Disbanded or Transferred Regiments of the British Indian Army

[F-14B]

40th Pathans
40th Pathans (16 Punjab Regt)

Active 1780 - present
Country British India
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Motto(s) Gazian-e-Dograi
Uniform Red; faced green
Engagements Indian Mutiny 1857-58
Tibet 1903-04
First World War 1914-18
Third Afghan War 1919
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment General Edward Dandridge
General Sir Frederick Campbell
Brig Sher Afghan
The 40th Pathans were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1780 as Bengal Native infantry and then again in 1858 as the Shahjehanpur Levy. It was designated as the 40th Pathans in 1903 and became 5th Battalion (Pathans) 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 16th Battalion The Punjab Regiment

 

[F-14B]

Great Indian Peninsula Railway Regiment


GIPR Volunteer Rifle Corps pouch belt plate
The Great Indian Peninsula Railway Regiment were an auxiliary regiment under the Bombay command. They comprised staff of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.

• 1875 raised on 29th December as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Volunteer Corps[1]
• 1908 amalgamated with the Midland Railway Volunteer Corps, which became 2nd Battalion, on 5th August[2]
• 1917 1st April became 13th Great Indian Peninsula Railway Battalion[2]
• 1920 redesignated Great Indian Peninsula Railway Regiment on 1st October

 

[F-14B]

19th Hyderabad Regiment
Active 1922 - 1948
Country British India
Hyderabad State
Branch British Indian Army
Type Infantry
Engagements World War II
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed at the time of reforms of the Indian Army after the First World War, when it moved from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment saw service during the Second World War, and after Operation Polo was incorporated into the Indian Army as the Kumaon Regiment.


Second World War
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1939, consisted of four regular battalions; the 1st (Russell's), 2nd (Berar), 4th and The Kumaon Rifles. The 19th expanded during the war adding another eight battalions to the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. Two more battalions from Hyderabad, (not to be mistaken with the 19th Hyderabads) the 1st and 2nd Hyderabad Infantry were raised as part of the Indian State Forces. The battalions of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment fought in the Middle East, North Africa, Persia, Malaya, Singapore and Burma.

The Kumaon Rifles were based in Hong Kong at the beginning of the War but were transferred to the Middle East as part of the 24th Indian Infantry Brigade. The battalion took part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941 under Major-General William Slim. They remained in Persia as part of the garrison throughout the rest of the war.[1]

The 4th Battalion was part of the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade based in Malaya when the Japanese Army invaded in December 1941. The 4/19th Hyderabads were one of the few battalions in Malaya that were relatively well trained in jungle warfare. Although the battalion performed well in the fighting retreat in north-west Malaya, they were practically annihilated at the disastrous Battle of Slim River on 7 January 1942. The few survivors of the 4th Battalion were withdrawn to Singapore where they took part in the brief defence of the island before it surrendered on 15 February 1942.

In 1948, after Operation Polo, the regiment was incorporated into the Indian Army as the Kumaon Regiment.

 

[F-14B]

The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment, also known as the 17th Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Battalion, was one of the was a local civilian volunteer corps. It was an auxiliary Infantry regiment under the British Indian Army. The battalion served under the administrative control of the Bombay Command. It was also a part of the Bombay Army of the Bombay Presidency. The infantry regiment was formed on 3rd August 1877 as the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Volunteer Rifle Corps. It included official personnel from the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BBCIR).

The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment was united with the Ghadeshi Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1886. In the following year, the volunteer military unit was merged with the Rajputana Malwa Volunteer Rifle Corps which was developed as the 2nd Battalion. The uniform of the troops included khaki drill with white facings. The military badge consisted of crossed bayonets and flags and a crown with the Railway crest laid over. The headquarters of the First Battalion was located at Bombay (now Mumbai) in Maharashtra state. The Second Battalion was headquartered at Ajmere (Ajmer) in Rajasthan.

In 1901, the detached companies of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment were stationed at the various army bases in the country. The detachments of the First Battalion were posted at Jetalsar, Bhavnagarpara, Ahmedabad and Rutlam. The Second Battalion was stationed at Mhow, Indore, Fatehgarh, Sirsa, Bandikui, Jeypore and Abu Road.

