Janmeja Singh Of Thethar was born into a Sandhu Jat family, He was given a direct commission in the 21st Cavalry in 1886, and rose to be its Risaldar-Major. He served with the squadron of his regiment in the Zhou valley in 1888 under Sir Robert Sandeman and with the Tochi Field Force in1897-98. He rendered great assistance to Major (later Major-General)Sir James Willcocks in capturing a band of Waziris. He also took part in the operations against the Darwesh Khel Waziris in 1902. He retired as an Honorary Captain in 1918 and became Honorary Magistrate of the First Class and Civil Judge at his native village Thethar. In 1930 he was nominated as a member of the Punjab Legislative Council, which position he held until recently. In the words of one of the recent Governor’s (Sir Geoffery deMontmorency) ” Janmeja Singh had a distinguished career in the 21st Cavalry and got the Order of British India.
Since his retirement he has been of great assistance to the civil authorities. He got the recruiting badge during the War, and was very useful in connection with the returned revolutionary emigrants in 1915. He did very well in the Martial Law days. He was very helpful in the Akali agitation and was plaintiff in the case against the Shromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee for rendition of accounts. He was one of the earliest members of the Sudhar Committee , He was awarded two squares of land as a military grant, and another six squares for his political services. He holds many certificates and sanads and also several medals including the Coronation and the Silver Jubilee Medals.
Janmeja Singh Of Thethar was havethree sons Sardar Sukhbans Singh, a graduate of the Punjab University, and a well-known athlete, has recently been nominated as a Tahsildar. The second, Lieutenant Sardar Kalwant Singh, studied at the Aitchison College, the Prince of Wales Royal Military College, Dehra Dun, and at Sandhurst in England and is now in the 5/8th Punjab Infantry. The third, Bhupinder Singh, is a minor. The old Captain Janmeja Singh is closely related to several chiefs’ families of the Punjab. His four daughters are married, respectively, to Lieutenant Sardar Naunihal Singh Mannof Moghalchak, Sardar Jagjit Singh Mann of Mannawala, Captain Mohindar Singh of Atari also Sardar Bhupindar Singh was Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punjab.
References :-
- Chiefs and families of note in the Punjab Vol 1