Mohinder Singh Wadalia

Lieutenant-General Mohinder Singh Wadalia
Born	(1908-11-30)30 November 1908[1]
Died	20 May 2001(2001-05-20) (aged 92) New Delhi, India
Allegiance	British India (1929-1947)  India (1947-1965)
Service / branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1929–1965
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Service number	AI-947
Unit	Hyderabad Regiment 16th Light Cavalry
Commands	Commandant of the Indian Military Academy
Battles / wars	World War II Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre Indo-Pakistan War of 1947
Awards	Mentioned in dispatches

Lieutenant-General Mohinder Singh Wadalia (30 November 1908 – 20 May 2001) was an Indian Army general.[2]

Career

A King's Commissioned Indian Officer (KCIO), Wadalia was educated at Aitchison College and the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehra Dun.[3] He subsequently attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the British Indian Army on 31 January 1929, passing out fifth in the order of merit from 37 successful cadets.[4][5] He was formally appointed to the Indian Army as an officer with the 4/19 Hyderabad Regiment (now 4 Kumaon Regiment) on 13 April 1930.[6] On 1 March 1934, he transferred to the 16th Light Cavalry and was appointed a squadron officer.[7] He was appointed the adjutant on 1 January 1937.[8]

During the Second World War, Wadalia was appointed a GSO 3 in the Directorate of Military Training on 27 June 1941, under Brigadier Francis Tuker.[9] Advanced to a GSO 2 on 26 September and promoted temporary major in December,[10] Wadalia was transferred to the Directorate of Armoured Fighting Vehicles on 26 May 1943.[11] He served on the headquarters staff in the Persia-Iraq theatre and was mentioned in dispatches.[3][12] On 13 August 1944, he was appointed a GSO 1 on the staff, with the acting rank of lieutenant-colonel.[13] He was promoted substantive major (temporary lieutenant-colonel) on 31 January 1946.[14] On 23 December 1949, he was promoted temporary brigadier and given command of a brigade.[15]

On 21 June 1951, Wadalia was appointed an area commander with the local rank of major general.[16] On 1 September, he was appointed Commandant of the National Defence Academy with the acting rank of major-general.[17] He was the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff between 27 January 1959 and 15 November 1964.[18]

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	British Indian Army	31 January 1929
	Lieutenant	British Indian Army	30 April 1931[19]
	Captain	British Indian Army	31 January 1938[20]
	Major	British Indian Army	26 September 1941 (acting)[1] 26 December 1941 (temporary)[1] 31 January 1946 (substantive)[14]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	British Indian Army	13 August 1944 (acting)[1] 31 January 1946 (temporary)[14]
	Major	Indian Army	15 August 1947[note 1][21]
	Colonel	Indian Army
	Brigadier	Indian Army	1948 (acting) 23 December 1949 (temporary)[15][note 1]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[21]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	31 January 1950 (substantive)[22]
	Major General	Indian Army	21 June 1951 (local)[16] 1 September 1951 (acting)[17]
	Lieutenant-General	Indian Army

Notes

1. Upon independence in 1947, India became a Dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations. As a result, the rank insignia of the British Army, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."

References

1. Indian Army List for October 1945 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1945. p. 157.
2. "First Vice-Chief of Army Staff cremated". The Tribune. 21 May 2001. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
3. Nanporia, N. J., ed. (1959–60). "Who's Who in India (Wadalia, Mohinder Singh)". The Times of India Directory & Yearbook, including Who's Who. The Times of India Press, Bombay. p. 1226.
4. Sharma, Gautam (1996). Nationalisation of the Indian Army, 1885-1947. Allied Publishers Limited. p. 239. ISBN 81-7023-555-3.
5. "No. 33462". The London Gazette. 1 February 1929. p. 772.
6. "No. 33626". The London Gazette. 18 July 1930. p. 4501.
7. Indian Army List for October 1936. Government of India Press. 1936. p. 428.
8. Indian Army List for October 1938. Government of India Press. 1938. p. 428.
9. Indian Army List for October 1941. Government of India Press. 1941. pp. 8A.
10. Indian Army List for July 1942. Government of India Press. 1942. p. 10.
11. Indian Army List for October 1943. Government of India Press. 1943. p. 11.
12. "No. 36120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1943. p. 3526.
13. Indian Army List for October 1945. Government of India Press. 1945. pp. 8D.
14. "No. 37579". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 May 1946. p. 2517.
15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 28 January 1950. p. 157.
16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 September 1951. p. 174.
17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 13 October 1951. p. 195.
18. "Deputy Army Chief retires" (PDF). 18 November 1964. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
19. "No. 33727". The London Gazette. 19 June 1931. p. 3396.
20. "No. 34492". The London Gazette. 11 March 1938. p. 1673.
21. "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017.
22. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 June 1950. p. 70.

Military offices
Preceded by Kodandera Subayya Thimayya	Commandant of the National Defence Academy September 1951 - January 1953	Succeeded by Enaith Habibullah
Preceded by Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri	Chief of the General Staff December 1955 - May 1957	Succeeded by S. D. Verma
New title Office created	Deputy Chief of the Army Staff January 1959 - November 1964	Succeeded by Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam