List of regiments of the Indian Army (1903)
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
Bodyguard troops
- Governor-General's Bodyguard[5]
- Governor's Bodyguard, Madras
- Governor's Bodyguard, Bombay[6]
Former Bengal Regiments
- 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse)
- 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
- 3rd Skinner's Horse
- 4th Lancers - (4th Cavalry in 1904)
- 5th Cavalry
- 6th Prince of Wales's Cavalry - (6th King Edward's Own Cavalry in 1906)
- 7th Lancers - (7th Hariana Lancers in 1904)[7]
- 8th Lancers - (8th Cavalry in 1904)
- 9th Hodson's Horse
- 10th Duke of Cambridge's Own Lancers (Hodson's Horse)
- 11th Prince of Wales's Own Lancers - (11th Prince of Wales's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) in 1904)
- 12th Cavalry
- 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse)[8]
- 14th Murray's Jat Lancers
- 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)
- 16th Cavalry
- 17th Cavalry
- 18th Tiwana Lancers[9]
- 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse)[6]
Former Punjab Regiments
- 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) - (21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse) in 1904)[10]
- 22nd Cavalry (Frontier Force) - (22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) in 1904)
- 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)[6]
Former Madras regiments
Former Hyderabad regiments
Former Bombay regiments
Former Local Corps
- 38th Central India Horse[15]
- 39th central horse[6]
Cavalry and Infantry
Infantry
Former Thiyyar Regiments
Former Bengal Regiments
- 1st Brahmans
- 2nd (Queen's Own) Regiment of Rajput Light Infantry
- 3rd Brahmans
- 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs
- 5th Light Infantry
- 6th Jat Light Infantry
- 7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs
- 8th Rajputs
- 9th Bhopal Infantry[17] - former Local Corps
- 10th Jats
- 11th Rajputs
- 12th Pioneers (The Kelat-i-Ghilzie Regiment)[18][19]
- 13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment)
- 14th Ferozepore Sikhs[20]
- 15th Ludhiana Sikhs
- 16th Rajputs (The Lucknow Regiment)
- 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment)[21]
- 18th Infantry
- 19th Punjabis
- 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjabis - (20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) in 1904)
- 21st Punjabis
- 22nd Punjabis
- 23rd Sikh Pioneers
- 25th Punjabis
- 26th Punjabis
- 27th Punjabis
- 28th Punjabis
- 29th Punjabis
- 30th Punjabis
- 31st Punjabis
- 32nd Sikh Pioneers
- 33rd Punjabis
- 34th Sikh Pioneers
- 35th Sikhs
- 36th Sikhs
- 37th Dogras
- 38th Dogras
- 39th Garhwal Rifles[22]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 40th Pathans
- 41st Dogras
- 42nd Deoli Regiment[23] - former Rajputana Local Corps
- 43rd Erinpura Regiment[24] - former Rajputana Local Corps
- 44th Merwara Infantry[25] - former Rajputana Local Corps
- 45th Rattray's Sikhs
- 46th Punjabis
- 47th Sikhs
- 48th Pioneers[26]
Former Punjab Regiments
- 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)
- 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
- 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
- 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)
- 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
- 56th Infantry (Frontier Force) - (56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906)[27]
- 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)Sainis of Haryana
- 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)Sainis and Mauryas of Haryana
- 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)[26]
Former Madras Regiments
- 61st Pioneers
- 62nd Punjabis
- 63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry[28]
- 64th Pioneers
- 65th Carnatic Infantry (Disbanded 1904)[1]
- 66th Punjabis
- 67th Punjabis
- 69th Punjabis
- 71st Coorg Rifles (Disbanded 1904)[1]
- 72nd Punjabis
- 73rd Carnatic Infantry
- 74th Punjabis
- 75th Carnatic Infantry
- 76th Punjabis
- 77th Moplah Rifles (Disbanded 1907)[1]
- 78th Moplah Rifles (Disbanded 1907)[1]
