Sardar Lehna Singh, Sardar Bahadur, (1825–1916) was a

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 ...

soldier and the Chief of the village Lehna Singhwala (now located in present-day

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Personal life and family

Sardar Lehna Singh was born in 1825 to S. Ganga Ram. Singh began serving in the

at the age of 28. He served in the

45th Rattray's Sikhs The 45th Rattray's Sikhs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to the 1st Bengal Military Police Battalion raised in April 1856, at Lahore, by Captain Thomas Rattray originally consisting of a troop ...

under Captain Thomas Rattray for 40 years from 1853 till 1893. Singh married Ganga Devi and together they had five sons. He was the father of Risaldar Major Labh Singh, Kripa Singh, Lachhman Singh, Kesar Singh and Bhagwan Singh. After his retirement, Singh was awarded land by 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 ...

on which to a build a village in his name, which was named Lehna Singhwala (in Lahore district). Singh died at the age of 91 in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Military career

Sardar Lehna Singh served under the

during the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58. He partook in the Jyntah and Khasia Hills campaign, Afghan campaign 1878–80 and

Zhob Zhob (; ) or Zhobak (), formerly known as Appozai or Fort Sandeman, is a city and district capital of Zhob District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Zhob is located on the banks of Zhob River 337 km from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. T ...

Valley Expedition of 1884. His final expedition was the Hazara campaign of 1888. For his service, Singh was awarded the

Indian Order of Merit The Indian Order of Merit (IOM) was a military and civilian decoration of British India. It was established in 1837, (General Order of the Governor-General of India, No. 94 of 1 May 1837) although following the Partition of India in 1947 it was ...

. On 13 April 1890, the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

awarded Sardar Lehna Singh 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 Brit ...

1st Class for his merit, faithful and honourable service to the

. As a recipient of the Order of British India, he was entitled to use the title "Sardar Bahadur". In December 1911, at the coronation of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, Sardar Lehna Singh was promoted to the rank of Honorary Captain

Subedar Major Subedar Major is the senior-most rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian and Pakistani Armies, formerly known as the Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. History During the British Raj, Subedar-Major was the hi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Sardar Lehna 1825 births 1916 deaths British Indian Army soldiers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Recipients of the Indian Order of Merit Date of birth missing Date of death missing Sardar Bahadurs