List of regiments of the Indian Army (1903)

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British Indian Army
Allegiance British Empire
TypeArmy
Size2.5 million men (1945)
EngagementsSecond Afghan War
Third Afghan War
Second Burmese War
Third Burmese War
Second Opium War
1882 Anglo-Egyptian War
1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
First Mohmand Campaign
Boxer Rebellion
Tirah Campaign
British expedition to Tibet
Sudan Campaign
World War I
Waziristan campaign 1919–1920
Waziristan campaign 1936–1939
World War II
North West Frontier
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
Claude Auchinleck

The Commander-in-Chief of India, Lord Kitchener carried out a reform of the British Indian Army in 1903. These reforms were intended to improve the Army, which had been formed from the separate Bengal, Bombay and Madras presidency armies in 1895 to be replaced by the Bengal, Bombay, Madras and Punjab commands. The localisation of regiments was abolished, and in future every regiment was to have the opportunity of experiencing service on the Frontier. A new method of numbering and designating regiments was introduced. The renumbering went as follows:

  • Bengal regiments retained their existing numbers.
  • Punjab regiments, less the 5th Gurkhas, were numbered consecutively, adding 50, so that, for example, the 4th Sikh Infantry and the 1st Punjab Infantry became 54th and 55th.
  • The Guides remained unnumbered.
  • Madras regiments added 60 and, since over the years a number of them had been increasingly recruited in the Punjab, this was recognised in their titles, the 30th Madras, for example, becoming the 90th Punjabis.
  • The Hyderabad Contingent regiments were brought into the Line as 94th to 99th.
  • The Bombay regiments added 100, so that the 1st Bombay Grenadiers became the 101st Grenadiers, and so on.[1]

By 1903, the total strength of the Indian Army was 240,000 men.[2] They served in 39 cavalry regiments, 135 infantry battalions (including 17 Gurkha),[2] a joint cavalry-infantry unit the Corps of Guides, three sapper regiments and 12 mountain artillery batteries.[3] In addition to the regular Indian Army, the armies of the Princely states, and regiments of the Auxiliary force (European volunteers) could also be called on to assist in an emergency.[3] The Princely states had 22,613 men in 20 cavalry regiments and 14 infantry battalions.[4] The Auxiliary force could field another 40,000 men in 11 regiments of horse and 42 volunteer infantry battalions.[2] Also available were the Frontier Militia and the Military Police, which could field 34,000 men between them.[2]

Cavalry[edit]

Bodyguard troops[edit]

Former Bengal Regiments[edit]

Former Punjab Regiments[edit]

Former Madras regiments[edit]

Former Hyderabad regiments[edit]

Former Bombay regiments[edit]

Former Local Corps[edit]

Cavalry and Infantry[edit]

Infantry[edit]

Former Thiyyar Regiments[edit]

Former Bengal Regiments[edit]

Former Punjab Regiments[edit]

Former Madras Regiments[edit]

Former Hyderabad Regiments[edit]

Former Bombay Regiments[edit]

Gurkha Line[edit]

(mostly former Bengal Regiments)

Support Arms[edit]

Indian Mountain Artillery[edit]

Engineers[edit]

Services[edit]

Imperial Service Troops[edit]

Volunteer Corps[edit]

Cavalry[edit]

Artillery[edit]

Engineers[edit]

Infantry[edit]

Frontier Corps and Para-Military Units[edit]

North-West Frontier and Baluchistan[edit]

North-East Frontier and Burma[edit]

Units formed in World War I[edit]

Cavalry[edit]

Artillery[edit]

Infantry[edit]

