Maharaja in the Military: Sir Pratap Singh of Idar
Lieutenant-General Sir Pratap Singh, Maharaja of the Idar princely state, was one of the one million Indian troops who fought for the British in the First World War. He had an illustrious career not only in the military, but also as an administrator. In 1897, he was awarded the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India.
Sir Pratap Singh was born on 22 October 1845, and was the third son of the ruler of Jodhpur, Maharaja Takht Singh. Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur oversaw his training in administration. In 1878, he was commissioned in the Jodhpur Risala, or the mounted troops, and served during the Second Afghan War, where his bravery and valiant action in the face of the enemy was mentioned in official reports. In 1887, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1898, while serving in the Tirah campaign in what is now known as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, he was wounded. Later on, he was promoted to the rank of honorary colonel, and commanded the Jodhpur contingent dispatched to quell the Boxer uprising in China, which was the first multinational force in history. Under Lord Curzon, he was offered the post of the honorary commandant of the Imperial Cadet Corps. At the age of 74, he commanded a regiment in France, during the First World War, and was one of the oldest soldiers in the trenches. In 1916, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. During the Battle of Megiddo in 1918, his bravery helped the Indian Army in the Sinai secure an outstanding victory, which sealed the faith of the Ottoman Empire. In the Middle East, he was accompanied by his two teenage sons, Hanut and Sagat, and they served in the Jodhpur Lancers together in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine.
He served as the Chief Minister of Jodhpur from 1878 to 1895, after the death of his father. At that time, his eldest brother was on the throne. After his brother’s death in 1895, he served as a regent for his nephew, the heir to the throne, and then for two of his grandnephews, until his death in 1922. At the time of his death, Maharaja Pratap Singh’s official title was Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCB, GCSI, GCVO.
He was an aristocrat and an avid socialite, and during his time in France, would mingle with the likes of the British royal family and King Albert I of Belgium. After the war, he tried, unsuccessfully, to represent India at the Paris Peace Conference.
“Of all the soldier princes of India, I think I am the only soldier who has stuck to his post at the front throughout the war.”
— Sir Pratap Singh, in a letter to King George V
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