On 1st April 1917, the infantry unit was re-designated as the 17th Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Battalion. Eventually the regiment was named as the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment on 1st October 1920.

• 1877 raised as the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Volunteer Rifle Corps on the 3rd August[1]
• 1886 amalgamated with the Ghadeshi Volunteer Rifle Corps[1]
• 1887 amalgamated with the Rajputana-Malwa Volunteer Rifle Corps, who became the 2nd Battalion
• 1917 1st April, became the 17th Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Battalion
• 1920 1st October, redesignated Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment

• Uniform - Khaki drill[2]
• Facings - White
• Badge - Crossed bayonets and flags and crown. Railway crest superimposed.

• 1st Battalion

B, B & CIR Vol Rifle Corps
Headquarters - Bombay

• 2nd Battalion

Rajputana-Malwa Volunteer Rifle Corps
Headquarters - Ajmere
"Ajmer is the head-quarters of the 2nd Battalion, Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Volunteer Rifles. The corps originally formed part of the Agra Volunteer Rifle Corps, with the title of Rajputana-Malwa Volunteer Rifle Corps. In 1887 its title was changed to the present designation. It consists of 11 companies, including a cadet company at Mount Abu. Its strength in 1903 stood at 344".[3]
Detached companies
In 1901:[2]

• 1st Battalion

• Rutlam
• Ahmedabad
• Bhavnagarpara
• Jetalsar

• 2nd Battalion

• Abu Road
• Jeypore
• Bandikui
• Sirsa
• Fatehgarh
• Indore
• Mhow

 

[F-14B]

Bombay Battalion

• 1877 raised on 15th August as Bombay Volunteer Rifles[1] (by General Order of the Honorary Governor in Council No. 533 of 1877)[2]
• 1917 1st April became 16th Bombay Battalion[3]
• 1920 redesignated the Bombay Battalion on 1st October[3]

Details

• Headquarters - Bombay

Uniform
1877 - A detailed description of the uniform and horse furniture can be found in the First annual report[2]

By 1901 - Officers - Khaki serge, NCOs and men - Khaki drill[1]

Detached companies

• Poona - at formation in January 1878 this was G Company[2]

Cadet companies
In 1877 cadets from the following schools were formed into three companies.[2]

• No 1 Company: Bombay Education Society School (Byculla)
• No 2 Company: St Mary's Institution (Byculla)
• No 3 Company: Scottish Schools (Byculla), Scottish Schools (Fort), Cathedral Choir School (Fort)

1877-78
The Bombay Volunteer Rifles produced an annual report[2] at the end of their first year that contains a lot of useful information for anyone interested in the corps in this period. This publication is available to read online (see note). Included are a nominal roll of all 7 companies, listing hundreds of names (Appendix G), a nominal roll of officers (p.5), a nominal roll of bandsmen (p.11), details of winners of shooting competitions, members of the Rifle Association (the shooting range was at Coorla) and a list of honorary members (p.1). At formation, the Corps were limited to service within the limits of the Island of Bombay.[2] The Government offered the "Old Sailors' Home" as a Headquarters and issued the Corps with Henry-Martini rifles.[2] The report notes 770 men joined the regiment in the first year, with 160 struck off, leaving 610 volunteers (not including cadets).[2]

Appendix B of the First annual report contains the rules of Corps. The first two prescribe that the Rifle Corps is to be composed of Europeans and Eurasians who must be over 16 and taller than 5 foot 2 inches

The Bombay Volunteers raised a Highland company in 1914 and disbanded in 1922. Hunting Stewart tartan.