- 79th Carnatic Infantry
- 80th Carnatic Infantry
- 81st Pioneers
- 82nd Punjabis
- 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry[29]
- 84th Punjabis
- 86th Carnatic Infantry
- 87th Punjabis
- 88th Carnatic Infantry
- 89th Punjabis
- 90th Punjabis
- 91st Punjabis (Light Infantry)
- 92nd Punjabis
- 93rd Burma Infantry[26]
Former Hyderabad Regiments
Former Bombay Regiments
- 101st Grenadiers
- 102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers[31]
- 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry
- 104th Wellesley's Rifles
- 105th Mahratta Light Infantry
- 107th Pioneers
- 108th Infantry
- 109th Infantry
- 110th Mahratta Light Infantry
- 112th Infantry
- 113th Infantry
- 114th Mahrattas
- 116th Mahrattas
- 117th Mahrattas
- 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment)
- 120th Rajputana Infantry
- 121st Pioneers
- 122nd Rajputana Infantry
- 123rd Outram's Rifles
- 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry[32]
- 125th Napier's Rifles
- 126th Baluchistan Infantry
- 127th Baluch Light Infantry
- 128th Pioneers
- 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis
- 130th Baluchis[1][26]
Gurkha Line
(mostly former Bengal Regiments)
- 1st Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)[33]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 2nd (the Prince of Wales's Own) Gúrkha Rifles (the Sirmoor Rifles)[34]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 3rd Gurkha Rifles[35]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 4th Gurkha Rifles[36]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)[37] - former 25th Native Punjab Infantry
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 6th Gurkha Rifles[38]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd battalion (Raised in 1904) [39]
- 7th Gurkha Rifles[40]
- 1st Battalion (Became 2nd/8th Gurkha Rifles in 1907.)[1]
- (2nd battalion raised 1907)
- 8th Gurkha Rifles[41]
- 1st Battalion
- (2nd battalion formed in 1907 from the 7th Gurkha Rifles)
- 9th Gurkha Rifles[42]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion (Raised in 1904)
- 10th Gurkha Rifles[43] - former Madras Regiment
Support Arms
Indian Mountain Artillery
- 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[45]
- 22nd Derajat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[46]
- 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[47]
- 24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[47]
- 25th Mountain Battery[48]
- 26th Jacob's Mountain Battery[48]
- 27th Mountain Battery[49]
- 28th Mountain Battery[49]
- 29th Mountain Battery[50]
- 30th Mountain Battery[49]
- 31st Mountain Battery (Raised 1907)[51]
- 32nd Mountain Battery (Raised 1907)[51]
- The Frontier Garrison Artillery[52]
Engineers
- 1st Sappers and Miners[53]
- 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners[54]
- 3rd Sappers and Miners[55]
- Indian Submarine Mining Corps[56][57]
Services
- Army Bearer Corps[58]
- No.22 Company
- No.23 Company
- Army Clothing Department
- Army Hospital Corps[58]
- No.17 Company
- No.18 Company
- Army Remount Department[59]
- Army Veterinary Service[60]
- Indian Medical Department
- Indian Medical Service[61]
- Indian Ordnance Department[62]
- Supply and Transport Corps[63]
Imperial Service Troops
- Alwar Lancers
- Alwar Infantry
- Bahawalpur Mounted Rifles and Camel Transport Corps
- Bikaner Camel Corps[64]
- Bikaner Light Infantry
- Gwalior Lancers
- Gwalior Infantry
- Gwalior Transport Corps
- Hyderabad Lancers
- Jaipur Transport Corps[65]
- Jind Infantry[65]
- Jodhpur Lancers[66]
- Kapurthala Infantry[66]
- Kashmir Artillery[67]
- No. 1 Mountain Battery
- No. 2 Mountain Battery
- Kashmir Infantry
- Kashmir Rifles
- Malerkotla Sappers[66]
- Mysore Infantry
- Mysore Lancers
- Mysore Horse
- Mysore Transport Corps
- Nabha Infantry[66]
- Patiala Lancers
- Patiala Infantry
- Sirmoor Sappers[66]
Volunteer Corps
Cavalry
- Allahabad Light Horse[68]
- Assam Valley Light Horse[69]
- Bihar Light Horse[70]
- Bombay Light Horse[71]
- Calcutta Light Horse[72]
- Cawnpore Light Horse[68]
