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The British 'Commander-in-Chief in India' (or 'Commander-in-Chief of India') was the chief military commander for the British administration in India and liaisoned with the civilian Governor-General of India. The Commander-in-Chief's staff were known as India Command and most were based at the General Headquarters India (GHQ India).
Following Indian Independence the post was merged into the office of the President of the Republic of India. Thus, the Indian President is also the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces.
This is a list of people who were the military 'Commander-in-Chief, India'. The rank and title are the final for the person's career and not necessarily applicable to his tenure as Commander-in-Chief.

Contents

List of Commander-in-Chiefs

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1748-1798

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1801-1857

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1861-1947

See also

References

List of Commander-in-Chiefs

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1748-1798

'Name'	'Notes'	'Served'
Major-General Stringer Lawrence	Foiled French plans to conquer southern India. Reorganized the Madras Army.	1748 January
Lieutenant-General John Adlercron		1754
Major-General Robert Clive	Established the military supremacy of the East India Company in southern India and Bengal.	1756 December
Brigadier-General John Caillaud		1760 February
Brigadier-General John Carnac	Defeated the Delhi Emperor near Bihar.	1760 December
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote	Captained the 39th Regiment, the first British regiment sent to India.	1761 April
Major Thomas Adams	Officiating	1763
Brigadier-General John Carnac	2nd time appointment as Commander-in-Chief	1764 January
General Sir Hector Munro	Suppressed sepoy mutiny at Patna. Won the victories of Buxar against Shuja-ud-Dowlah, the nawab wasir of Oudh, and Mir Kasim, which ranks amongst the most decisive battles ever fought in India.	1764 July
Brigadier-General John Carnac	3rd appointment as Commander-in-Chief. Defeated the Maratha Empire in the Doab.	1765 January
Major-General Robert Clive	2nd time appointment as Commander-in-Chief. Conquered Bengal from Nawab Siraj ud Dullah.	1765 May
Brigadier-General Richard Smith		1767 January
Brigadier-General Sir Robert Barker	Signed a treaty with the Rohillas against the Maratha Empire.	1770 March
Colonel Charles Chapman		1773 December
Brigadier-General Alexander Champion		1774 January
Lieutenant-General Sir John Clavering		1774 November
Lieutenant-General Giles Stibbert	Officiating	1777 October
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote	Reappointment. Won the Battle of Porto Novo against odds of five to one, regarded as one of the greatest feats by the British in India.	1779 March
Lieutenant-General Giles Stibbert	Reappointment	1783 April
General Sir Robert Sloper		1785 July
General Charles Cornwallis	Colonial governor during American Revolutionary War. Famous for promulgating the Permanent Settlement of Bengal. Served twice as Governor-General of India.	1786 September
General Sir Robert Abercromby	Officiating	1793 October
Major-General Charles Morgan	Officiating	1797 January
Field Marshal Sir Alured Clarke		1798 May

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1801-1857

'Name'	'Notes'	'Served'
General Sir James Henry Craig	Officiating	1801 February
General Gerard Lake	Improved the Indian Army by making all arms, infantry, cavalry and artillery, more mobile and more manageable.	1801 March
General Charles Cornwallis	Reappointment. With Sir Arthur Wellesley, he supervised the Second Anglo-Maratha War against the Sindhia and the Holkar.	1805 July
General Gerard Lake	Reappointment. Upon Cornwallis' death, Lake pursued the Holkar to the Punjab. The Holkar capitulated at Amritsar in December 1805.	1805 October
General Sir George Hewett		1807 October
Lieutenant-General Forbes Champagné	Officiating	1807 December
Field Marshal Sir George Nugent		1811 January
General Francis Rawdon-Hastings	2nd Earl of Moira, later Marquess of Hastings	1813 October
General Sir Edward Paget		1823 January
Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton	1st Viscount Combermere	1825 October
General George Ramsay	9th Earl of Dalhousie	1830 January
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Barnes		1832 January
General Lord William Bentinck	Suppressed the Indian custom of ''suttee''. This edict, and other acts by Bentinck, ultimately led to the great Indian Rebellion of 1857.	1833 October
General Lord William Bentinck	Reappointment	1834 April
General Sir James Watson	Officiating	1835 March
General Sir Henry Fane		1835 September
General Sir Jasper Nicolls	Officiating	1839 December
Field Marshal Hugh Gough	Defeated the Mahrattas at Maharajpur. Conducted operations against the Sikhs and won the battles of Mudki, Ferozeshah and Sobraon. Soonafter, the Sikhs surrendered at Lahore.	1843 August
General Sir Charles James Napier	Conquered Sindh and made it part of Bombay Presidency.	1849 May
Field Marshal Sir William Gomm		1851 December
Major-General George Anson	Outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Died of cholera during his march against the Indian mutineers at Delhi in May, 1857.	1856 January
Lieutenant-General Sir Patrick Grant	Directed operations against the Indian mutineers, sending forces under Havelock and Outram for the relief of Cawnpore and Lucknow, until the arrival of Sir Colin Campbell from England.	1857 June
General Colin Campbell	Abandoned then recaptured Lucknow. Supervised military operations in Oudh until Indian Rebellion had been subdued.	1857 August

Commander-in-Chiefs of India, 1861-1947

'Name'	'Notes'	'Served'
Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Rose		1861 June 4
General Sir William Mansfield		1865 March 23
General Robert Napier	1st Baron Napier of Magdala. He did much to benefit the army and to encourage good shooting.	1870 April 9
General Sir Frederick Haines		1876 April 10
General Sir Donald Stewart		1881 April 8
Lieutenant-General Frederick Roberts	1st Baron Roberts of Kandahar	1885 November 28
General Sir George Stewart White		1893 April 8
General Sir Charles Nairne	Officiating	1898 March 20
General Sir William Lockhart		1898 November 4
General Sir Arthur Palmer		1900 March 19
General Horatio Kitchener	1st Viscount Kitchener. Reconstructed the disorganised Indian Army against the wishes of the viceroy Lord Curzon.	1902 November 28
General Sir Garrett O'Moore Creagh		1909 September 10
General Sir Beauchamp Duff		1914 March 8
General Sir Charles Monro		1916 October 1
General Henry Rawlinson		1920 November 21
General Sir Claud Jacob		1925 April 3
Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood		1925 August 6
Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode		1930 November 30
General Sir Robert Cassels		1935 November 30
General Sir Claude Auchinleck		1941 January 27
General Sir Archibald Wavell	Left to take command of the short lived ABDACOM	1941 July 5
General Sir Alan Hartley		1942 January 5
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Wavell	Reappointment. Sir Alan Hartley appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief.	1942 March 7
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck	Reappointment: 1947 August 15. Became Supreme Commander of India and Pakistan. Oversaw division of the Armed forces between the two new countries.	1943 June 20
General Sir Robert Lockhart	Commander-in-Chief of Post-Partition India	1947 August 15
General Sir Francis Bucher	Commander-in-Chief of Post-Partition India	1947 December 31

See also

★ Governor-General of India

★ Secretary of State for India

★ British Raj

★ British Empire

★ History of Bangladesh

★ History of India

★ History of Pakistan

References

★ Commander-in-Chiefs from Inception to Independence

★ Chronological List of Commander-in-Chiefs, India to 1947