 

[F-14B]

6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles

Active 1817–1994
Country

British Raj

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Branch British Army
Type Rifles
Role Light Infantry
Size 1–4 battalions (One: 1817–1903, two: 1903–68, three: 1940–47, four: 1941–46)
Garrison/HQ British Hong Kong
Colors Green; faced black
March Young May Moon (Quick March)
Engagements
Third Anglo-Burmese War
Great War

• Gallipoli campaign
• Persian campaign
• Mesopotamian campaign

Second World War

• Italian campaign
• Burma campaign

Malayan Emergency

Confrontation
Decorations 2 VCs
Insignia
Shoulder Flash
Abbreviation 6 GR
The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names throughout its history. Initially the unit did not recruit from the Gurkhas, although after being transferred to the British Indian Army following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, it became a purely Gurkha regiment, in due course with its regimental headquarters at Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province of British India. After 1947 the regiment was one of only four Gurkha regiments to be transferred to the British Army and this continued up until 1994, when it was amalgamated with other Gurkha regiments to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles. Over the course of its 177-year history, the regiment was awarded 25 battle honours, although prior to World War I it had only been awarded one and no battle honours were awarded to it after World War II.

 

[F-14B]

The Chamar regiment distinguished itself in the field of battle. It was part of the force that lifted the siege of Imphal and advanced against the Imperial army by liberating Burma along with other units of the army. They also took part in the assault on Rangoon and cleared the city of Japanese troops.
By mid 1945 the Chamar regiment had helped free entire Burma from Japanese occupation. The dropping of the Atomic bombs on Japan , brought about the surrender of Japan. The Indian army accepted the surrender of Japanese troops in SE Asia.

 

[F-14B]

49th Bengali Regiment

Raised as the 49th Bengal Infantry on 1 July 1917, but the title was changed to the 49th Bengali Regiment, or 49th Bengalis (49th Bengalees)

Bengal responded positively to the war effort, in the form of an ambulance corps, a signal company and an infantry regiment , the 49th Bengalis.

Uniquely, the Regiment consisted entirely of Bengalis, and also uniquely recruited soldiers from Bhadralok (upper and middle class) families.[1]

On the 7th August, 1916, the Government finally permitted the formation of two companies, also called the Bengali Double company which was commanded by Lt S G Taylor

The regiment was sent to Punjab for training and the regiment was finally officialy raised in Karachi on 1 July 1917. The 49th Bengalis were sent to Mesopotamia (Iraq) after the surrender of the British forces in Iraq to the Turkish Army. They reached Baghdad in September 1917 and were assigned to garrison duties . The unhealthy climate took their toll and large numbers of the troops fell sick. The regiment did not see any combat, however , being on garrison duties or guard duties during the war. The regiment was one of the first to be demobilised after the war and it ceased to exist on 31 August 1920

There is a memorial to those who died, in College Square, Calcutta, which also includes the Districts from which the men came.[2]

 

[F-14B]

17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment)



17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment)
Active 1858-1922
Country Indian Empire
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Part of Bengal Army (to 1895)
Bengal Command
Uniform Red; faced white
Engagements 1878–80 Afghanistan
1885 Suakin
Tofrek
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief Edward VII (1904)
The 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. It was formed at Phillour in 1858 by Major J. C. Innes from men of the 3rd, 36th and 61st Bengal Native Infantry regiments who remained loyal to the British East India Company during the Indian Mutiny, and designated The Loyal Purbiah Regiment.[1]

It was subsequently re-designated as follows:-

• 17th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry – 1861
• 17th (The Loyal Purbiah) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry – 1864
• 17th (The Loyal Purbiah) Regiment of Bengal Infantry –1885
• 17th (The Loyal Regiment) of Bengal Infantry – 1898
• 17th Musalman Rajput Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) – 1902

Its final designation came in 1903 with the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army.[1]

The regiment took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Battle of Tofrek the siege of Suakin in the Sudan Campaign and World War I. During World War I they were part of the 22nd (Lucknow) Brigade, first attached to the 8th Lucknow Division in India on internal security duties the brigade was then transferred to Egypt as part of the 11th Indian Division.[2]

After World War I the infantry of the Indian Army was restructured by the mass amalgamation of single battalion units into a smaller number of multi-battalion regiments. The 17th Infantry was one of nine regiments disbanded in 1922, as a result of this reform.[

 

[F-14B]

Badge

Uniforms
Post Mutiny
Principal Campaigns and Battles
Central India
1879 - 80 Afghanistan
Predecessor Units
14th (Mhairwara) Local Battalion
(1822 - 1826)
9th (Mhairwara) Local Battalion
(1826 - 1843)
The Mhairwara Local Battalion
(1843 - 1861)
The Ajmer and Mhairwara Police Corps
(1861 - 1871)
The Mhairwara Battalion
(1822 - 1826)
Successor Units
Disbanded
(1922)

The first 44th after the Mutiny was formed from the Sylhet Light Infantry, raised in 1824. They became the 44th Bengal Native Infantry in 1861 and eventually the 44th Gurkhas and later 1/8th Gurkhas.

