117th Mahrattas
The 117th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the Bombay Fencible Regiment.
| 117th Mahrattas | |
|---|---|
 117th Mahrattas at a fort in the North West Frontier, India, 1909. | |
| Active | 1800–1922 |
| Country |  British India |
| Branch |  British Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Part of | Bombay Army (to 1895) Bombay Command |
| Colors | Red; faced pale yellow, 1882 yellow |
| Engagements | World War I |
During World War I the regiment was attached to the 6th (Poona) Division, served in the Mesopotamian campaign, and delivered a setback at the Battle of Ctesiphon in November 1915. They were forced to withdraw back to Kut, and forced to surrender after the Siege of Kut.[1]
After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments.[2] In 1922, the 117th Mahrattas became the 5th Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry. After independence they were one of the regiments allocated to the Indian Army.
Predecessor names
- Bombay Fencible Regiment - 1800
- 1st Battalion, 9th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry - 1803
- 17th Bombay Native Infantry - 1824
- 17th Bombay Infantry - 1885
- 117th Matrattas - 1903
References
- Gardner, Nikolas. 2004 'Sepoys and the Siege of Kut-Al-Amara, December 1915-April 1916', War in History (journal) 11(3), pp. 307–326
- Sumner p. 15
Sources
- Barthorp, Michael; Burn, Jeffrey (1979). Indian infantry regiments 1860-1914. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-307-0.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-9776072-8-0.
- Sharma, Gautam (1990). Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army. Allied Publishers. ISBN 81-7023-140-X.
- Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 1914-1947. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-196-6.
- Moberly, F.J. (1923). Official History of the War: Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-870423-30-5
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