Chiefs And Families Of Note In The Punjab

· 1940 · Public domain in India and Pakistan (a government publication, 1931 to 1947) · archive.org ↗

2CHIEFS AND FAMILIES OF NOTE.

3in 1877, one half was released to Sardar Grulab Singh in recognition

4of his many loyal and nsefnl services* The Sardar died in 1832,

5He was succeeded by his son, Sardar Richpal Singh, who commenced

6service as Naib«Tahsildar in 1870 and was appointed Munsif in 1875.

7He resigned this post a few years later and till his death in 1908 resided

8entirely at Bhagowala. He received a grant of 10 squares of land in

9the Lyallpur district and purchased the village of Kheri Manian in the

10Patiala State.

11Sardar Gopal Singh remains, since the former’s death in 1908, the

12head of the family. He is the chief Lamhardar of Bhagowala. He has

13had a very distinguished and varied career. He joined the army in the

14eighties of the last century when Lord Eoberts sent him to the 7th

15Princess Eoyal Dragoon Guards, and he was attached to that regiment

16for some time. In 1910 he was a Eessaidar in the XI K. E. 0. Lancers.

17Two years later he served as second-in-command to Col. Anderson during

18the Tl aziri blockade. Earlier he had taken part in several important

19manoeuvres. He retired from the army in 1913 owing to illness, but on

20the outbreak of the War he was the first in his district to volunteer his

21sejvices, surrendering also his pension through the commanding officer

22of his regiment. He remained on active service for three years and had

23to return to India in 1917 through an acute illness from pyorrhea. He

24V as then employed as Assistant Eecruiting Officer of his district which

25post he continued to fill honorarily until the Armistice, During his

26period Sardar Gopal Singh raised a double Sikh Company for the 2/76

27Punjabis from Gurdaspur and later had occasion to settle a serious

28trouble which broke out in that company at Jubbulpore. Among his

29other services in connection with the TTar, was his successfully raising

30half the price of an aeroplane from his own district, the Kangra district,

31s^^PPbdng the other half of the price and the Government naming' the

32machine as Gurdaspur-Kangra Plane. He was the President of the

33second Indian Imperial Eelief Fund for which he raised Es. 76,000.

34Likewise he acted either as chairman or as secretary or, at least, as an

35active promoter of various other funds to which he contributed sub-

36stantial sums of money from his own pocket.

37Sardar Gopal Singh was a nominated member of the Punjab Legiala^

38five Council in the days before the reforms and continued as such even

39after 1920. He was asked to give evidence before several committees,.

40Eowlatt, Esher and Hunter Committees and the Lee Commission!^

41In recognition of his War services he was awarded a gold watch with an

42inscription, mentioning the special services rendered by Hm during

431914-16, engraved on it. He was also made an Honorary Captain.