Phraya Songsuradet

Colonel Thep Phanthumsen (; 12 August 1892 – 1 June 1944), better known by the noble title Phraya Songsuradet , was a Thai military officer and member of the People's Party. As a cadet he studied at the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute and was a leading member of the senior army officers responsible for the Siamese revolution of 1932. After the revolution, he became de facto chief of the whole military.

He had conflicts with Plaek Phibunsongkhram, who was a junior military officer in many serious matters. After Phibunsongkhram's rise to power in 1938, these conflicts became the allegations in the subsequent Songsuradet rebellion.

Biography Thep Phanthumsen was born in a military family on 12 August 1892 at his father's home at Suan Chao Chet (location of Territorial Defense Command in present) on the beginning of Charoen Krung Road, Phra Nakhon Province (later Bangkok). His father was an artillery officer named Lieutenant Tai Phanthumsen (ร้อยโท ไท้ พันธุมเสน), who served in the 1st Battery of Artillery. While he was studying in the Royal Military Academy (later Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy) his parents suddenly died. His older brother became a benefactor. Because he was an excellent cadet he received a scholarship to study army engineer science in Imperial Germany. Upon graduation, he received the rank of Fähnrich (Private First Class). After that, he continued his studies at the commissioned military level until he received the rank of Degen-Fähnrich (Acting Second Lieutenant) and entered the military service in Magdeburg, later he returned to Siam (present-day Thailand) in the year 1915, after a total of 8 years of living in Imperial Germany.

Thanks to his time in Germany, he was fluent in both Thai and German.

He was exiled to Indochina in January 1939 following a rift with the Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram. His life in Phnom Penh was full of difficulties, because he had almost no assets left. He had to make a living by repairing bicycles and making dessert for sale with his wife, who had to grind flour manually.

Noble titles 20 April 1918: Luang Narongsongkram (หลวงณรงค์สงคราม) 9 July 1924: Phra Songsuradej (พระทรงสุรเดช) 6 November 1931: Phraya Songsuradej (พระยาทรงสุรเดช) 15 May 1939: Abolition of nobility