Raghbir Singh Pathania (sometimes erroneously spelled Raghubir), was an Indian Lieutenant Colonel who was the primary commander of the 2nd Jammu and Kashmir Rifles during the Battle of Jassin, in which he was killed while defending a garrison of 4 Indian Brigades.

Biography

Family

Raghbir was born on 1874 as the son of Nihal Singh Pathania and the brother of Gandharb Singh. On May 25, 1913, he was the father of Anant Singh Pathania.

Military career

He enlisted into military service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Jammu and Kashmir Rifles which consisted of Muslims and Gurkhas. During his military career, he earned the title of

Sardar Bahadur Sardar Bahadur was a title of honour awarded to native Indian civilians and Viceroy's commissioned officers during British rule in India. It was bestowed upon Sikhs, and was awarded for faithful service or acts of public welfare. The title was us ...

, being promoted to Commander-in-chief as well as earning the

Order of British India The Order of British India was an order of merit established in 1837 by the East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, and the Order was incorporated into the Bri ...

Battle of Jassin

After the outbreak of World War I, the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

were initially sent to the East African Campaign and the 2nd Jammu and Kashmir Rifles were a part of the divisions sent to German East Africa. On January 18, 1915, the Germans attacked the village of

Jassin Jassini is a village on the northeastern border of Tanzania. As of 1999, the village was not accessible by motorized vehicles. In the mid-1990s, the village had a population of less than 300 composed of 30 households. Pre-Colonial and Colonial ...

to secure Tanga which had successfully repelled an Anglo-Indian Invasion. The garrison of the town was a weak and meager force of around 4 brigades commanded by Singh. He would be killed during the defense of the village which lead to the Germans capturing it.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pathania, Raghbir Singh 1874 births 1915 deaths British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel killed in World War I People from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh Military personnel of British India Sardar Bahadurs