Sherman Gordon Venn Ellis

Lieutenant Colonel Sherman Gordon Venn Ellis, CIE, DSO was a British Indian Army officer, and colonial administrator who served as the Minister of Finance of the State of Patiala from 1936 until his death in 1937.

Early life

Ellis was the son of a clergyman Reverend Henry Venn Ellis, rector of Alderton, Suffolk and a descendant of the Ellis family of Kiddal Hall. His elder brother Stanley Venn Ellis was a Royal Navy Captain who was one of the most senior officers killed at the Battle of Jutland when his ship HMS Defence sank.

Career

Ellis joined the West India Regiment in 1899, transferring to the West African Regiment in 1900 before finally joining the British Indian Army in 1904, where he served for the remainder of his career. Ellis served as Military Accountant-General in India from 1929 to 1935 and was Financial Expert to the Indian Delegation to the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments in 1932.