- Chota Nagpur Mounted Rifles[73]
- Ghazipur Light Horse[68]
- Gorakhpur Light Horse[68]
- Northern Bengal Mounted Rifles[73]
- Oudh Light Horse[68]
- Punjab Light Horse[74]
- Surma Valley Light Horse[75]
- United Provinces Light Horse formed 1904 by amalgamating the Allahabad, Cawnpore, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, & Oudh Light Horse.[68]
Artillery
Infantry
- Agra Volunteer Rifle Corps[80]
- Allahabad Volunteer Rifle Corps[76]
- Assam Bengal Railway Volunteer Rifles[81]
- Bangalore Rifle Volunteers[80]
- Bengal and North Western Railway Volunteer Corps[79]
- Bengal Nagpur Railway Volunteer Rifle Corps[81]
- Berar Volunteer Rifle Corps[81]
- Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Volunteer Corps[81]
- Bombay Volunteer Rifles Corps[76]
- Burma Railways Volunteers Corps[79]
- Calcutta Volunteer Rifles[80][82]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd (Presidency) Battalion
- 3rd (Cadet) Battalion
- Cawnpore Volunteer Rifle Corps[77]
- Coorg and Mysore Rifles[83]
- East Coast Volunteer Rifles[83]
- East Indian Railway Volunteer Rifle Corps[84]
- Eastern Bengal Volunteer Rifles[83]
- Eastern Bengal State Railway Volunteer Rifle Corps[84]
- Great Indian Pensinula Railway Volunteer Corps[84]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion - former Midland Railway Volunteer Corps
- Hyderabad Volunteer Rifle Corps[81]
- Kolar Gold Fields Battalion[81]
- Lucknow Volunteer Rifle Corps[78]
- Madras Railway Volunteers[85]
- Madras Volunteer Guards[78]
- Malabar Volunteer Rifles[81]
- Moulmein Volunteer Rifle Corps[79]
- Mussoorie Volunteer Rifle Corps[80]
- Nagpur Volunteer Rifles[81]
- Naini Tal Volunteer Rifle Corps[80]
- Nilgiri Volunteer Rifles[81]
- North Western Railway Volunteer Rifles[85]
- Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Battalion[84]
- Poona Volunteer Rifles[78]
- Punjab Volunteer Rfle Corps[86]
- Rangoon Volunteer Rifle Corps[79]
- Shillong Volunteer Rifles[86]
- Simla Volunteer Rifles[81]
- Sind Volunteer Rifle Corps[77]
- South Andaman Volunteer Rifles Corps
- South Indian Railway Volunteer Rifles Corps[79]
- Southern Mahratta Railway Rifle Corps[85]
- Upper Burma Volunteer Rifles[79]
Frontier Corps and Para-Military Units
North-West Frontier and Baluchistan
- Chitral Scouts[87]
- Frontier Constabulary
- Khyber Rifles[87]
- Kurram Militia[87]
- North Waziristan Militia[87]
- South Waziristan Militia[87]
- Mekran Levy Corps[88]
- Zhob Levy Corps[87]
North-East Frontier and Burma
Units formed in World War I
Cavalry
- 40th Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 41st Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 42nd Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 43rd Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 44th Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 45th Indian Cavalry Regiment
- 46th Indian Cavalry Regiment
Artillery
Infantry
- 49th Bengalis
- 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles
- 2nd Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles
- 1st Battalion, 70th Burma Rifles
- 2nd Battalion, 70th Burma Rifles
- 3rd Battalion, 70th Burma Rifles
- 4th Battalion, 70th Burma Rifles
- 71st Punjabis
- 85th Burman Rifles
- 111th Mahars[91]
- 1st Battalion, 131st United Provinces Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 131st United Provinces Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 132nd (Punjab Police) Regiment renamed 3rd Battalion, 30th Punjabis
- 2nd Battalion, 132nd (Punjab Police) Regiment renamed 4th Battalion, 30th Punjabis
- 133rd Regiment
- 140th Patiala Regiment
- 141st Bikanir Infantry
- 142nd Jodhpur Infantry
- 143rd Narsingh (Dholpur) Infantry
- 144th Bharatpur Infantry
- 145th Alwar (Jai Paltan) Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 150th Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, 150th Infantry
- 3rd Battalion, 150th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 151st Sikh Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, 151st Sikh Infantry
- 3rd Battalion, 151st Punjabi Rifles
- 1st Battalion, 152nd Punjabis
