Raghbir Singh Pathania (sometimes erroneously spelled Raghubir), was an Indian Lieutenant colonel who was the primary commander of the 2nd

Jammu and Kashmir Rifles The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, ...

during the Battle of Jassin, in which he was killed while defending a

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

of 4 Indian Brigades.

Biography

Family

Raghbir was born on 1874 as the son of Nihal Singh Pathania and the older brother of Gandharb Singh. He was also a descendant of the Raja of the Nurpur kingdom, Fateh Singh. He would later have several children including

Anant Singh Pathania Major General Anant Singh Pathania MVC, MC (25 May 1913 – 19 December 2007) was a decorated Indian Army general; the first Indian to receive a Military Cross in the Second World War, he was also the first Indian commanding officer of the G ...

on 25 May 1913.

Military career

He enlisted into military service at 2nd

which consisted of Muslims and Gurkhas. He would attend the 1903 Delhi Durbar as a Major of the staff of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. During his military career, he earned the title of Sardar Bahadur, being promoted to Commander-in-chief as well as earning the

Order of British India The Order of British India was an Order (honour), order of merit established in 1837 by the British East India Company, East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, ...

. Along with the command of Lieutenant Colonel Durga Singh, Singh Pathania's leadership was seen as competent and reliable by the commander of Indian Expeditionary Force B, General Arthur Aitken. Upon the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the then Lieutenant Colonel Pathania was in charge of mobilizing the 2nd Kashmir Rifles from 12 to 15 September with the regiment leaving Jammu at the end of the month to meet up with the rest of the Imperial Service Infantry Brigade which was to be concentrated at

Deolali Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian mi ...

by 1 October.

Battle of Jassin

After the outbreak of

, the

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 ...

were initially sent to the East African Campaign and the 2nd

were a part of the divisions sent to German East Africa. On 18 January 1915, the Germans attacked the village of

Jassin Jassini (''Kijiji cha Jassini'', in Swahili language, Swahili) is a village in Mayomboni ward of Mkinga District, Tanga, Mkinga District in Tanga Region, Tanzania. The village is at the border with Kenya. The town has a significant part of Tanga ...

to secure Tanga which had successfully repelled an Anglo-Indian Invasion. The garrison of the town was a weak and meager force of around 4 brigades commanded by Pathania. The fighting would last for nine hours in an attempt to relieve the nearby Yasin Garrison but to no avail as the regiment would eventually run out of ammunition against a superior German force and would surrender. Pathania would then be killed in action which lead to the Germans capturing it. Pathania's services were recognized by the state government as they would grant a

Jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

worth 400 Rupees per annum and around 50 acres of land to his family. Brigadier J. L. Rose would comment on Pathania's death, stating:

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pathania, Raghbir Singh 1874 births 1915 deaths British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel killed in World War I People from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh Sardar Bahadurs Indian State Forces officers 20th-century Indian royalty