Cecil Kaye
British Indian Army officer (1868–1935)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Cecil Kaye CSI CIE CBE (27 May 1868 – 5 March 1935) was an officer in the British Indian Army.
British Indian Army
Cecil Kaye | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 May 1868 |
| Died | 5 March 1935 (aged 66) New Delhi, India |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army British Indian Army |
| Service years | 1889–1925 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Unit | Derbyshire Regiment Indian Staff Corps 21st Punjabis 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) |
| Commands | Department of Central Intelligence |
| Conflicts |
|
| Alma mater | Winchester College |
| Spouse |
Margaret Sarah (´Daisy´) Bryson
(m. 1905) |
| Relations | M. M. Kaye (daughter) John William Kaye (first cousin) |
Biography
Kaye was born in Madron, Cornwall, the son of William Kaye, of the Bengal Civil Service, and Jane Margaret (née Beckett). He came from a family with a strong tradition of seeking careers in the British civil or military service in India; he was a first cousin of the historian Sir John William Kaye.[1]
In 1889, after attending Winchester College, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Derbyshire Regiment,[2] receiving promotion to lieutenant on 1 November 1890.[3] On 26 June 1892 Kaye was seconded for service with the Indian Staff Corps,[4][5] later seeing active service at the North-West Frontier in 1897–1898, and being awarded the India Medal.[2] He was promoted to captain on 6 March 1900,[6] and served during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900–1901.[2]
While at Tianjin he met Margaret Sarah Bryson, whom he married in 1905, having a son and two daughters, including M. M. Kaye.[2] He was promoted to major in the 21st Punjabis on 6 March 1907.[7] In 1908 Kaye was appointed deputy adjutant to the Quartermaster-General in the Intelligence Branch of the General Staff at Indian Army Headquarters in Simla.[2] He was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) on 1 January 1913.[8]
In August 1914, he was appointed Deputy Chief Censor, working closely with the Department of Criminal Intelligence, and gaining a reputation as a skilled cryptographer.[2]
On 6 October 1914 he was promoted from major to temporary lieutenant-colonel in the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis),[9] and this was confirmed on 6 March 1915.[10]
On 1 January 1917, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI) in recognition of his "meritorious services ... in connection with the war",[11] and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1919.[2]
On 29 September 1919, he was appointed temporary Director of the Department of Central Intelligence, and this was confirmed on 7 May 1920.[2] He retired from that post in 1924.[2] He was awarded a knighthood on 1 January 1925,[12] receiving his accolade from the King at Buckingham Palace on 12 February 1925.[13] He retired from the Indian Army on 13 April 1925.[14]
In 1925, he wrote Communism in India, in which he described the operations of the DCI against the Bolsheviks during his time in office. Kaye then served as a minister in the Indian princely state of Tonk until 1930. After his retirement he lived in Srinagar, and was a regular contributor to the journal Near East and India. He died of a heart attack at New Delhi on 5 March 1935.[2]