The Mharawara (Mhairwara or Merwara) Local Battalion became a civil unit in 1861 but returned to a military role as the Mhairwara Battalion in 1871. It became the 44th Merwara Infantry in 1903 and was disbanded on 20th June 1921.

 

[F-14B]

77th Moplah Rifles

The 77th Moplah Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the 17th Carnatic Battalion.

The regiment's first action was during the Carnatic Wars followed by the Battle of Sholinghur in the Second Anglo-Mysore War. They also took part in the Battle of Nagpore.[1]

In 1902 the basis of recruitment for this regiment and one other (see 78th Moplah Rifles for additional detail) was changed from Madrasis to Moplahs. Both units were disbanded in 1907.[2]

Image credits http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyuniforms/indianinfantry/77thmoplahriflesoff.htm

 

[F-14B]

Corps of Guides

Active 1846–1922
Country Indian Empire
Branch Army
Type Joint Infantry-Cavalry
Part of Bengal Army (to 1895)
Punjab Command
Uniform Drab; faced, 1859 drab, 1870 piped red, 1882 faced red, 1905 red velvet (officers) red cloth (soldiers), 1908 scarlet
Engagements Punjab
Mooltan
Goojerat
Delhi
ALI MASJID
1879 KABUL
1878–80 AFGHANISTAN
CHITRAL
PUNJAB FRONTIER
MALAKAND
The Corps of Guides was a regiment of the British Indian Army which served in the North West Frontier and had a unique composition of being part infantry and part cavalry. It evolved through the 20th century to become the Guides Cavalry. It is now a regiment of the modern Pakistan Army.




HistoryEdit

Corps of Guides Infantry, 1897.
The brainchild of Sir Henry Lawrence, the Corps had Lt. Harry Lumsden as its commandant and W.S.R. Hodson (the Hodson of Hodson's Horse) as second-in-command. On 6 February 1847 Lumsden wrote to his father " I have just been nominated to raise the corps of Guides. It will be the finest appointment in the country".[1] A few months later, on 16 September 1847 Hodson wrote to his brother "..of my good fortune... I am to be the Second-in-Command with the Corps of Guides".[2]

The Corps had modest beginnings. When it was raised at Kalu Khan, on the Yusufzai Plain, in the Peshawar Valley region by Lt. Lumsden in December 1846, it comprised just one troop of cavalry and two companies of infantry. The first action was at Mughdara, in the Panitar Hills. Within two years, the small force of Guides had established a name for itself, under Lumsden, its founder, and Hodson . When the Second Sikh War broke out in 1848, the unit was given authorisation for a three-fold increase in size, to six companies of infantry and three troops of cavalry. The Guides maintained the quirky 'cavalry and infantry combined in the same regiment' format for many years, and even when split into two separate components, the name lingered in both elements.

The Corps of Guides became the garrison unit of a key post on the frontier, the new fort of (Hoti ~) Mardan. The building of the fort in 1854 was organised and supervised by Hodson[3] who had been promoted commandant of the regiment in 1852.[4] In 1857 the unit was called urgently to help relieve the Siege of Delhi. In just over three weeks the Guides marched nearly six hundred miles during the hottest month of the year, crossing five great rivers and fighting four small actions. The march coincided with the month of Ramadan meaning that the muslim soldiers in the force could neither eat nor drink during the hours of daylight. On arrival at Delhi, the force of 600 Guides were almost immediately called upon to join the defence of the city. Men who had just completed a march of some 580 miles were thrown into a battle of such intensity that no fewer than 350 of the 600 became casualties within an hour of their arrival in Delhi.

The Corps of Guides was part of the Frontier Force brigade and developed a reputation of being an elite unit. They were the first unit in the Indian or British Armies to dress in "khaki" uniform,[5]:537–539 first introduced in 1848.[6]Typically, the Guides were often used in small detachments, usually supported by other Frontier Force troops.

