King's Commissioned Indian Officer
Encyclopedia
A king's commissioned Indian officer (KCIO) was an Indian officer of the British Indian Army
who held a full king's commission after training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
, as opposed to the Indian commissioned officers (ICOs), who were trained at the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun, and the viceroy's commissioned officer
s (VCOs), who were treated in almost all respects as commissioned officers, but only had authority over Indian troops.
KCIOs were introduced in the early 20th century under the Indianisation
process. They were equivalent in every way to the British
king's commissioned officers (KCOs), held the same ranks, and unlike VCOs had authority over British troops. In fact, most KCIOs served on attachment to a British unit for a year or two early in their careers.
One of the first KCIO was Rana Jodha Jung Bahadur. Commander-in-Chief of Tripura State Forces, Col. Jodha Jung Bahadur Rana MBE
, Military Cross Medal
, MID Award, GSM Medal
, Allied Victory Medal
, King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
, King George VI Coronation Medal
, British War Medal
, KCIO first (1st) king's commissioned officer fought in Great World War I commanding Tehri-Garhwal Sappers and Miners 1914-1919 in France, Flanders, Egypt and Mesopotamia. He later commanded forces in Afgan War and Wazirstan War as well. He received 5 bullet wounds in the neck and upper shoulder during The Great War and recovered in London Hospital.
Many officers who later held high rank in the post-independence Indian Army
and Pakistan Army
began their careers as KCIOs. Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
, Hanmantrao Mohite, Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, S. P. P. Thorat, B. M. Kaul, and Ayub Khan were a few of the Sandhurst-trained officers.
The last of the KCIOs in Indian Army Service was General P. P. Kumaramangalam, who retired in 1969.
Those king's commissioned officers who were captured by the Japanese in Malaya, joined the Indian National Army. They were subsequently tried by the British for treason and courtmartialled at the Red Fort trials. Colonel Abdul Aziz Sultan Mohammad Tajik of Peshawar and Prince Burhanuddin of Chitral were two such officers. As they joined Pakistan, they never got their pensions and dues.
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
who held a full king's commission after training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, as opposed to the Indian commissioned officers (ICOs), who were trained at the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun, and the viceroy's commissioned officer
Viceroy's Commissioned Officer
A viceroy's commissioned officer 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...
s (VCOs), who were treated in almost all respects as commissioned officers, but only had authority over Indian troops.
KCIOs were introduced in the early 20th century under the Indianisation
Indianisation
Indianisation was a process introduced in the later period of British India whereby Indian officers were promoted to more senior positions in government services, formerly reserved for Europeans. In the Indian police, the rank of Deputy Superintendent was introduced to prepare Indian officers for...
process. They were equivalent in every way to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
king's commissioned officers (KCOs), held the same ranks, and unlike VCOs had authority over British troops. In fact, most KCIOs served on attachment to a British unit for a year or two early in their careers.
One of the first KCIO was Rana Jodha Jung Bahadur. Commander-in-Chief of Tripura State Forces, Col. Jodha Jung Bahadur Rana MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, Military Cross Medal
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, MID Award, GSM Medal
General Service Medal (1918)
The General Service Medal was instituted to recognise service in minor Army and Air Force operations for which no separate medal was intended. It was equivalent to the 1915 Naval General Service Medal.- Description :...
, Allied Victory Medal
Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
The Victory Medal is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA in accordance with decisions as taken at the Inter-Allied Peace Conference at...
, King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
, King George VI Coronation Medal
King George VI Coronation Medal
The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
, British War Medal
British War Medal
The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
, KCIO first (1st) king's commissioned officer fought in Great World War I commanding Tehri-Garhwal Sappers and Miners 1914-1919 in France, Flanders, Egypt and Mesopotamia. He later commanded forces in Afgan War and Wazirstan War as well. He received 5 bullet wounds in the neck and upper shoulder during The Great War and recovered in London Hospital.
Many officers who later held high rank in the post-independence Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
and Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
began their careers as KCIOs. Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Field Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...
, Hanmantrao Mohite, Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, S. P. P. Thorat, B. M. Kaul, and Ayub Khan were a few of the Sandhurst-trained officers.
The last of the KCIOs in Indian Army Service was General P. P. Kumaramangalam, who retired in 1969.
Those king's commissioned officers who were captured by the Japanese in Malaya, joined the Indian National Army. They were subsequently tried by the British for treason and courtmartialled at the Red Fort trials. Colonel Abdul Aziz Sultan Mohammad Tajik of Peshawar and Prince Burhanuddin of Chitral were two such officers. As they joined Pakistan, they never got their pensions and dues.