Archive · 10 Aug 2026
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.
- When
- Friday 7th, at the Sovereign's Parade.
- Where
- Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK.
- Why
- In memory of the late Major General Diwan Misri Chand, the Sandhurst-trained "daredevil" Indian flying ace and army officer.
- 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