Sir Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana,

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, GBE, KCSI, KCIE (27 January 1888 – 12 May 1960) was a member of the

Rana dynasty Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...

who served as the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

of Nepal in 1951. A prominent member of the Rana oligarchy, he fought valiantly in the First World War. He was the second son of

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field-Marshal Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (8 July 1863 – 26 November 1929) was the Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901 to his death in 1929, after he successfully ...

and Bada Maharani Chandra Loka Bhakta Lakshmi Devi. He was the younger brother of

Sir

Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field-Marshal Shree Shree Shree Maharaja Sir Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana ( ne, मोहन शम्शेर जङ्गबहादुर राणा), GCB, GCIE, GBE (23 December 1885 – 6 January 1967) was the prime minister a ...

and older brother of Field Marshal Sir

Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GBE (8 January 1892 – 7 June 1964) was a field marshal in the Royal Nepalese Army. He was the third son of Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO the fift ...

Family

Sir Baber Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana was born to Field Marshal H.H. Svasti Sri Madati Prachandra Bhujadandyetyadi Ati-Projjwala-Nepal-Taradisha Sri Sri Sri Maharaja

, T'ung-ling-ping-ma-Kuo-Kang-wang, Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski, GCB and Bada Maharani Chandra Loka Bhakta Lakshmi Devi on January 27, 1888, at

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

. He married twice, first in 1903, to Sri Bada Rani Deva Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi; and secondly to Sri Bada Rani Baid Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi. He had three sons and two daughters: * Bala Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, (died in 1921). * Lieutenant-General Prasiddha-Prabala-Gorkha-Dakshina-Bahu Mrigendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (by Baid Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi), born in 1906. * Major-General Subikhyat-Tri-Shakti-Patta, Prasidha-Prabala-Gorkha-Dakshina-Bahu Sir Brahma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana KCIE, born in 1909. * Phanindra Rajya Lakshmi, Rani of Tiloi, born in 1908. * Homa Rajya Lakshmi, Rani of Nayagarh, born in 1913.

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Gaurav Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the chief of the Army of Nepal since 2012, is his great-grandson through his son, Mrigendra's son Adiyta Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana.

Later life

Sir Baber Shumsher was educated at the

Mayo College Mayo College (informally Mayo) is a boys-only independent boarding school in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. It was founded in 1875 by Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, who was the Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872. This makes it one of the oldest Pub ...

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...

. In 1901, he was made a Major General of the Royal Nepalese Army and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1903. After being Aide de camp to his father in 1908, he was promoted to a General in 1914, and finally to the post of Commanding General in 1934. In 1927, he was made an Honorary Colonel in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. In 1946, he led the Royal Nepalese troops at the Victory parade in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. During the premiership (1948–1951) of his older brother, Sir Mohan Shamsher, Sir Baber Shamsher was the Mukhtiyar and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Nepalese Army. In 1951, he became the Minister for Defence in the Congress Rana Cabinet led, by his brother. However he was a ''bete noire'' in the eyes of the Nepali Congress, and was replaced by his younger brother, Singha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana on June 10, 1951.

Death

He died at his residence at

Baber Mahal Baber may refer to: * Baber (surname), an English surname * Baber, Iran (disambiguation), various places in Iran * Baber, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, in the United States * Baber (Moghul), a varian ...

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

on May 12, 1960 (which was built for him by his father). His brother

Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GBE (8 January 1892 – 7 June 1964) was a field marshal in the Royal Nepalese Army. He was the third son of Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO the fifth ...

, died Four years later at the same age.

Honours

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

silver medal, 1903 *

silver medal, 1911 *

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, 1915 *Sword of Honour, 1916 *

Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(KCIE), 1916 *

Order of the Star of Nepal The Most Refulgent Order of the Star of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल तारा ''Nepal Taradisha'') is an award of Nepal. History It was instituted by King Tribhubhan Bir Bikram Shah Dev on 19 November 1918. Attached to the order is a medal ( ...

, 1st Class, 1918 *

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

, 1918 * Commonwealth Victory Medal, 1918 *

, 1919 * Waziristan Field Medal, 1919 * Indian General Service Medal w/ Afghanistan Clasp-1919 *

Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(KCSI), 1919 *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(GBE), 1919 * Honorary Colonel,

, 1927 *

Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu ( ne, गोरखा दक्षिण बाहु; Order of the Gurkha Right Arm ''or Hand'') was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was one of the highest honors given traditionally by the ...

(Gurkha Right Hand), Member 1st Class, 1935 *

Order of Tri Shakti Patta The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta ( ne, त्रिशक्ति पट्ट; Order of the Three Divine Powers) is an order of knighthood of the former Kingdom of Nepal. It is conferred on members of the Royal Family or Nepali citi ...

(Three Divine Powers), Member 1st Class, 1939 * Order of Om Rama Patta, Member, 1946 *

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(GCVO), 1946 * Chief Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

of the US, 1946

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rana, Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur 1888 births 1960 deaths Nepalese generals Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Recipients of the Order of the Star of Nepal Members of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta, First Class Members of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, First Class Chief Commanders of the Legion of Merit Rana regime Rana dynasty 20th-century Nepalese nobility 19th-century Nepalese nobility Children of prime ministers of Nepal Nepalese Hindus