Ressaidar was a
Viceroy's commissioned officer
A viceroy's commissioned officer (VCO) was a senior Indian member of the British Indian Army. VCOs were senior in rank to warrant officers in the British Army, and held a commission issued by the viceroy. Also known as "Indian officers" or "native ...
's (VCO) rank in 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 ...
. Ressaidar denoted a junior commander of a ''risala'' or ''risalah'' (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
.
This native Officer's rank existed in Cavalry only, there was never a corresponding position in the other arms. A Ressaidar was a junior
troop
A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...
commander, so he could be regarded as native junior 'Captain'. He was usually the head of the second troop of a
squadron, while the first troop was led by a
Risaldar
Risaldar, meaning the commander of a ''risala'' or ''risalah'' (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian and Pakistan Army. In other arms, such as the infantry, ...
, who was a native senior 'Captain'.
During the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
, a Ressaidar ranked above
Jemadar
Jemadar or jamadar ( Hindustani: जमादार; جمعدار) is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent.
Etymology
The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arab ...
or Naib-Risaldar (rank abolished in 1865) and below Risaldar (with the latter he was sometimes confused with, even by authors of military literature). A Ressaidar was roughly equivalent to a 'Captain, 2nd Class' or '
Captain lieutenant
Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army.
Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland
The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Fin ...
', but in
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 ...
, he was classified as native '
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
'. Nevertheless, all VCO's were always outranked by the lowest british Officer with a
full commission.
The rank of Ressaidar was abolished with effect from 1st April 1921. Indian Officers then holding that rank were to be promoted to Risaldar.
[Journal of the United Service Institution of India, by the ]United Service Institution
United Service Institution of India (USI) is a national security and defence services think tank based in New Delhi, India. It describes its aim as the "furtherance of interest and knowledge in the art, science and literature of the defence serv ...
, Volume 50-51, New Delhi 1921, p. 365
References
Military ranks of British India
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