Darwan Singh Negi VC (4 March 188324 June 1950) was one of the first

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

soldiers to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Early life

Negi was born to a farming family in Kafarteer village in the

Garhwal District Garhwal District is a former district in Kumaon of British India of the United Provinces, and had an area of . It later became a part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, today it is part of the Indian state Uttarakhand. History The first dy ...

of the

North-Western Provinces The North-Western Provinces was an Presidencies and provinces of British India, administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquere ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. In 1902, at the age of 19, he joined the 39th Garhwal Rifles,

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

World War I

When the First World War broke out in 1914, the regiment travelled to France as part of the

7th (Meerut) Division The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service during World War I. Pre-1857 The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the command of Sir Jasper Nicolls, ...

of the

Indian Corps The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps stru ...

. Negi was a 33 year old naik (equivalent to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

) in the 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles,

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

during the First World War when he performed the deed during the

Defence of Festubert The Defence of Festubert was an engagement early in the First World War when Indian and British battalions of the 7th (Meerut) Division, Indian Army defended the village of Festubert against a German attack from 23–24 November 1914. It is nota ...

for which he was awarded the VC.

Victoria Cross

The citation of the VC reads: He was awarded the medal on the same day as Khudadad Khan VC; but Khan's VC action was of earlier date, so that he is regarded as the first Indian recipient. Negi retired with the rank of

subedar Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. History ''Subedar'' or ''subadar'' was t ...

, equivalent to a British captain. Both his son Balbir and Balbir's son Nitin served in the Garhwal Rifles of the

; both achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. His Victoria Cross is held by his family. The regimental museum of the Garhwal Rifles in Lansdowne,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

is named the Darwan Singh Museum in his honour.

References

External links

First ever Indian to get Victoria Cross from H.M. the King Emperor in the field of battle
''India's Army'' by Donovan Jackson (Sampson Low, Marston & Co, London. 1940).

Winthrop University.

Victoriacross.org.uk. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Negi, Darwan Singh 1883 births 1950 deaths British Indian Army officers British Indian Army soldiers Indian Army personnel of World War I People from Chamoli district Indian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Uttarakhand Military personnel of British India

Early life

World War I

Victoria Cross

See also

References

External links