Thakur Nathu Singh Rathore | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1900-04-22)22 April 1900 Gumanpura,Dungarpur, Rajasthan |
| Died | 5 November 1994(1994-11-05) (aged 94) Gumanpura, Dungarpur, Rajasthan |
| Allegiance | British India (1922–1947) India (from 1947) |
| Branch | British Indian Army (1922-1947) Indian Army (1947-1954) |
| Years of service | 1922-1954 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Rajput Regiment |
| Commands | Eastern Command |
| Battles / wars | World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 |
| Relations | Ran Vijay Singh (son)[1] |
Lieutenant GeneralNathu Singh Rathore was an Indian Army officer from Gumanpura,Rajasthan.[2]
Singh was born in 1900,[3] although official records say he was born on 10 May 1902 atGumanpura in the princely state ofDungarpur. He was the only son of Thakur Hamir Singhji Mertiya of Gumanpura. He was a descendant of RaoJaimal Rathore of Merta. who fought forMewar againstAkbar. Singh lost his parents at a young age and was then taken under the wing of Maharawal Vijay Singh of Dungarpur.[citation needed]
Singh was educated atMayo College and was nicknamed Baghi (Rebel) by his peers. He was later sent to theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst in England to be trained as an officer to serve in the Mewar Army, on the request of Rajmata of Dungarpur.[citation needed]
Singh was the second Indian officer to graduate from Sandhurst, afterRajendrasinhji Jadeja who later became athree-star general. After serving in theMewar Army, he was commissioned in the 1/7Rajput Regiment in 1925. He served at various places including Afghanistan and theDeccan. AtStaff College Camberley, he scored a still-record 935 out of 1000 in Strategy. He served as a Battalion Commander in Burma during World War II.[4]
Singh climbed the military hierarchy and in 1949 was offered the post ofCommander-in-Chief of the Indian army to replace the retiringGeneral Roy Bucher by SardarBaldev Singh, thedefence minister at the time.[5]He declined, stating that GeneralK. M. Cariappa was senior to him and more eligible for the post. He was instead appointed first as the Inspector-General of Training and Evaluation, and then in 1951 as the commander of the Eastern Army, a post he held till 1954.[5][6]