Paramilitary[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Barthorp, pp.15-42
  2. ^ a b c d Perry, p.85
  3. ^ a b Sumner p.3
  4. ^ Perry, p.86
  5. ^ Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919, p. 873
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The Cavalry". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  7. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 887
  8. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 899
  9. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 909
  10. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 915
  11. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 923
  12. ^ QIAL January 1919, pp. 928
  13. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 913
  14. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 937
  15. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 947
  16. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 964
  17. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1050
  18. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1066
  19. ^ Britishempire.co.uk web page on 12th Pioneers (Kelat-i-Ghilzie Regt)
  20. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1074
  21. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1086
  22. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1178
  23. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1191
  24. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1195
  25. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1199
  26. ^ a b c d e "The Infantry". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  27. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1247
  28. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1271
  29. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1339
  30. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1391
  31. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1411
  32. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1491
  33. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1595
  34. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1600
  35. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1606
  36. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1611
  37. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1617
  38. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1623
  39. ^ "History of the 6th Gurkhas". 6th Gurkhas.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  40. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1629
  41. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1635
  42. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1641
  43. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 1647
  44. ^ "The Gurkhas". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  45. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 972
  46. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 973
  47. ^ a b QIAL January 1919, p. 974
  48. ^ a b QIAL January 1919, p. 975
  49. ^ a b c QIAL January 1919, p. 976
  50. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 977
  51. ^ a b QIAL January 1919, p. 978
  52. ^ a b QIAL January 1919, p. 979
  53. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 986
  54. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 991
  55. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 996
  56. ^ "Military Engineers in India". Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  57. ^ "Indian Engineers". Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  58. ^ a b Jackson, p. 465
  59. ^ Jackson, p. 475
  60. ^ Jackson, p. 477
  61. ^ Jackson, p. 463
  62. ^ Jackson, p. 481
  63. ^ Jackson, p. 457
  64. ^ Jackson, p. 498
  65. ^ a b Gaylor, pp. 50 & 52
  66. ^ a b c d e Gaylor, pp. 50 & 53
  67. ^ Gaylor, p.50
  68. ^ a b c d e f Jackson, p. 509. Amalgamated as United Provinces Light Horse 1904.
  69. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 606
  70. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 601
  71. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 604
  72. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 603
  73. ^ a b c d e Gaylor, p. 37
  74. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 605
  75. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 602
  76. ^ a b c d Gaylor, p. 33
  77. ^ a b c d Gaylor, p. 34
  78. ^ a b c d Gaylor, p. 35
  79. ^ a b c d e f g h Gaylor, p. 43
  80. ^ a b c d e Gaylor, p. 38
  81. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gaylor, p. 40
  82. ^ India List, 1902.
  83. ^ a b c Gaylor, p. 39
  84. ^ a b c d Gaylor, p. 41
  85. ^ a b c Gaylor, p. 42
  86. ^ a b Gaylor, p. 36
  87. ^ a b c d e f IAL October 1903, p. 58
  88. ^ IAL October 1904, p. 52
  89. ^ a b QIAL January 1919, p. 980
  90. ^ QIAL January 1919, p. 981
  91. ^ Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919, p. 1447-50
  92. ^ The Third Afghan War 1919 Official Account, p. 20

References[edit]

  • Barthorp, Michael; Jeffrey Burn (1979). Indian infantry regiments 1860-1914. Osprey Publishing. pp. 15–33. ISBN 0-85045-307-0.
  • Gaylor, John. Sons of John Company - The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903-91. Parapress. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, 1996. ISBN 1-898594-41-4.
  • Jackson, Maj. Donovan. India's Army. Sampson Low. London, 1940.
  • Perry, Frederick William (1988). The Commonwealth armies: manpower and organisation in two world wars War. Manchester University Press ND. ISBN 0-7190-2595-8.
  • Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 1914-1947. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-196-6.
  • The Indian Army List October 1903. Army Headquarters, India. Calcutta, 1903.
  • The Indian Army List October 1904. Army Headquarters, India. Calcutta, 1904.
  • The Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919. Army Headquarters, India. Calcutta, 1919.
  • The Third Afghan War 1919 Official Account. Army Headquarters, India. Calcutta, 1926.

Online[edit]

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