Page 76 - Leadership in the Indian Army

army and retired as an Army Commander, it was a police guard of honour which
reversed arms at his funeral. Charles Wolfe’s famous lines, quoted below from his
tribute to Sir John Moore, were never so true as in the case of Nathu Singh:

Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corpse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O’er the grave where our hero we buried.

Like Cariappa and Thimayya, Nathu Singh was one of the founding fathers of the
modern Indian Army. Though not as famous as the other two, he equalled them in
strength of character and surpassed them in nationalistic fervour. Many called him
a maverick, others a renegade or a rebel. He was highly individualistic, with scant
respect for authority. He did not hesitate to express his views whether his
superiors agreed with them or not. However, no one could ever fault him on
professional capability, personal integrity, diligence or courage, both moral and
physical. He had many faults, but these were more than compensated by his
sterling qualities and his deep sense of national pride. A colourful personality,
Thakur Nathu Singh was not easy to ignore and will not be easily forgotten.

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* In earlier times, before the invention of the telegraph and telephone, commanders in the field sent written
reports to the King or the Commander-in-Chief. These were known as ‘dispatches’. Today, deeds that do not
merit a gallantry award are mentioned in dispatches. This is akin to a minor gallantry award, minus the formal
presentation of a medal/cross for the recipient.
* The Indian Civil Service was referred to as the ‘steel frame’ of the British empire.