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

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and

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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 Raj, British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Cede ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and 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 ...

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 Indian Army and, before 1895, the Bengal 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 comman ...

of the Indian Corps. Negi was a 31 year old naik (equivalent to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

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

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

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

Defence of Festubert The Defence of Festubert was an engagement on the Western Front early in the First World War when Indian and British battalions of the 7th (Meerut) Division of the Indian Army defended the village of Festubert against a German attack from 23 ...

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 returned to India in January 1915 and undertook recruiting duty. After the First World War he served in

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, He retired in May 1926 with the rank of

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 an ...

, equivalent to a British captain. In the Second World War he again acted as a recruiting officer within India. He died on 24 June 1950 and was cremated in his home village of Kafarteer in the Garhwal division, India. Negi's son Balbir served in the

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became "The Royal Garhwal Rifles" as part of the British Indian Army, and after the Inde ...

of the

; and achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

and Balbir's son is still serving as a Brigadier in the Indian Army. The Victoria Cross is held by the family. The regimental museum of the

in Lansdowne,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

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

Early life

World War I

Victoria Cross

See also

References

External links