Nir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
| Field Marshal of the Royal Nepalese Army Nir Shumsher JBR | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 25, 1913 Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, Nepal |
| Died |
October 27, 2013 (aged 99) Chhauni, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Allegiance |
 Nepal |
| Years of service | 1931–1965 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Relations |
Juddha Shumsher JBR (father) Mahila Maharani (mother) |
Field Marshal and retired General of the Nepal Army (NA) Nir Shumsher JBR (or Neer Shumser JBR).
Born on 11 Poush, 1970 B.S. (1913) in Jawalakhel Durbar, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, Field Marshal Rana died at the age of 99.[1] He was son of the then ruling Rana Prime Minister Judha Shumsher Rana and his third wife Mahila Maharani (née Musa Nani Sahib). According to a statement, the centenarian Field Marshal had joined the then Royal Nepal Army (RNA) at the age of 18 on 1 Shrawan 1988 B.S (1931) and was appointed to the post of Major at the Shri Pashupati Prasad Battalion. He became the Commander-in-Chief of the RNA on 15 Baisakh, 2017 B.S (1960) and retired on 15 Baisakh in 2022 B.S (1965). He was appointed Field Marshal after his retirement in 2022 B.S.
He was educated at the Durbar High School, Kathmandu.
Field Marshal Rana was posted at the Northwest Frontier Province in Rawalpindi of Pakistan and Burma during World War II. Rana was decorated with national orders such as Tribhuvan Prajatantra Shripad, Ujwol Krimaya Nepal Shripad, Nepal Tara, Omrampatta, Tri Shakti Patta and Gorkha Dakshina Bahu. Field Marshal Rana was also decorated with foreign orders; Royal Victorian Order, Order of the British Empire, Legion of Honour, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and Order of the Yugoslav Star.
In 2006, Rana established the ‘Field Marshal Nir Natural Disaster Relief Fund’ with an aim to support the retired officers in face of disasters. He had established ‘Nir Shumsher Award Fund’ in 1993 to motivate the military athletes. Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Gaurav Shumsher Rana among other senior army officers paid their tributes to Rana at the hospital. Rana’s body was cremated at Pashupatinath Aryaghat with an honour from the Army on Sunday.[2]
He married Khil Kumar Shah, the daughter of Yakshya Bikram Shah(a prominent aristocrat who was very popular in the royal palace). They had two sons together.However his wife who he loved alot died at an early age and he became very sad at this hence he got involved in the world war to distract himself. He married Bimala Rajya Laxmi in 1943 in Jammu, India and had issue, two sons and one daughter. He died at the age of 99 on 27 October 2013 at the Birendra Military Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu while undergoing treatment.[3]
Honours
- National Honours[4]
- Member of the Tribhuvan Order of the Footprint of Democracy, 1st class.
- Member of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya.
- Member of the Order of Om Rama Patta.
- Member of the Order of the Star of Nepal, 2nd class (8 August 1943).
- Member of the Order of the Star of Nepal, 1st class.
- Member of the Order of the Gurkha Right Hand, 1st class.
- Member of the Order of Three Divine Powers, 2nd class.
- Assam-Burma Medal (1945).
- Foreign Honours[5]
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order [GCVO] (26 February 1961).
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire [KBE] (2 November 1945).
- British Star (1945).
- Burma Star (1945).
- Defence Medal (1945).
- War Medal (1945).
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (2 June 1953).
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.