Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Daya Ram Thapar CIE, OBE (6 April 1894 – 15 December 1965) was an

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

medical officer and Director-General of the Indian Armed Forces Medical Services.

Early life and education

Thapar was born to a prominent Punjabi family in Lahore, where he received his early education, also studying at

Government College Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

. Entering the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1911 for his medical studies, he graduated M.B.Ch.B. (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) in 1916. later obtaining a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene (DTM&H) from London and an

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(Doctor of Medicine) from Edinburgh with a thesis on ascariasis in 1930.

Career

Early career

Whilst a student at Edinburgh, Thapar organised the Scottish Wing of the Indian Volunteers' Ambulance Corps following the outbreak of war in 1914. Holding the rank of volunteer sergeant-major, he recruited 120 Indian students into the corps, which provided dressers and interpreters to army medical units. He was commissioned in the

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

(IMS) as a temporary

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 25 March 1918. He was promoted to temporary

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 25 March 1919. He received a regular commission as a lieutenant in the IMS on 14 March 1920, and was promoted substantive captain on 25 March 1921 (with seniority in the IMS from that date). Thapar was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 25 September 1929, and was appointed a

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a senior captain ran ...

(medical) on 1 July 1936. He was promoted to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

on 25 September 1937. On 14 October 1937, Thapar was posted to Peshawar as second-in-command of a hospital, and was appointed as the officiating Officer Commanding on 3 May 1938. He was posted to Rawalpindi on 15 June 1939 as Officer in Command of No. 1 Battalion Indian Hospital Corps. Assigned as Officer Commanding Indian Hospital Corps at

Kirkee Khadki is a cantonment in the city of Pune, India. It has now flourished as a quasi-metropolis & centered in the northern region of the city. Description Khadki could be considered an Indian Army base, along with an ordnance factory consisting ...

on 22 October 1942, Thapar was promoted to acting colonel on 5 November 1942 and to temporary colonel on 5 May 1943, while serving as Commandant, Indian Army Medical Corps (IAMC) HQ at

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

. He was appointed a Companion 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 ...

(CIE) in the 1946 Birthday Honours list, having previously been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1942 New Year Honours. Thapar's final appointment prior to Indian independence was as deputy director of Medical Services, Medical Department. He was promoted to substantive colonel on 1 October 1946 (seniority from 25 September 1940).

Post-Independence

Following Independence in 1947, Thapar was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 3 September. On 1 January 1951, he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and appointed Director-General, Armed Forces Medical Services, with an ex-officio appointment as a member of the

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

. He retired in 1954, serving as Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps until April 1956. He died at New Delhi in December 1965.

Personal life

Thapar was the son of

Dewan Bahadur Dewan Bahadur or Diwan Bahadur was a title of honour awarded during British Raj, British rule in India. It was awarded to individuals who had performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was accompanied by ...

Kunj Behari Thapar OBE; the future

Chief of Staff of the Indian Army The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (unofficially known as the Army Chief) is a statutory position in the Indian Army held usually by a four star general. As the highest ranking officer to serve solely in the Indian Army, the chief is the profess ...

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 ...

Pran Nath Thapar General Pran Nath Thapar (23 May 1906 – 23 June 1975) was the fourth Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. The Sino-Indian War was fought during his term, in which the Indian Army fared poorly. Thapar resigned during the last stages o ...

was his younger brother. He was the father of journalist

Romesh Thapar Romesh Thapar (1922–1987) was an Indian journalist and political commentator. Affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Thapar was the founder-editor of the monthly journal ''Seminar,'' published from New Delhi, India. Early life ...

and the noted author and historian

Romila Thapar Romila Thapar (born 30 November 1931) is an Indian historian. Her principal area of study is ancient India, a field in which she is pre-eminent. Quotr: "The pre-eminent interpreter of ancient Indian history today. ... " Thapar is a Professor ...

Publications

*Ascaris Infection among the Gurkhas (MD thesis), University of Edinburgh, 1930. *Icons in Bronze: An Introduction to Indian Metal Images. London: Asia Publishing House, 1961. *The Morale Builders: Forty Years with the Military Medical Services of India. London: Asia Publishing House, 1965.

References

{{reflist Indian Medical Service officers British Indian Army officers Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Officers of the Order of the British Empire Indian surgeons Indian Army officers 1894 births 1965 deaths 20th-century Indian medical doctors 20th-century surgeons Indian Officers of the Order of the British Empire