Order of British India explained

Order of British India
Presenter:the British monarch
Type:Order of merit
Eligibility:Officers of the British Indian Army holding a Viceroy's commission, Indian Officers of Indian States Forces, Frontier Corps and Military Police
Awarded For:Long, faithful and honourable service
Status:No longer awarded after 1947
Post-Nominals:OBI
Established:17 April 1837
Higher:Royal Red Cross (Class II)
Lower:Kaisar-i-Hind Medal[1]

The Order of British India was an order of merit established in 1837 by the East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service".[2] The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, and the Order was incorporated into the British Honours System in 1859. The order became obsolete in 1947, after the partition of British India into the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan.

The Order

The Order of British India was awarded by the Viceroy of India for long, faithful and honourable service by Viceroy's Commissioned (i.e. native Indian) Officers in the Indian Army. While the Order could be awarded for distinguished service on a particular campaign, it was more often awarded to selected serving officers of between 20 and 30 years service.

Establishment

When first ordered by Lord William Bentinck in April 1837, the Order was intended as a means of providing recognition for serving Indian officers in the East India Company's military forces. These so-called "Native Officers" faced slow promotion under a system that was based on advancement through seniority. The 1st Class of the Order conferred the title of sirdar bahadoor on the 100 subedars and risaldars (senior Indian officer ranks) to whom membership was limited, plus an increase in salary of two rupees a day. Appointments to the 2nd Class, limited to a further 100 Indian officers of any rank, entitled the recipient to the title of bahadoor and a more modest wage increase. In an article published in the Calcutta Review in 1856 Henry Lawrence however expressed the opinion that the Order had become "virtually the reward of old age" with its wearers mostly limited to retired pensioners.

Later history

In September 1939 eligibility was extended to include native officers serving in the Indian States Forces, Frontier Corps and Military Police,[3] and further extended in January 1944 to include native officers and Indian Warrant Officers in the Royal Indian Navy and the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery, as well as foreign officers, who could be appointed honorary members of the Order.[4]

Appearance

The Order was awarded in two classes, both worn from a neck ribbon:
First Class. The badge consisted of a gold star 1.7inches in diameter composed of rays of gold with in the centre the words ORDER OF BRITISH INDIA encircling a lion on a background of light blue enamel, surrounded by a laurel wreath, surmounted by a Crown. The enamel behind the wording was dark blue until 1939, when it was changed to the same light blue as appears behind the lion.[5] Recipients of the first class were entitled to use the title Sardar Bahadur (heroic leader).[3]
Second class. The badge comprised a slightly smaller gold star 1.5inches in diameter of similar design to the first class, but without the crown and with the centre enamel in dark blue enamel. Recipients of the second class were entitled to the title Bahadur (hero).[3]

Holders of both classes could use the post-nominal letters OBI.[3]

All initial awards to the Order were in the second class, with appointments to the first class made from existing members of the second class.[2]

The ribbon was originally sky-blue, but changed to dark red in 1838 after it was found that the hair oil favoured by Indian soldiers stained the ribbon. From September 1939 the first class ribbon had two thin light blue strips added towards the centre of the dark red ribbon, while the second class had one light blue stripe added to the centre of the ribbon.[2]

Pakistan awarded the Order to a small number of seconded British officers who rendered outstanding services at the time of independence.[6] [5]

Recipients

The following is an incomplete list of people appointed to the Order of British India:

First Class

Second class

References

Notes and References

  1. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121003075842/http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/documents/digitalasset/dg_068133.pdf ORDER OF WEAR
  2. Book: H. Taprell Dorling . Ribbons and Medals. 42 . A. H. Baldwin & Son, London . 1956.
  3. News: London Gazette, 26 Sept 1939, page 6511. 4 January 2018.
  4. News: London Gazette, 21 January 1944, page 434. 4 January 2018.
  5. Book: John W. Mussell. Medal Yearbook 2015. 88 . Token Publishing Limited, Honiton, Devon . 2015.
  6. Book: Edward C Joslin. Observer Book of British Awards and Medals.. 42. Published by Frederick Warne & Co, 1973.
  7. Book: Indian Army List January 1919 — Volume 3. 9781781502594. Army Headquarters. India. 6 February 2012. Andrews UK Limited .
  8. Book: Leading Officials, Nobles, And Personages In The Native States Of Rajasthan. 4 August 2023 . 9781781502594. Army Headquarters . India . Andrews UK Limited .
  9. Web site: When Army runs in the DNA .
  10. Field Marshal Lord Roberts, Years in India 1897. Note, page 208.
  11. Book: Various. Hyderabad State List of Leading Officials, Nobles and Personages. Potter Press. 15 March 2007. 4. 978-1-4067-3137-8.
  12. Web site: Singh. Raja Jeoraj. SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, I JANUARY, 1941. thegazette.co.uk.
  13. Book: Indian Army List January 1919 — Volume 2. 9781781502570. Army Headquarters. India. 3 February 2012. Andrews UK Limited .
  14. Book: Various. Alwar State List of Leading Officials, Nobles and Personages. Potter Press. 15 March 2007. 4. 978-1-4067-3137-8.
  15. 33 Years record of unbroken service (1911–1944). Served in both world wars. Book: Madras War Review journal. 21 January 1944.
  16. News: The London Gazette. 20 November 1936. 7495.
  17. Book: Condon, W.E.H. . The Frontier Force Regiment . 1962 . Gale & Polden . 574.
  18. Web site: File:Sardar Bahadur Tiku Singh Thapa, OBI, KPM, CM, 2nd in Command, Gurkha Military Police.jpg – Wikimedia Commons. 14 August 2020. commons.wikimedia.org. 14 August 2020. en.
  19. Web site: Thapa. Tiku. February 1937. Sardar Bahadur. 14 August 2020. Edinburgh Gazette.
  20. [iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.169153]
  21. The award of the OBI to him was gazetted in August 1897, as he was one of a special contingent that went to London to present a Guard of Honour to Queen Victoria, on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. Naval and Army Illustrated August 1897; also see Indian Army Lists, 1902, 1911
  22. Captain Bahadur Inayat Ullah Asmi, OBI served in two World Wars, as Subedar and Captain (King's Commission); he died in 1947 in Lahore.
  23. Subedar-Major Bahadur Jagindar Singh, OBI "" Book: O'Dwyer, Michael Francis. War Speeches. 1918. Superintendent Government Printing. Lahore, Punjab. 129. his conspicuous gallantry in action on 17 November 1914 when with a party of Sappers under the command of a British Officer he was always to the fore and led his men with great determination into the enemy's trenches. Subedar-Major Jagindar Singh, Saini Sikh of Kheri Salabatpur in Bupar, gained the 2nd Class Order of Merit at the battle of Loos in Belgium for striking leadership and conspicuous bravery in action after most of his company and all but one British Officer in his regiment had been killed or wounded. This officer was also awarded the 2nd Class of the Order of British India for distinguished conduct in the field..
  24. vide GGO No. 430 of 1898. OBI vide Gazette of India No. 872 of 1917.
  25. Web site: The Gazette of India, 1903, January-June. 6 October 1903. Internet Archive.
  26. India - Official Gazette . 2023-12-31 . Foreign Law Guide. 10.1163/2213-2996_flg_com_097406 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Order of British India".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.