Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the Company and Crown rule in India, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army from 1833 to 1947. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at GHQ India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India. Following the Partition of India in 1947 and the creation of the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, the post was abolished. It was briefly replaced by the position of Supreme Commander of India and Pakistan before the role was abolished in November 1948. Subsequently, the role of Commander-in-Chief was merged into the offices of the Commanders-in-Chief of the independent Indian Army and Pakistan Army, respectively, before becoming part of the office of the President of India from 1950 and of the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army from 1947.
Commander-in-Chief, India
Image: James Henry Craig 2
Image: Gerard Lake
Image: First Marquis of Cornwallis
The Indian Army during British rule, also referred to as the British Indian Army, was the main military force of the British Indian Empire until 1947. It was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have their own armies. As quoted in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, "The British Government has undertaken to protect the dominions of the Native princes from invasion and even from rebellion within: its army is organized for the defence not merely of British India, but of all possessions under the suzerainty of the King-Emperor." The Indian Army was an important part of the forces of the British Empire, in India and abroad, particularly during the First World War and the Second World War.
A painting showing a sowar of the 6th Madras Light Cavalry, c. 1845
117th Mahrattas at a fort in the North West Frontier, India, 1909
Flag party of the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) at Kohat, with their regimental colours in 1905
Punjabi Muslim soldiers, France, WW1