [[brevetted]] to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Indian Army on 1 January 1931.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32924|page=2803|date=4 April 1924}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33676|page=61|date=2 January 1931}}</ref> On 8 January of that year, he was appointed a deputy assistant director of medical services, and was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel on 27 July.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33710|page=2651|date=24 April 1931}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33754|page=6039|date=18 September 1931}}</ref> In 1938, he was appointed as the Officer-in-Charge of Hospitals, Lucknow District.<ref name= "generals">{{cite web|url=http://generals.dk/general/Cursetjee/Sir_Heerajee_Jehangir_Manockjee/Great_Britain.html|title=Cursetjee, Sir Heerajee Jehangir Manockjee|work=Generals.dk|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> He was promoted to colonel on 1 December 1938 (with seniority from 1 January 1934).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34622|supp=y|page=3004|date=5 May 1939}}</ref>

On 23 February 1941, Cursetji was appointed an Honorary Surgeon to the King (KHS).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35224|supp=y|page=4201|date=18 July 1941}}</ref> On 12 July, he was promoted to major-general, the first Indian to achieve a substantive [[general officer]] rank in the British Indian Army.<ref name="cursetji"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35387|page=7198|date=19 December 1941}}</ref> During the Second World War, the IMS was integrated with the Indian Army Medical Corps. In September, Cursetji was appointed as Deputy Director of Medical Services, Northern Command, and transferred to the North-Western Army in the same role in April 1942.<ref name= "generals"/> He was appointed a Companion of the [[Order of the Star of India]] (CSI) in the 1943 New Year Honours list, and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the [[Order of the Indian Empire]] (KCIE) in the 1946 New Year Honours list.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35841|page=4|date=29 December 1942}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37407|page=10|date=28 December 1945}}</ref> He retired on 1 June 1946,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37602|page=2844|date=7 June 1946}}</ref> and settled in England, where he lived until his death in an automobile accident on 26 July 1964.<ref name="cursetji"/> His estate was assessed for probate on 23 October, with a valuation of £10,641 (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|10641|1964|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}).<ref name="probate">{{Cite web |url=https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar |title=Heerajee Jehangir Manockjee Cursetjee|last= |date=1964 |website=probatesearchservice.gov |publisher=UK Government |access-date=17 April 2020}}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==

<div class="center">
Ribbon bar (as it would look today):

[[File:Order of the Indian Empire Ribbon.svg|110px]]
[[File:ImperialOrderCrownIndiaRibbon.svg|110px]]
[[File:Dso-ribbon.png|100px]]

[[File:1914 Star BAR.svg|100px]]
[[File:British War Medal BAR.svg|100px]]
[[File:Victory Medal MID ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:General Service Medal 1918 BAR.svg|110px]]
[[File:India General Service Medal 1909 BAR.svg|100px]]

[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|100px]]
[[File:Ribbon India Service Medal.png|100px]]
[[File:King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
[[File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png|100px]]
[[File:SRB Orden Belog Orla BAR.svg|100px]]

</div>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Order of the Indian Empire Ribbon.svg|100px]] || Knight Commander of the [[Order of the Indian Empire]] (KCIE) || 1946
|-
|[[File:ImperialOrderCrownIndiaRibbon.svg|100px]] || Companion of the [[Order of the Star of India]] (CSI) || 1943
|-
|[[File:Dso-ribbon.png|100px]] || Companion of the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) || 1919
|-
|[[File:1914 Star BAR.svg|100px]] || [[1914–15 Star]] || 1918
|-
|[[File:British War Medal BAR.svg|100px]] || [[British War Medal]] || 1918
|-
|[[File:Victory Medal MID ribbon bar.svg|100px]] || [[Victory Medal (United Kingdom)]] || 1918; with bronze oak leaf for MID
|-
|[[File:General Service Medal 1918 BAR.svg|100px]] || [[General Service Medal (1918)]] || with clasp for "Iraq"
|-
|[[File:India General Service Medal 1909 BAR.svg|100px]] || [[India General Service Medal (1909)]] || with clasp for "Waziristan 1921-1924"
|-
|[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|100px]] || [[War Medal 1939–1945]] ||
|-
|[[File:Ribbon India Service Medal.png|100px]] || [[India Service Medal]] ||
|-
|[[File:King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]|| [[King George V Silver Jubilee Medal]] ||
|-
|[[File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png|100px]] || [[King George VI Coronation Medal]] ||
|-
|[[File:SRB Orden Belog Orla BAR.svg|100px]] || Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)|Order of the White Eagle]] || 1916; with Swords
|-
|}
<ref name= "orders"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cursetji, Hiraji}}
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War II]]
[[Category:Indian Medical Service officers]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Indian surgeons]]
[[Category:1885 births]]
[[Category:1964 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Mumbai]]

Hiraji Cursetji - Revision history

Bot at 09:44, 25 November 2022