Mathura (UP), Jan 15 (PTI) On the occasion of the 73rd Army Day, Lieutenant General C P Cariappa, General Officer Commanding of 1 Corps, paid homage to the fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the War Memorial in Mathura Cantonment on Friday, a defence spokesperson said.

“The wreath laying ceremony by General Officer Commanding was followed by playing of the traditional military bugle called 'The Last Post',” Colonel B K Attri said.

He said a two-minute silence was also observed in the memory of all soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year in recognition of Field Marshal K M Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander in 1949.

Interacting with military veterans living in Mathura, the GOC enquired about their welfare after the ceremony, the colonel stated.

According to the spokesman, the Indian Army was established by the British on April 1, 1895 by drawing forces of the erstwhile East India Company.

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