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Vikram Ramji Khanolkar

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Major-General

Vikram Ramji Khanolkar
Born(1905-06-28)28 June 1905
Quetta, Baluchistan Province, British Raj
(now in Pakistan)
Died29 August 1952(1952-08-29) (aged 47)
Between Ranchi and Kolkata (in train), India
Allegiance British India
 India
Service / branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
Years of service1927–1952
Rank Major-General
Service numberIA-421
UnitSikh Regiment
11th Sikh Regiment
4th Bombay Grenadiers
CommandsGOC, 20 Infantry Division
GOC, Delhi Area
6th Battalion, 11th Sikhs
Commandant, Travancore State Forces
2nd Nayar Infantry
Battles / wars
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1932)​

Major-General Vikram Ramji Khanolkar (28 June 1905 – 29 August 1952) was an Indian Army general.

Early life and career

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Khanolkar was from a noted family in Sawantwadi State. Born in Quetta, he received his early education in the city before further studies at Wilson College, Mumbai. In 1927, he enlisted as a sepoy in the 1st Battalion of the 4th Bombay Grenadiers and received a Viceroy's Commission the following year. He served in Zhob during this time.[1] His brother was V. R. Khanolkar.

In 1929, he was selected for a King's Commission as a King's Commissioned Indian Officer (KCIO).[1] He passed out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 January 1931 (seniority from 2 November 1927),[2][3] and as was customary was posted to a British Army regiment, the East Lancashire Regiment, for a period of one year before receiving his British Indian Army appointment.[1]

He was promoted lieutenant in the Indian Army on 1 April 1932 (seniority from 2 February 1930),[4] and was posted to the 5th Battalion (Duke of Connaught's Own) of the 11th Sikh Regiment.[1] On 3 May 1935, he was appointed battalion quartermaster,[5] taking eight months leave from April through December 1936.[6] He was promoted captain on 8 March 1937 and was appointed a company commander in the 10th Battalion of the 11th Sikhs from 1 January 1938.[7][8]

Wartime service

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From 3 December 1940, Khanolkar was seconded to the Travancore State Forces, in which he was appointed commander of the 2nd Nayar Infantry, serving in this capacity until December 1941.[9] with a subsequent appointment as overall Commandant of the State Forces in the acting rank of major.[1][10]

Following his service in Travancore, Khanolkar returned to his regiment and helped raise the 14/11 Sikhs. He was promoted temporary major on 1 May 1942 and was appointed second-in-command of the 5/11 Sikhs the following year, seeing service with them in North Africa and Italy.[10] He was promoted substantive major on 2 November 1944.[11] He then returned to India with a promotion to acting lieutenant-colonel and commanded the 6/11 Sikhs in Waziristan.[1]

Later career and death

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In 1946, Khanolkar was promoted temporary lieutenant-colonel and was appointed president of a Permanent Commission Selection Board for the Army, which travelled across SE Asia including to Japan, Burma and Singapore.[12] He was promoted acting colonel (war-substantive lieutenant-colonel) on 14 July 1946.[13] After Independence and Partition, he was appointed commandant of a refugee camp at Kurukshetra, with responsibility for nearly 3,70,000 refugees. He then briefly commanded Jalandhar Sub-Area and a brigade in Jammu before being promoted acting major-general and taking charge as GOC Delhi Area on 5 August 1949,[14] in which capacity he was known as a strict disciplinarian and skilled administrator.[1]

In January 1952, Khanolkar assumed command of the 20th Infantry Division at Calcutta. He went on tour in the Ranchi area in August. While returning to Calcutta by train along with his wife, he died of heart failure on the morning of 29 August.[1] He was posthumously promoted to the substantive rank of major-general with effect from 1 March 1952.[15]

Personal life

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In 1932, Khanolkar married Swiss-born Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros, an artist and designer of Hungarian-Russian descent who subsequently converted to Hinduism and changed her name to Savitri Khanolkar. The couple had two daughters and a son.[1]

Dates of rank

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Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
- Sepoy British Indian Army 1927
Jemadar British Indian Army 1928
Second Lieutenant British Indian Army 29 January 1931 (seniority from 2 November 1927)[2]
Lieutenant British Indian Army 1 April 1932 (seniority from 2 February 1930)[4]
Captain British Indian Army 8 March 1937[7]
Major British Indian Army 1941 (acting)[10]
1 May 1942 (temporary)[10]
2 November 1944 (substantive)[11]
Lieutenant-Colonel British Indian Army 1945 (temporary)
14 July 1946 (war-substantive)[13]
Colonel British Indian Army 14 July 1946 (acting)[13]
Major Indian Army 15 August 1947[note 1][16]
Brigadier Indian Army 1947 (acting)
2 November 1948 (temporary)
1 January 1950 (substantive)[17][note 1]
Major-General Indian Army 5 August 1949 (acting)[14][note 1]
Brigadier Indian Army 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[16][18]
Major General Indian Army posthumous, with effect from 1 March 1952[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c 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

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Defence-Press Note: V. R. Khanolkar" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 29 August 1952. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "No. 33685". The London Gazette. 30 January 1931. p. 677.
  3. ^ "No. 33716". The London Gazette. 15 May 1931. p. 3145.
  4. ^ a b "No. 33848". The London Gazette. 22 July 1932. p. 4798.
  5. ^ Indian Army List for October 1935. Government of India Press. 1935. p. 505.
  6. ^ Indian Army List for October 1936. Government of India Press. 1936. p. 505.
  7. ^ a b "No. 34416". The London Gazette. 9 July 1937. p. 4420.
  8. ^ Indian Army List for April 1938. Government of India Press. 1938. p. 506.
  9. ^ Indian Army List for July 1941 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1941. p. 1260.
  10. ^ a b c d Indian Army List for October 1945 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1945. p. 152.
  11. ^ a b "No. 36921". The London Gazette. 2 February 1945. p. 706.
  12. ^ Indian Army List for April 1946 (Part II). Government of India Press. 1946. p. 1547.
  13. ^ a b c The Quarterly Army List: December 1946 (Part II). HM Stationery Office. 1946. pp. 2512a.
  14. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 September 1949. p. 1349.
  15. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 December 1952. p. 285.
  16. ^ a b "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.
  17. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 June 1950. p. 70.
  18. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
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