Does anybody know if Mahendra Bahadur actually did serve in WW1 or were these all honorary titles ? Maj.Gen. HH Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia Mansur-i-Zaman Amir-ul-Umra Maharaja Dhiraj Rajeshwar Sir Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan BHUPENDRA SINGH Mahendra Bahadur 1900/1938 Born 12th October 1891 at Patiala educated at the Aitchison College in Lahore, invested with full ruling powers on 3rd November 1910, G.C.S.I. [cr.1921], G.C.I.E. [cr.1911], G.C.V.O. [cr.1922], G.B.E. (Mil) [cr.1918], Member of Standing Committee of Indian Princes' Chamber (ten times elected Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes during the 1920's and 1930's), Commander-in-Chief of the Patiala Forces, Honourary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ist Ludhiana Sikhs, Hon. Col. 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, Hon. Maj.-Gen. in British Army, Fellow of the Royal Geographical, Zoological and Horticultural Societies, Member of the Royal Colonial Institute, Member of Royal Asiatic Society, appointed Hon. ADC to HM 1922 Served in WWI 1914/18 on the General Staff in France, Belgium, Italy and Palestine in the First World War as an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel, and was promoted Honorary Major-General in 1918 - receiving Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile, and of Order of Leopold of Belgium, Grand Cross of of Orders of Crown of Italy, Crown of Roumania, and St Saviour of Greece, and of Legion of Honour Served in the Afghan War 1919, represented India at League of Nations Assembly 1925 He was captain of the Indian cricket team that visited England in 1911 and played in 27 first-class cricket matches between 1915 and 1937. For season of 1926/27 - he played as member of Marylebone Cricket Club - he donated the Ranji Trophy in honour of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar. He was selected as the captain of India on its first Test tour of England in 1932 - but dropped out on reasons of health two weeks before departure and the Maharaja of Porbandar took over. The cricket ground at Chail was made by Maharaja Patiala which is the highest cricket ground in the world He was vice-president of the Indian Kennel Association, chancellor and chief patron of the Sikhs' premier educational institution - the Khalsa College at Amritsar He married ten times ..... one of his marriages was in 1908 - HH Maharani Bakhtavar Kaur - daughter of Sardar Gurnam Singh of Jind ( she was the mother of seven children - five of whom died young ) He had 88 children in all ! He died at Patiala - from heart failure on 22nd March 1938. Cricinfo.com, courtesy of Philip Bailey October 2002 http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/34/34190/34190.html
To go a little off topic here .... I'm not a fan of cricket but sometime ago we researched Ranji ! and he became my favourite !! Colonel Maharajahdhiraj Maharajah Jam Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja Bahadur (1872-1933) Maharajah Jam Sahib of Nawanagar from 1906 to 1933. Ranjitsinhji had been sent to England to be educated, During World War I, he was a Colonel with the Indian troops in France, and was made KCSI in 1917 (one of three knighthoods he was awarded) he became a famous cricketer for Sussex and England. He once scored 3000 runs in a season and two centuries in one day. As maharajah he introduced free primary and secondary schools, built a modern port, improved administration and electrified the capital city. He also amassed an enormous collection of jewels. He died without ever marrying and was succeeded by one of his nephews, whom he had adopted … http://everything2.com/title/Kumar%20Shri%20Ranjitsinhji Ranji He never played for India but remains the patron saint of Indian cricket. It was his feats in England in the late 1890s and in the early years of the 20th century that inspired the pioneers in this country to take to the game seriously. But that is still not KS Ranjitsinhji’s chief claim to fame. There are other reasons why he is considered a legendary figure in the game. http://sify.com/sports/fullstory.php?id=14496343 Lt. Col. HH Maharaja Jam Sahib Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja of Nawanagar (1872-1933)
Theres a fascinating book by Simon Wilde on Ranji called 'Ranji - A genius rich and strange' I have it in my library ... he was such a complex man ... " when he was good he was very very good but when he was bad he was horrid !! " .... Batting for the Empire http://www.varioustopics.com/cricket/45776-ranji-a-genius-rich-and-strange-review.html
Very few men on earth did a lot during theirs lifetime, and being told as versatile genius; no wander, He and His works, were both historically conscious and formalistic!
