Ressaidar was a
Viceroy's commissioned officer's (VCO) rank in 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 ...
. Ressaidar denoted a junior commander of a ''risala'' or ''risalah'' (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
.
This native Officer's rank existed in Cavalry only, there was never a corresponding position in the other arms. A Ressaidar was a junior
troop
A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...
commander, so he could be regarded as native junior 'Captain'. He was usually the head of the second troop of a
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
, while the first troop was led by a
Risaldar
Risaldar, meaning the commander of a ''risala'' or ''risalah'' (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian and Pakistan Army. In other arms, such as the infantry, t ...
, who was a native senior 'Captain'.
During the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, a Ressaidar ranked above
Jemadar
Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent.
Etymology
The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār'' ...
or Naib-Risaldar (rank abolished in 1865) and below Risaldar (with the latter he was sometimes confused with, even by authors of military literature). A Ressaidar was roughly equivalent to a 'Captain, 2nd Class' or '
Captain lieutenant
Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army.
Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland
The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Finl ...
', but in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he was classified as native '
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 ...
'. Nevertheless, all VCO's were always outranked by the lowest british Officer with a
full commission.
The rank of Ressaidar was abolished with effect from 1st April 1921. Indian Officers then holding that rank were to be promoted to Risaldar.
[Journal of the United Service Institution of India, by the ]United Service Institution
United Service Institution of India (USI) is a national security and defence services think tank based in New Delhi, India. It describes its aim as the "furtherance of interest and knowledge in the art, science and literature of the defence serv ...
, Volume 50-51, New Delhi 1921, p. 365
References
Military ranks of British India
{{Mil-rank-stub