Inderjit Singh Gill

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Template:Infobox military person

Lieutenant General Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC (16 January 1922 – 30 May 2001)[1] was a general officer in the Indian Army. He was the officiating Director of Military Operations (DMO)[2] of the Indian Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He retired in 1979 after serving as the Western Army Commander.

Early life

Gill was born in 1922 in a Jat Sikh family of Lieutenant Colonel Gurdial Singh Gill of the Indian Medical Service and his Scottish wife, Rena Lister.[3] Having done his schooling in India, he was studying engineering at the University of Edinburgh when the second world war broke out, and in 1941 he dropped out to enlist in the Black Watch.[2]

Military career

World War II

He was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant on 5 April 1942. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 5 October 1942.

The British Special Operations Executive planned Operation Animals to deceive the Axis Powers into believing that Greece was the target of an Allied amphibious landing, instead of Sicily. Gill served in this operation, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in the London Gazette on 3 February 1944 as a Lieutenant (acting Captain). His citation (which was not made public) read: Template:Quote

He was also mentioned in dispatches in the London Gazette of 6 April 1944 for services in the Middle East.

Post-Independence

Just prior to India's independence, Gill relinquished his British commission and joined the Indian Army.[4] On 7 May 1947, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the British Indian Army (seniority from 5 July 1944) and with seniority in his former rank of second lieutenant from 5 January 1943.[5] He was promoted to captain in the newly re-designated Indian Army on 5 January 1949.[6]

Gill attended the Defence Services Staff College in 1954. In 1955, he took over command of the 1st battalion The Parachute regiment (1 Para), and was promoted to major on 5 January 1956.[7] After Brigade and Division level commands, he was appointed the Director Military Training (DMT). He was the officiating Director Military Operations (DMO) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.Template:Fact

Gill was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal as a Major General in 1967 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1972[8] for his role as the officiating Director of Military Operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.[9]

After the war, Gill was promoted to lieutenant-general on 1 April 1974.[10] He commanded a Corps in the eastern theater. Upon promotion to Army Commander, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command, and retired on 1 June 1979.[11]

Post-retirement

Upon retirement, Gill chose to reside in Chennai, where he was a trustee of various institutions set up by his father. He died on 30 May 2001.[1][12]

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
File:British Army (1920-1953) OF-1a.svg Second Lieutenant British Army 5 April 1942 (emergency)[13][14]
File:British Army (1920-1953) OF-1b.svg Lieutenant British Army 5 October 1942 (war-substantive)[14]
File:British Army (1920–1953) OF-2.svg Captain British Army 21 March 1945 (temporary)[14]
File:British Army (1920-1953) OF-1b.svg Lieutenant British Indian Army 7 May 1947 (seniority from 5 July 1944)[5][note 1]
File:British Army (1920-1953) OF-1b.svg Lieutenant Indian Army 15 August 1947[note 2][15]
File:British Army (1920–1953) OF-2.svg Captain Indian Army 5 January 1949[6][note 2][15]
File:Captain of the Indian Army.svg Captain Indian Army 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[15][16]
File:Major of the Indian Army.svg Major Indian Army 5 January 1956[7]
File:Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 5 January 1959
File:Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Colonel Indian Army 25 November 1965[17]
File:Brigadier of the Indian Army.svg Brigadier Indian Army 27 August 1964 (acting)[18]
1 May 1967 (substantive)[19]
File:Major General of the Indian Army.svg Major General Indian Army 2 June 1969 (substantive)[20]
File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-General Indian Army 22 October 1973 (acting)[21]
1 April 1974 (substantive)[10]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RMS
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FBH
  3. ↑ Madras Landmarks. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  4. ↑ London Gazette 21/11/1989, page 13429 - Corps of Royal Engineers - Emergency Commn - Lt. I. S. GILL, M.C. (229329) relinquishes his commn., 6 May 1947 on appt. to Indian Army (Substituted for the notifnTemplate:?. in Gazette (Supplement) dated 27 January 1950).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](26 January 1955).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](9 April 1955).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](9 February 1957).
  8. ↑ Padma Awards. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India(2015). Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Tales of an Officer and a Gentleman. Business Standard(5 February 2013). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](15 March 1975).
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TNSI
  12. ↑ A place in fiction, Mutthiah, Subbiah(2001-06-10). Retrieved 14 September 2018.Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
  13. ↑ Template:London Gazette
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 The Quarterly Army List (Part I) December 1946{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. HM Stationery Office(1946)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services. Press Information Bureau of India - Archive.
  16. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](11 February 1950).
  17. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](10 June 1967).
  18. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](3 October 1964).
  19. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](10 February 1968).
  20. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](27 September 1969).
  21. ↑ [{{{url}}} Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)](23 February 1974).

References

Citations

Sources

  • Born to Dare: The Life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Penguin(2008). ISBN 9780670081882

Template:PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1970–79 Template:Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
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