Brigadier Kanwar Gajinder Singh Of Mukerian (1908-1991) was the great-grandson of Maharaja Sher Singh, born to Bhatti Jat Jagirdar Kanwar Kishen Singh Of Mukerian and Sardarni Kartar Kaur. Kanwar Kishen Singh was the son of Kanwar Narain Singh, who had been adopted by Rani Prem Kaur, the wife of Maharaja Sher Singh and at the time, the family lived at the Anarkali haveli in Lahore. Kanwar Gajinder Singh’s younger sister Sardarni Mohinder Kaur was married to Sandhu Jat Jagirdar Sardar Gurpuran Singh of Thethar, near Lahore. Kanwar Gajinder Singh attended Aitchison College,Lahore, And was an accomplished cricketer and sportsman. After leaving college, he attended the Prince of Wales(now College Royal Indian Military Rashtriya Indian Military College) in Dehradun and later joined the Indian Army. Having trained at the Indian Military Academy, he was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1936, and served with the 2nd Battalion Argyll & Southern Highlanders.Thereafter, he served in Thailand with the First Battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment known as the ‘Sherdils’. As a young officer, he served in various operational roles in the volatile region of the North-West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan. In March 1938, as a Lieutenant, armed only with a pistol, he single-handedly fought of Pathan tribesmen who had indulged in open looting and attacked female passengers in civilian buses in the North.West Frontier Province. General Sir John Coleridge (1878-1951), the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Northern Command in India had officially commended him for his heroic actions.He was transferred to the 9th Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment, and served in Malaya (Malaysia) during the Second World War. He was promoted to the rank of Major in 1944, and was the officiating Commandant of the battalion. He attended Staff College at Quetta (Pakistan) and later became the first Indian commandant of the Jat Regimental Centre at Bareilly. In 1959, he was transferred to the Ordnance Branch and served as Brigadier in all three (then existing) commands of the Indian Army. Brigadier Kanwar Gajinder Singh retired after a distinguished service from the army in 1960, later becoming the director of NCC, Punjab, and then he settled in Chandigarh. He was married to Sardarni Sawinder Kaur, the daughter of Sardar Bahadur Captain Hira Singh, OBI (Sikh Regiment) who was the elder cousin brother of Sardar Sewa Singh Thikriwala – the staunch freedom fighter and founding leader of the Praja Mandal movement.He was blessed with five daughters.The eldest, Sardarni Kanwarjit Kaur, is married to Sardar Ganga Deepinder Singh of Bhadaur, Sardarni Amarjit Kaur is married to Lt Col. Surjit Singh Padda (Rajput Regiment), Sardarni Paramjit Kaur is married to Brigadier Karampal Singh Sidhu (62 Cavalry) of Chak Sherewala, Sardarni Inderjit Kaur (d1962) and lastly Sardarni Jasjit Kaur (d1987) was married to Sardar Girijit Singh Majithia. Brigadier Kanwar Gajinder Singh was a polished and aristocratic gentleman, a courageous officer who excelled in sports and was an avid fitness enthusiast. He passed away after a brief illness in 1991.
References :-
- The Punjab Chiefs By Bobby Bansal