Lieutenant Kamakaka Burjorji Hormasji - Indian Medical Service

[Eran Tearosh]

While ‘digging’ deep into the ‘The Capture of Junction Station’ (November 14^th 1917), I found an interesting remark in the book of the Indian Battalion that actually captured the railway station:

Outram’s Rifles

A History of the 4^th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles

 

The quote (p. 135) states: “The British officers present at the action were: Lieut.-Colonel Cassels, Majors Kidd, Daniell and Hunt, Captain Stuart, Lieutenants James, Ambrose, Huntley, Aird-Smith, and Kamakaka, I.M.S. “

Obviously, the last name doesn’t sound British. I quickly found out that indeed, this is a Indian Medical Officer (Belonged to the I.M.S – Indian Medical Service) – Lieutenant Kamakaka Burjorji Hormasji.

I’d love to know more about this M.O., and hopefully someone might even have photograph of him. Equally interesting – Why is he mentioned in the list of British officers? There were quite a few other Indian officers in that battalion!

Thanks!

Eran

[alf mcm]

Eran,

  There are some details here, from the Roll of the Indian Medical Services;-  UK, Roll of the Indian Medical Service, 1615 -1930 - Ancestry.co.uk

  He would be mentioned with British Officers since, as a Medical Officer, he held a King's Commission. Other Indian Officers held Viceroy's Commissions.

Regards,

Alf McM

[FROGSMILE]

7 hours ago, Eran Tearosh said:

While ‘digging’ deep into the ‘The Capture of Junction Station’ (November 14^th 1917), I found an interesting remark in the book of the Indian Battalion that actually captured the railway station:

Outram’s Rifles

A History of the 4^th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles

 

The quote (p. 135) states: “The British officers present at the action were: Lieut.-Colonel Cassels, Majors Kidd, Daniell and Hunt, Captain Stuart, Lieutenants James, Ambrose, Huntley, Aird-Smith, and Kamakaka, I.M.S. “

Obviously, the last name doesn’t sound British. I quickly found out that indeed, this is a Indian Medical Officer (Belonged to the I.M.S – Indian Medical Service) – Lieutenant Kamakaka Burjorji Hormasji.

I’d love to know more about this M.O., and hopefully someone might even have photograph of him. Equally interesting – Why is he mentioned in the list of British officers? There were quite a few other Indian officers in that battalion!

Thanks!

Eran

He was the Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) and, as I understand it, as an officer with professional medical qualifications probably held a full commission of discrete type, unlike the Viceroy Commissioned Officers (VCOs) who rose from the ranks and held a status more akin to a warrant officer in Imperial British units.  Until the introduction of native (i.e. indigenous) officers with a type of full commission during WW2, as part of a so-called “Indianisation” (in preparation for aspirational independence), there was not a properly established, all encompassing full commission for native officers**.  An discrete exception was the Indian Medical Service, which catered for the medical treatment of native troops (sowars and sepoys), where commissions on the basis of professional medical roles were held by both, European, and well educated native military surgeons.  Thus a native unit might have a European RMO, or a native one, and either would be full members of the officers’ mess and so listed along with their fellows. At that time the VCOs had a separate mess.

**an early experiment had been the Imperial Cadet Corps that for a number of reason (not least a luke warm reception) had not been entirely successful.

Edited 5 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Acknown]

There are several references if you just type his full name into the search engine of your choice, including: https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.283247/2015.283247.The-India_djvu.txt. I presume that's him, a colonel in 1938 with an MC.

Acknown

Edited 5 May , 2022 by Acknown

[Eran Tearosh]

Thank you all!

 

Alf, would it be possible for you to print-screen the reference to him on Ancestry?

FROGSMILE - That sure helps solving that Indian Officer in the list of British Officers.

Acknown - Of course I ran his name on a search engine before I wrote here!  He is mentioned in that book you mentioned twice that I could find, and by 1938 he held the rank of Lt.-Colonel.  I noted the M.C., which was given on 1919, but so far couldn't find more details of that.  According to these lists, he was already a Captain (Temporary appointment) at the time of the action of The Capture of Junction Station.  Naturally, I'm most interested in his WWI service, although it's interesting to see that later on he climbed up in ranks. 

 

Again - Many thanks!

 

Eran

Edited 5 May , 2022 by Eran Tearosh

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Eran Tearosh said:

Thank you all!

 

Alf, would it be possible for you to print-screen the reference to him on Ancestry?

FROGSMILE - That sure helps solving that Indian Officer in the list of British Officers.

Acknown - Of course I ran his name on a search engine before I wrote here!  He is mentioned in that book you mentioned twice that I could find, and by 1938 he held the rank of Lt.-Colonel.  I noted the M.C., which was given on 1919, but so far couldn't find more details of that.  According to these lists, he was already a Captain (Temporary appointment) at the time of the action of The Capture of Junction Station.  Naturally, I'm most interested in his WWI service, although it's interesting to see that later on he climbed up in ranks. 

 

Again - Many thanks!

 

Eran

I’m glad to help a little Eran.  It’s an interesting exercise to look at the apparent racial mix in the list of IMS officers and ward staff at this link: https://astreetnearyou.org/regiment/316/Indian-Medical-Service

You might also find this interesting article concerning IMS activity during the war of relevance too (see “non-European fronts” specifically): https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/health_and_medicine_india

NB.  The portrait below shows a native born RMO of the IMS.

Edited 5 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[alf mcm]

Eran,

  Hopefully this has copied o.k.

Regards,

Alf McM

[Eran Tearosh]

34 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

Eran,

  Hopefully this has copied o.k.

Regards,

Alf McM

Alf - Thank you, it's perfect!

I found this same quote in: "Roll of the Indian Medical Service 1615-1930 - Volume 2".

Eran

 

Edited 5 May , 2022 by Eran Tearosh

[Eran Tearosh]

FROGSMILE 

Thanks for what you sent!  Yes, it demonstrates so many bad conducts of behavior of those times.  Quite strange that the Palestine Campaign is not mentioned in that article, especially in view of the numbers of Indians involved in the fighting in this campaign, especially in 1918 (And the number of Indian medical units in this theater of war) .

Eran

 

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, Eran Tearosh said:

FROGSMILE 

Thanks for what you sent!  Yes, it demonstrates so many bad conducts of behavior of those times.  Quite strange that the Palestine Campaign is not mentioned in that article, especially in view of the numbers of Indians involved in the fighting in this campaign, especially in 1918 (And the number of Indian medical units in this theater of war) .

Eran

 

Yes, I can only imagine that when the synopsis was written those statistics and details were not to hand, as it does seem an odd omission.