Walter Lentaigne Lieutenant General Walter David Alexander Lentaigne , CB , CBE , DSO , ( 15 July 1899 – 24 June 1955 ) was a British Indian Army officer . He was sometimes called " Joe " Lentaigne . He was born the elder son of Justice Benjamin Plunkett Lentaigne of the Burma High Court and educated at the Oratory School , Edgbaston , Birmingham . His family had origins in Navan , County Meath in Ireland , but was domiciled in then Burma ( a part of British India ) . He was one of two domiciled European officers serving Independent Indian army . ( Other being Thomas B Henderson - Brooks ) He had a brother , Commander Charles Nugent Lentaigne , DSO , RN , who commanded HMS Gurkha ( F63 / G63 ) , launched in July 1940 , by Mary , daughter of Winston Churchill . The ship was originally to be named " Larne " , however after the Tribal - class " Gurkha " was sunk in April 1940 the officers and men of the Gurkha Regiments each subscribed one day ' s pay to replace her and Larne was renamed before launching . Whilst escorting a Malta convoy the ship was torpedoed 17 Jan 1942 off Sidi Barani and later scuttled . Walter Lentaigne joined British Indian Army as 2nd Lt . in October 1918 in 4th Gurkha Rifles . He fought in the Third Anglo - Afghan War in 1919 . During World War II he commanded a battalion during the 1942 Burma Campaign and was later given command of 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade . In 1943 , he was personally selected by General Archibald Wavell ( the Commander - in - chief of the British Indian Army ) to form and command the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade as a Long Range Pentration Brigade . In 1944 , in the midst of the second Chindit operation ( Operation " Thursday " ) he was appointed commander of the Chindit Force and led the force until it was disbanded in 1945 . He then led the Indian Army ' s jungle training programs as commander of the 39th Indian Infantry Division . He served in the postwar Indian Army and rose finally to the rank of Lieutenant General . Lentaigne and the Chindits . Lentaigne was an outsider in the Chindit organization . He was appointed by General Wavell in the spring of 1943 to raise 111th Indian Brigade as a second Chindit Brigade . Because Wingate was in Burma conducting the Chindit operation ( Operation " Longcloth " ) , he was unable to influence the choice . Wingate ' s dislike of Indian Army officers and in particular officers of Gurkha battalions also worked against Lentaigne . He objected to the appointment after he learned of it but was unable to do anything about . On Wingate ' s death , Lentaigne took over command of the Chindit organization . He was the seniormost officer in the Chindits and also had the most command experience . General Slim described the problems involved in replacing Wingate within the Chindits : ' To step into Wingate ' s place would be no easy task . His successor had to be someone known to the men of Special Force , one who had shared their hardships and in whose skill and in whose skill and courage they could trust ' . Again . " British Commanders " states " the inevitable choice for the new chief of the Chindits was Major General Lentaigne . He was one of Wingates closest disciples and a veteran of the Burma fighting . Amongst his rivals for the position including Mike Calvert and Derek Tulloch there was criticism of this decision . They alleged that Lentaigne was the Chindit leader least in tune with Wingate ' s methods and tactics . They also pointed out that he had commanded 111 Indian Brigade in the field for only a few weeks . After the war , certain of his rivals used the comments of his Brigade Major John Masters with regard to Lentaigne ' s age out of context to attack him . Lentaigne had been a distinguished battalion commander who had fought during the 1942 Burma campaign . The other Chindit brigade commanders were unknown quantities lacking Staff College qualifications or significant time in command of even a battalion - sized formation . Additionally , there was no clear successor to Wingate even among his closest followers . Each of them thought that they would have been ( or were ) Wingate ' s obvious successor . Field Marshal Lord Slim wrote in his memoirs of the Burma War , Defeat into Victory , that after Wingate ' s death , at least three officers went to him , and told him , separately and confidentially , that Wingate had designated each of them as the Divisional Commander , in the event of his death . Postwar career . In his book " Red Coats to Olive Green " , Colonel V Longer has listed Lentaigne as one of the handful of British General Officers to be offered attachment to , and service in , the post - independence Indian Army . Among the others were General Sir Rob Lockhart , Lt - Gen Sir Dudley Russell , and Maj - Gen H Williams , who , as Engineer - in - Chief , was the last to retire , late in 1955 . He was acting Director Military Operations but was eased out as he proposed a 25 mile border corridor in Punjab under British troops to save innocent people . ( Ref . Transfer of Power , 8 Aug 1947 meeting ) Nehru opposed him tooth and nail and was overruled by Mountbatten . In Feb 48 , he was asked to lead Defense Staff College , Wellington . In 1950 , he predicted problems for India after conquest of Tibet by China and sparred with visiting Foreign secretary of India at Wellington . ( Ref . Himalayan Blunder by John Dalvi ) . He retired in 1955 and died soon after returning to London .