The designations of the Corps of Guides changed over time as follows:

• The Corps of Guides (1846)
• The Corps of Guides, Punjab Irregular Force (1857)
• Corps of Guides, Punjab Frontier Force (1865)
• Queen's Own Corps of Guides, Punjab Frontier Force (1876)
• Queen's Own Corps of Guides (1901)
• Queen's Own Corps of Guides (Lumsden's) (1904)
• Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) (1911).[7]

In 1911 the cavalry and infantry components were designated as such. The cavalry then became, successively:-

• Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Cavalry (1911)
• 10th Queen Victoria's Own Corps Of Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) (1922)
• The Guides Cavalry (10th Queen Victoria's Own Frontier Force) (1927)[8]

and the infantry:-

• Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry (1911)
• 5th Bn (QVO Corps of Guides) 12th Frontier Force Regiment (1922)[9]

Post-World War IIEdit
In 1945, the 12th Frontier Force Regiment was renamed the Frontier Force Regiment and on independence and the partition of India it was allocated to Pakistan. The cavalry regiment was also allocated to Pakistan and was renamed the Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force). In 1957, the Frontier Force Rifles and The Pathan Regiment were amalgamated with the Frontier Force Regiment to form a new Frontier Force Regiment. The Guides battalion became the 2nd battalion of the new regiment.

The Guides wore scarlet facings on the collars and cuffs of their khaki uniforms from their establishment in 1846.[10] Accordingly both The 10th Guides Cavalry (FF) and the 2nd Battalion (The Guides) of the Frontier Force Regiment of the Pakistan Army still wear red piping on the collars of their modern dress uniforms.

 

[F-14B]

59 Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)

Active 1843–present
Country British India, Pakistan
Branch Army
Type Mechanized Infantry
Size 1 Battalion
Nickname(s) Garbar Unath
Motto(s) "Ready Aye Ready"
Uniform Drab; faced scarlet
Anniversaries 10 March - Nueve Chapple Day
Engagements North West Frontier of India
Indian Mutiny 1857–58
First World War 1914–18
Second World War 1939–1945
1965 War
1971 War
Commanders
Notable
commanders Gen Musa Khan, HPk, HJ, HQA, MBE, Lt Gen Bakhtiar Rana,MC Lt Gen Rakhman Gul,MC Lt Gen AI Akram, Lt Gen Moinuddin Haider, HI (M)Lt Gen Ayaz, Maj Gen Sadaqat Ali Shah, Lt Gen Aamer Riaz, Maj Gen Nadir Khan

The 59 Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army.The regiment is one of the most reputed outfits of British Indian Army. It was raised in 1843, as the Scinde Camel Corps. In 1856, it was incorporated into the Punjab Irregular Force (PIF). It was designated as the 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1904 and became 6th Royal Battalion (Scinde) 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment

Genealogy

• 1843 Scinde Camel Corps
• 1853 Scinde Rifle Corps
• 1856 6th Punjab Infantry
• 1904 59 Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)
• 1921 59th Royal Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)
• 1922 6th Royal Battalion (Scinde) 13th Frontier Force Rifles
• 1945 6th Royal Battalion (Scinde) The Frontier Force Rifles
• 1956 1st Battalion (Scinde) The Frontier Force Regiment

 

[F-14B]

• Bombay Volunteer Artillery

The Bombay Volunteer Artillery was an artillery regiment of the Volunteer Corps units of the Royal Artillery in India. The auxiliary army unit was formed on 6th June 1887 by the British Empire in India. The former regiment of the British Indian Army was administered by the Bombay Army of Bombay Presidency. The Bombay Volunteer Artillery was also incorporated as a part of the Bombay Command.

The headquarters of the regiment was established in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the Indian state of Maharashtra. A part of the artillery unit was re-designated and re-structured to form the No. 3 (Bombay) Fortress Company on 1st April 1902. The uniform of the troops of Bombay Volunteer Artillery unit included Khaki drill formals. It was renamed as the 4th (Bombay) Group Garrison Artillery on 1st April 1917.

