3 weeks ago
Prize honours "daredevil" Indian flying ace at Sandhurst parade
There is a famous military school in England called Sandhurst, where soldiers learn to become officers.
Every year, a special prize is given to the person who shows the most bravery, cleverness, and new ideas.
This year, the prize went to a British soldier named Staff Sergeant Blackwell.
The prize is named after Major General Diwan Misri Chand, an officer from India who went to Sandhurst long ago, in 1927.
He was a famous "daredevil" pilot and one of the first Indians to get a pilot's licence.
He even won a big air race in 1936, and India made a postage stamp with his picture on it.
His daughter, Rani Reena Kumar, came all the way from India to see the soldier receive the prize.
At the ceremony, 198 new British officers graduated, along with 40 students from 31 other countries.
A top general came to represent the King of England.
It was a special day that linked India and Britain together.
Staff Sergeant G Blackwell, 34, of the Royal Engineers, won the Major General Diwan Misri Chand Prize at Sandhurst.
Rani Reena Kumar, daughter of the late officer, attended the Sovereign's Parade on Friday to congratulate the winner.
The prize honours Major General Diwan Misri Chand, an Indian flying ace commissioned at Sandhurst in 1927.
General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, Chief of the General Staff, represented King Charles III at the parade.
The parade commissioned 198 UK officer cadets, alongside 40 international cadets from 31 countries.
- Who
- Staff Sergeant G Blackwell of the Royal Engineers, who won the prize; Rani Reena Kumar, the late officer's daughter; and General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, who represented King Charles III.
- What
- The annual Major General Diwan Misri Chand Prize was awarded for outstanding innovation, purpose, character and boldness during the Sovereign's Parade.
- Where
- Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK.
- When
- Friday 7th, at the Sovereign's Parade.
- Why
- In memory of the late Major General Diwan Misri Chand, the Sandhurst-trained "daredevil" Indian flying ace and army officer.
Key facts
- Prize
- Major General Diwan Misri Chand Prize
- Winner
- Staff Sergeant G Blackwell, Royal Engineers (34)
- Prize established
- 2011, by Rani Reena Kumar
- Honouree
- Major General Diwan Misri Chand (born 11 October 1907, died 13 March 1970)
- Sandhurst commission
- 1927
- UK cadets commissioned
- 198
- International cadets
- 40 from 31 countries
- Stamp issued
- By the Indian Post Office in 2009
Quotes
Staff Sergeant G Blackwell
Staff Sergeant from the Royal Engineers, recipient of the Major General Diwan Misri Chand Prize
“This prize is awarded to me for daring innovation, and is named after the Princess’s father, who went above and beyond duty and was very brave to do things which required a thought process. It was given to me for developing defence infrastructure, and additionally for countering aerial moving targets. I will stay at Sandhurst for another year, and then I will move back to my home unit which is in 16 Brigade (the British Army’s global response force).”
easterneye.biz
Rani Reena Kumar
Former Uttar Pradesh MLA and energy minister who established the prize in memory of her father
“I was the one who instituted the award in 2011. My father was a King’s Commissioned Officer in the Indian army. He passed out in 1927, so next year they will be marking his centenary. I was very young when he died but I dug out all his records which I found, and then contacted Sandhurst. They went through his records and found he was one of their top cadets here (at Sandhurst). The prize is now given every year.”
easterneye.biz
Sources
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