Hugh Catchpole

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

HI (26 May 1907 – 1 February 1997) was a British educationist and philanthropist, mostly active in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, and later

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 ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He was a teacher and administrator in military colleges and schools such as

Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College The Rashtriya Indian Military College (abbreviated RIMC; formerly known as Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College) () is a military school for boys situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the Nation ...

, Pakistan Air Force School in Sargodha and

Abbottabad Public School Abbottabad Public School (APS) (Urdu: ایبٹ آباد پبلک سکول; Pashto: ایبټ اباد پبلک سکول), formerly Railway Public School and Abbottabad Public School and College, is a public, all boys, boarding school for 7th to 12t ...

. He was the founder principal of Cadet College at Hasan Abdal. For 5 years of his life, he was in the Royal Army and for over 60 years, he was associated with schools in India and Pakistan.

Background

Hugh Catchpole was born in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, Suffolk, England on 26 May 1907. One of five siblings, his father Henry Catchpole was the head of a building firm in Suffolk. He studied in

Ipswich School Ipswich School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. North of the town centre, Ipswich School has four parts on three adjacent sites. The Pre-Prep and Nur ...

during his early years and played cricket for Suffolk County XI. Later he studied Modern History at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

with a scholarship, which he completed in 1928. He also studied Indian history during his stay in Oxford, which formed his interest to come to British India for a teaching assignment at Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (Rashtriya Indian Military College) in

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

, India as a teacher in 1928. He joined the Royal Army in 1941 and was in the army until September 1946. In the military he attained the rank of Captain and taught

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

to British cadets and in the United Kingdom he interrogated Indian soldiers who had been captured by the German army but managed to escape. He later served a second stint in army from December 1946 to October 1948.

Students

His students include highly ranked officers in the Indian defence forces, the Pakistani defence forces and the Bangladeshi defence forces. These include officers such as Air Marshal

Asghar Khan Mohammad Asghar Khan (17 January 1921 – 5 January 2018) known as ''Night Flyer,'' held the distinction of being the first native and second C-in-C of the PAF, Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) from 1957 to 1965. He has been d ...

and Air Marshal

Nur Khan Nur Khan (22 February 192315 December 2011) was a Pakistan Air Force officer, politician and statesman who served as sixth commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. He later served as the sixth governor of West Pakistan ...

Awards and honours

* 1 January 1971 – Officer of the

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE), conferred by Elizabeth II * 31 December 1980 – Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), conferred by Elizabeth II * 23 March 1979 –

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

. * 15 June 2007 –

Hilal-i-Imtiaz The ''Hilal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled as ''Hilal-i-Imtiaz,'' is the second-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the Government of Pakist ...

(Crescent of Excellence) Award, second highest civil award of Pakistan, conferred by

General Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and :Pakistan Army ...

posthumously.

Hugh Catchpole Memorial English Debate

The All India Hugh Catchpole Memorial English Debate is an interschool debate competition in India started by

Rashtriya Indian Military College The Rashtriya Indian Military College (abbreviated RIMC; formerly known as Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College) () is a military school for boys situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the Nation ...

(RIMC) in 2006 and is named after Hugh Catchpole. The debate is conducted on a modified Cambridge pattern. Up to 20 reputed institutions from India participate in this event, and the winners over the years have been schools such as

Wynberg Allen School Wynberg-Allen School is a boarding school in India, founded in 1888. It is located at Bala hissar in Mussoorie, India. The alumni of Wynberg Allen School are known as Alwynians. History From a meeting in Kanpur in 1887 of friends, Mr. Powel ...

in 2009, La Martiniere (Lucknow) in 2013, St. Joseph's Academy (Dehradun) in 2015 and RIMC in 2012 and 2016.

Bibliography

* Bikram Singh, Sidharth Mishra (1997). ''Where Gallantry is Tradition: Saga of Rashtriya Indian Military College.'' Allied Publishers Limited

References

External links

Founder Principal, Cadet College Hasan Abdal - Archived

Life of Hugh Catchpole

RIMC founder remembered

Mr Hugh Catchpole's Notes on English Grammar and Uses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catchpole, Hugh Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Heads of schools in India Heads of schools in Pakistan 1907 births People educated at Ipswich School Alumni of the University of Oxford 1997 deaths British expatriates in Pakistan British people in colonial India