William Alexander Brown | |
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Born | Melrose, Scotland, United Kingdom | 13 December 1922
Died | 5 December 1984 Scotland, United Kingdom | (aged 61)
Allegiance | |
Service | |
Years of service | 1941–1959 |
Rank | Major |
Commands | |
Battles / wars | |
Awards |
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William Alexander Brown MBE SI (13 December 1922 – 5 December 1984) was a British military officer based in British-ruled India. He is best known for his actions during the Partition of India, when he assisted the locals of the Gilgit Agency and led a coup d'état, codenamed Operation Datta Khel, against Hari Singh, the Maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.[1][2] The successful coup ultimately resulted in the Gilgit Agency (in today's Gilgit−Baltistan) becoming a part of Pakistani-administered Kashmir following the First Indo−Pakistani War.[3]