Page 170 - Leadership in the Indian Army

them one years ante-dated seniority, to account for the difference in
duration of training at the two institutions. A batch had passed out from
Sandhurst on 1 February 1934, which was also the last to include Indians. A

unique feature which differentiated the newly commissioned ICOs from the
KCIOs was that while the latter were employed as company officers, and
had powers of command over British officers who were serving under them,
the ICOs were to replace VCOs as platoon commanders. They had no
powers of command over British officers, even if serving in the same unit.
The first Sword of Honour was awarded to Under Officer Smith Dun, and
the first Gold Medal to Sergeant N.S. Bhagat. Smith was a Karen from the

2/20 Burma Rifles, then part of the Indian Army. He became the C-in-C in
Burma, after Independence. There is an interesting story about how he got
his name. The Karens were mostly Christians and had adopted European
names, but did not use surnames. When Smith arrived at Dehradun
(sometimes also written as Dehra Dun), and was asked his name, he gave it
as Smith. His company commander insisted that he must have a surname,

so Smith decided to adopt one on the spot. The first name that came to his
mind was Dehra Dun, where the Academy was located, so he chose Dun as
his surname and became Smith Dun.
After commissioning, ICOs selected for the Cavalry and Infantry were
attached to a British unit in India, as in the case of KCIOs commissioned
from Sandhurst. Sam was attached to the Royal Scots at Lahore. The Scots
found it difficult to pronounce his name and being more familiar with the

prefix ‘Mac’, began to call him Makenshaw. After a year with the Scots, in
February 1936 he was posted to 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment (FFR), also
known as the 54th Sikhs, which became his parent unit. Unlike the KCIOs,
personal numbers were allotted to ICOs on completion of their attachment
based on the seniority of the regiments which they eventually joined and
not on merit, as at present. In the first batch, Bhagwati Singh, who was third

in order of merit, was given IC-1, while Sam was allotted IC-14. The
battalion was then in Ferozepore, but soon moved to Fort Sallop, in the
North West Frontier Province. Sam learned to speak Pushto fluently, and
because of his complexion was often mistaken by the tribesmen for a
Pathan.
On 22 April 1939, Sam was married to Silloo Bode in Bombay. The
couple’s first child, a girl whom they named Sherry, was born on 11 January

1940. The second child, also a girl, was born on 24 September 1945. She