 

[F-14B]

Punjab Rifles

Originally raised as the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps on the 1st April 1861 and on the 15th July absorbed the Punjab Light Horse (Volunteers) which was raised on the 27th March 1867.

In 1898, the Punjab Light Horse and the Punjab Rifles together formed the Administrative Battalion, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps[1]

In 1908 it was known as the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles.[2], with headquarters at Lahore. On the 1st April 1917 became the 3rd Punjab Rifles before becoming the Punjab Rifles on the 1st October 1920.

In 1898, wih headquarters at Lahore, there were detachments at

• 
  
  
  • Amritsar
  • Dariwal, (Dhariwal)
  • Gurdaspur
  • Rawalpindi
  • Murree
  • Sialkot
  • Delhi
  • Karnal
  • Ferozepore
  • Dharmsala[3]

D Company, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles had its headquarters at Rawalpindi. It was recruited from the various Civil Departments with strength, exclusive of officers, 98 in 1907.

G Company, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles, had its headquarters at Murree, and was composed of cadets belonging to the Lawrence Military Asylum at Ghora Gali, near Murree.

H Company, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles contained civilian residents from Rawalpindi and Murree, and had its headquarter at Murree. In 1907 G and H Companies were "in strength 121 men, exclusive of officers".[4]

A small detachment of the Punjab Light Horse Volunteers and F Company of the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles (strength about 75 in 1912) was recruited from and stationed in Delhi[5]

Punjab disturbances, April 1919; compiled from the Civil and military gazette, 1919 Archive.org, page 20 indicates that the 3rd Punjab Rifles were on the strength of the Command set up at Lahore to deal with the emergency created by the outbreak of disorder.

The Punjab Rifles had an Armoured Train Section.[6]

By 1936, they comprised Headquarters and two Companies of infantry, and two light mortar platoons and were administered as a part of the Punjab Contingent

 

[F-14B]

South Andaman Volunteer Rifle Corps,


South Andaman Volunteer Rifle Corps regiment was an infantry unit of the erstwhile British Indian Army. The regiment was formed on 8th February 1884 by the British Empire in India. The unit was a part of the British Colonial Auxiliary Forces. It served under the administration of the Madras command. The regiment of the British volunteer corps was also included as a part of the Madras Army of Madras Presidency

. The South Andaman Volunteer Rifle Corps was headquartered in Ross Island, Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). The uniform of the troops included Khaki drill formal dress.

 

[F-14B]

62nd Punjabis

Active 1903 - 1922
Country British Indian Army
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Size 1 Battalion
Nickname(s) Mootoo Naik ki Paltan
Uniform Red; faced green
Engagements Battle of Wandiwash 1860
Siege of Madura 1763
First Anglo-Mysore War 1767-69
Capture of Pondicherry 1778
Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780-84
Third Anglo-Mysore War 1789-92
Second Mahratta War 1803-06
Travancore War 1809
Third Mahratta War 1817-19
Coorg War 1834
First China War 1839-42
Chin Lushai Expedition 1889-90
First World War 1914-18[1]
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE
The 62nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1759 as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys, and formed part of the Madras Army. It was designated as the 62nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion The Punjab Regiment. It is the senior-most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army.

 

[F-14B]

99th Deccan Infantry
99th Deccan Infantry
Active 1788–1922
Country Indian Empire
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Part of Nizam's Contingent
Hyderabad Contingent
Madras Command
Colors Red; faced dark green
Engagements Third Anglo-Maratha War
World War I
The 99th Deccan Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1788, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion of the Ellichpur Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army then after signing of a treaty with the then Governor General of India, The Nizam's Contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.

The regiment fought in the Battle of Mahidpur during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. They then participated in the Siege of Nowah and the later Capture of Nowah.[1] During World War I the regiment served on the North West Frontier in operations against the Mahsuds around Sarwakai. Then in April 1917, they were sent to serve in the Mesopotamia Campaign. They were attached to the Euphrates Defence Force, which was charged with lines-of-communication duties along the Euphrates river. Although not at the front fighting the Turks, they did participate in operations against hostile Arabs, including two punitive expeditions from Nasiriyeh in March 1918. In June 1918, the battalion again saw action around hostile Arabs around Rumaithah.

