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What is a Jemadar?

Introduction Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Refer to Subedar and Subedar-Major. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (جمعدار), which derives through Persian jam(a)dar from Arabic jamā‘a(t) ‘muster’ + -dār ‘holder’. Pre-Colonial A jemadar was originally an armed official of a zamindar (feudal lord)… Read More

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What was the Corps of Guides?

Introduction The Corps of Guides, also known as the Queen’s Own Corps of Guides, was a regiment of the British Indian Army made up of British officers and Indian enlisted soldiers to serve on the North West Frontier. As originally raised in 1846, The Guides consisted of infantry and cavalry. It evolved through the 20th… Read More

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What was the Siege of the British Residency in Kabul (1879)?

Introduction The Siege of the British Residency in Kabul was a military engagement of the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880). The British resident, Sir Louis Cavagnari and his escort were massacred after an 8-hour siege by mutinous Afghan troops inside their Residency in Kabul. This event triggered the second phase of the war, during which an… Read More

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On This Day … 25 August

Events 766 – Emperor Constantine V humiliates nineteen high-ranking officials, after discovering a plot against him. He executes the leaders, Constantine Podopagouros and his brother Strategios. 1248 – The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III, the Archbishop of Utrecht. 1258 – Regent George Mouzalon and his brothers are… Read More

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What was the 1958 C-130 Shootdown Incident?

Introduction The 1958 C-130 shootdown incident was the shooting down of an American Lockheed C-130A-II-LM reconnaissance aircraft which had intruded into Soviet airspace during a reconnaissance mission along the Turkish-Armenian border. Incident On 02 September 1958, a Lockheed C-130A-II-LM (s/n 56-0528), from the 7406th Support Squadron, departed Incirlik Airbase in Turkey on a reconnaissance mission… Read More

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Who was Olavi Laiho?

Introduction Mauno Olavi Laiho (1907 to 02 September 1944) was the last Finn to be executed in Finland. Early Life Olavi Laiho was born the son of a farmhand in Halikko, Finland. He was introduced to communism very early on, and was an active member of the underground Finnish Communist Party. He moved to Turku,… Read More