- 2nd Battalion, 152nd Punjabis
- 3rd Battalion, 152nd Punjabis
- 1st Battalion, 153rd Punjabis
- 2nd Battalion, 153rd Punjabis
- 3rd Battalion, 153rd Rifles
- 1st Battalion, 154th Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, 154th Infantry
- 3rd Battalion, 154th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 155th Pioneers
- 2nd Battalion, 155th Pioneers
- 1st Battalion, 156th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 11th Gurkha Rifles
- 2nd Battalion, 11th Gurkha Rifles
- 3rd Battalion, 11th Gurkha Rifles
- 4th Battalion, 11th Gurkha Rifles
Paramilitary
- Mohmand Militia[92]
- Sistan Levy Corps
See also
Footnotes
- Barthorp, pp.15-42
- Perry, p.85
- Sumner p.3
- Perry, p.86
- Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919, p. 873
- "The Cavalry". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- QIAL January 1919, p. 887
- QIAL January 1919, p. 899
- QIAL January 1919, p. 909
- QIAL January 1919, p. 915
- QIAL January 1919, p. 923
- QIAL January 1919, pp. 928
- QIAL January 1919, p. 913
- QIAL January 1919, p. 937
- QIAL January 1919, p. 947
- QIAL January 1919, p. 964
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1050
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1066
- Britishempire.co.uk web page on 12th Pioneers (Kelat-i-Ghilzie Regt)
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1074
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1086
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1178
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1191
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1195
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1199
- "The Infantry". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1247
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1271
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1339
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1391
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1411
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1491
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1595
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1600
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1606
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1611
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1617
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1623
- "History of the 6th Gurkhas". 6th Gurkhas.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1629
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1635
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1641
- QIAL January 1919, p. 1647
- "The Gurkhas". britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- QIAL January 1919, p. 972
- QIAL January 1919, p. 973
- QIAL January 1919, p. 974
- QIAL January 1919, p. 975
- QIAL January 1919, p. 976
- QIAL January 1919, p. 977
- QIAL January 1919, p. 978
- QIAL January 1919, p. 979
- QIAL January 1919, p. 986
- QIAL January 1919, p. 991
- QIAL January 1919, p. 996
- "Military Engineers in India". Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- "Indian Engineers". Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- Jackson, p. 465
- Jackson, p. 475
- Jackson, p. 477
- Jackson, p. 463
- Jackson, p. 481
- Jackson, p. 457
- Jackson, p. 498
- Gaylor, pp. 50 & 52
- Gaylor, pp. 50 & 53
- Gaylor, p.50
- Jackson, p. 509. Amalgamated as United Provinces Light Horse 1904.
- QIAL January 1919, p. 606
- QIAL January 1919, p. 601
- QIAL January 1919, p. 604
- QIAL January 1919, p. 603
- Gaylor, p. 37
- QIAL January 1919, p. 605
- QIAL January 1919, p. 602
- Gaylor, p. 33
- Gaylor, p. 34
- Gaylor, p. 35
- Gaylor, p. 43
- Gaylor, p. 38
- Gaylor, p. 40
- India List, 1902.
- Gaylor, p. 39
- Gaylor, p. 41
- Gaylor, p. 42
- Gaylor, p. 36
- IAL October 1903, p. 58
- IAL October 1904, p. 52
- QIAL January 1919, p. 980
- QIAL January 1919, p. 981
- Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919, p. 1447-50
- The Third Afghan War 1919 Official Account, p. 20
References
- 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.