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.[2] In 1922, the 99th Deccan Infantry became the 5th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment. This regiment was allocated to the Indian Army after independence.

 

[F-14B]

4th Punjab Infantry

Active 1849 – present
Country British India (1849-1947)
Pakistan (1947-)
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Size 1 Battalion
Motto(s) Barhe Challo
Uniform Drab; faced blue; blue collars & cuffs
Engagements North West Frontier of India
Indian Mutiny 1857-58
Second Afghan War 1878-80
Boxer Rebellion 1900
Commanders
Notable
commanders Major General AT Wilde, CB
The 4th Punjab Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed on 18 April 1849 by Captain GG Denniss at Lahore as part of the Transfrontier Brigade, which became the Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) in 1851. The regiment was designated as the 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903, and 4th Battalion (Wilde's) 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 9th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

 

[F-14B]

2nd Battalion (Guides) The Frontier Force Regiment

Active 1846 - Present
Country British India
Pakistan
Branch Army
Type Mechanized Infantry
Size 1 Battalion
Nickname(s) Guides Paltan
Motto(s) Rough & Ready
Uniform Drab; faced red
March Advance Khaki
Mascot(s) CG
Anniversaries 14 December
Engagements North West Frontier of India
Second Sikh War 1848-49
India Mutiny 1857-58
Second Afghan War 1878-80
First World War 1914-18
Third Afghan War 1919
Second World War 1939-45

The Corps of Guides was raised at Peshawar on 14 December 1846 by Lieutenant Harry Burnett Lumsden on the orders of Sir Henry Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, capital of the Sikh Empire. Initially composed of a troop of cavalry and two companies of infantry mounted on camels, the Guides were organized as a highly mobile force. The corps was ordered to recruit

trustworthy men, who could, at a moment's notice, act as guides to troops in the field; men capable, too, of collecting trustworthy intelligence beyond, as well as within, our borders; and, in addition to all this, men, ready to give and take hard blows, whether on the frontier or in a wider field.[1]
Although the corps recruited men from all over the country and even beyond the Frontier of India, Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras later formed the bulk of their manpower.[2]

Harry Lumsden was chosen to train and lead the force:

He was a man of strong character, athletic, brave, resolute, cool and resourceful in emergency; a man of rare ability and natural aptitude for war, and possessed, moreover, of that magnetic influence which communicates the highest confidence and devotion to those who follow. Lumsden upheld the principle that the greatest and best school for war is war itself. He believed in the elasticity which begets individual self-confidence, and preferred a body of men taught to act and fight with personal intelligence.[1]
Lumsden left a lasting imprint on the Guides, who first fought in numerous frontier operations. Believing that fighting troops were for service and not for show, Lumsden introduced loose and comfortable dust-coloured uniforms for the first time, which would soon become famous as "khaki"[3] and within decades would be adopted by the British Army for service in India. In 1851, the Guides established themselves at Mardan, which would remain their home until 1938
In 1851, the Corps of Guides became part of the Punjab Irregular Force, which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force or Piffers. The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry, eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides the Corps of Guides. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier;[4] a task they performed efficiently during the next fifty years.[5]

In 1876, Queen Victoria rewarded the Guides by granting them the use of the Royal Cypher and they became the Queen's Own Corps of Guides with the Prince of Wales as their Colonel. During the First World War, the cavalry and infantry of the Guides fought separately. During the war, the Guides Infantry raised three more battalions. The 3rd and 4th Guides Infantry were disbanded after the war. In 1921, the cavalry and infantry components were formally separated; the cavalry becoming the 10th Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force), while the infantry joined the newly formed 12th Frontier Force Regiment to make up the 5th and 10th (Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides) Battalions of the new infantry regiment. The 10th became the Training Battalion of the regiment. Their new class composition was one company each of Punjabi Muslims, Pathans, Sikhs and Dogras. The regiment adopted the drab uniform with red facings of the Corps of Guides. In 1943, the 10th (Training) Battalion was converted into the 12th Frontier Force Regimental Centre, while in 1945, '12' was dropped from the regiment's designation, changing it to The Frontier Force Regiment