Arjan Singh
Encyclopedia
Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC
(Punjabi
: ਅਰਜਨ ਸਿੰਘ; 15 April 1919-) is the only officer of the Indian Air Force
to be promoted to five-star rank, equal to a Field Marshal
, to which he was promoted in 2002. He was born in the Punjab
town of Lyallpur
, British India, into a Aulakh
family. With the death of Field Marshal
Sam Manekshaw
in June 2008, he is presently the only living Indian military officer with a five-star rank.
in the Punjab in what was then British India. He was educated at Montgomery
, India
(now in Pakistan
). He entered the RAF College Cranwell in 1938 and was commissioned as a pilot officer
in December 1939. As a distinguished graduate of the RAF College, Singh's portrait is now to be found on the walls of the College's west staircase.
Singh led No. 1 Squadron, Indian Air Force
into command during the Arakan Campaign in 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC) in 1944, and commanded the Indian Air Force
Exhibition Flight in 1945. Singh almost faced a court martial when he tried to raise the morale of an air force pilots by conducting a low level air pass over a house in Kerala. Though he apologised for his mistake, but he insisted that such tricks are needed for every cadet to be a fighter pilot.
in 1965. He also became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force when, in recognition of the Air Force’s contribution in the 1965 war, the rank of the Chief of Air Staff was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal.
After he retired in 1969 at the age of 50, he was appointed the Indian Ambassador to Switzerland in 1971. He concurrently served as the Ambassador to the Vatican. He was appointed High Commissioner to Kenya in 1974.
He was member of the Minorities Commission, Government of India from 1975-1981.
He was Lt. Governor of Delhi from Dec 1989 - Dec 1990 and was made Marshal of the Air Force
in January, 2002.
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Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
: ਅਰਜਨ ਸਿੰਘ; 15 April 1919-) is the only officer of the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
to be promoted to five-star rank, equal to a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
, to which he was promoted in 2002. He was born in the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
town of Lyallpur
Lyallpur
Lyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...
, British India, into a Aulakh
Aulakh
Aulakh , also known as Ola or Aula is a Jat clan found in Punjab, Pakistan and the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, in India.- Origin :Aulakhs claim Lipka Tatar descent...
family. With the death of Field Marshal
Field Marshal (India)
The rank of Field Marshal is the highest possible rank in the Indian Army. Only two Army appointments have been made by the Government of India since independence in 1947. An equivalent rank existed in the British Indian Army before 1947...
Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
in June 2008, he is presently the only living Indian military officer with a five-star rank.
Early life and career
Arjan Singh was born on 5 April 1919 in LyallpurFaisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
in the Punjab in what was then British India. He was educated at Montgomery
Sahiwal
Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). He entered the RAF College Cranwell in 1938 and was commissioned as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in December 1939. As a distinguished graduate of the RAF College, Singh's portrait is now to be found on the walls of the College's west staircase.
Singh led No. 1 Squadron, Indian Air Force
No. 1 Squadron, Indian Air Force
No. 1 Squadron is the oldest squadron of the Indian Air Force. It operates as an multirole unit. Based at Gwalior AFB, No. 1 Squadron falls under the Central Air Command, and along with No. 7 Squadron , No...
into command during the Arakan Campaign in 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(DFC) in 1944, and commanded the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
Exhibition Flight in 1945. Singh almost faced a court martial when he tried to raise the morale of an air force pilots by conducting a low level air pass over a house in Kerala. Though he apologised for his mistake, but he insisted that such tricks are needed for every cadet to be a fighter pilot.
Career and commands held
He was Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), from 1 August 1964 to 15 July 1969, and was awarded the Padma VibhushanPadma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
in 1965. He also became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force when, in recognition of the Air Force’s contribution in the 1965 war, the rank of the Chief of Air Staff was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal.
After he retired in 1969 at the age of 50, he was appointed the Indian Ambassador to Switzerland in 1971. He concurrently served as the Ambassador to the Vatican. He was appointed High Commissioner to Kenya in 1974.
He was member of the Minorities Commission, Government of India from 1975-1981.
He was Lt. Governor of Delhi from Dec 1989 - Dec 1990 and was made Marshal of the Air Force
Marshal of the Air Force
Marshal of the Air Force is the English term for the most senior rank in a number of air forces. The ranks described by this term can properly be considered marshal ranks....
in January, 2002.
Career Highlights
- 1938 - Entered RAF College Cranwell as a Flight Cadet
- 1939—Commissioned in Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a Pilot OfficerPilot OfficerPilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer... - 1940 - Flying OfficerFlying OfficerFlying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
- 1942 - Flight LieutenantFlight LieutenantFlight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
- 1944 - Squadron LeaderSquadron LeaderSquadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
- 1945—Awarded Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- 1947—Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank)Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
, Royal Indian Air Force, Air Force Station, Ambala - 1948—Group CaptainGroup CaptainGroup captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
, Director, Training, Air Headquarters - 1949—Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
, Indian Air ForceIndian Air ForceThe Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
AOC, Operational Command - 1961—Air Vice Marshal, Air Officer in Charge, Administration, Air HQ
- 1963—Deputy Chief of Air Staff and subsequently Vice Chief of Air Staff
- 1964—Chief of Air Staff (Air MarshalAir MarshalAir marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
) - 1965—Chief of Air Staff rank upgraded to that of an Air Chief MarshalAir Chief MarshalAir chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
- 1965—Awarded Padma VibhushanPadma VibhushanThe Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
- 1966—Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee
- 1969—Retired from Indian Air ForceIndian Air ForceThe Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
- 1971—Ambassador to SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and... - 1974—High Commissioner to KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
- 1980—Member of the Minorities Commission
- 1989—Lt. Governor, DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
- 2002 - Marshal of the Air ForceMarshal of the Air ForceMarshal of the Air Force is the English term for the most senior rank in a number of air forces. The ranks described by this term can properly be considered marshal ranks....
External links
- Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh
- Book on Arjan Singh: Marshal of The Indian Air Force (Hardcover)
- Book review on Arjan Singh: Marshal of The Indian Air Force
- Article on Marshal of The Indian Air Force Arjan Singh
- Photograph of Arjan Singh today
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