Auxiliary Force (India)

The Auxiliary Force (AFI) was a part-time, paid volunteer organisation within the Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

 in British India. Its units were entirely made up of European and Anglo-Indian

Anglo-Indian

Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...

 personnel.

The AFI was created by the Auxiliary Force Act 1920 to replace the unpopular British section of the Indian Defence Force

Indian Defence Force

The Indian Defence Force was a part-time defence force established as part of the Indian Army in 1917 in order to release regular troops from garrison duties during the First World War....

, which had recruited by conscription

Conscription

Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

. By contrast, the AFI was an all-volunteer force modelled after the British Territorial Army.

The Indian parallel to the AFI was the Indian Territorial Force

Indian Territorial Force

The Indian Territorial Force was a part-time, paid volunteer organisation within the Indian Army in British India. Its units were primarily made up of European officers and Indian other ranks....

.

Units of the AFI on 3 September 1939

Name	Headquarters
Contingents
Agra Contingent	Agra Agra Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
Allahabad Contingent	Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
Bangalore Contingent (Bangalore Rifle Volunteers)	Bangalore Bangalore Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
Bareilly Corps	Bareilly Bareilly Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
Bareilly Contingent	Naini Tal
Bombay Contingent	Bombay
Cawnpore Contingent	Cawnpore
Dehra Dun Contingent	Dehra Dun
Delhi Contingent	Delhi Delhi Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
Karachi Corps	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
Lucknow Contingent	Lucknow Lucknow Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
Madras Contingent	Madras
Poona Contingent	Poona
Punjab Contingent	Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Cavalry regiments
Assam Valley Light Horse Assam Valley Light Horse The Assam Valley Light Horse was raised in 1891 and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. The regimental headquarters was at Dibrugarh in Assam...	Dibrugarh Dibrugarh Dibrugarh is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district, Assam, India, and is the second largest city in Assam after Guwahati. It is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, about north-east of Guwahati. It is the gateway to the three tea-producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sibsagar...
Bihar Light Horse Bihar Light Horse The Bihar Light Horse was raised in 1862 and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. The regimental headquarters was at Muzaffarpur in Bihar...	Muzaffarpur Muzaffarpur Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
Bombay Light Patrol	Bombay
Calcutta Light Horse	Calcutta
Chota Nagpur Regiment Chota Nagpur Regiment The Chota Nagpur Regiment was raised in 1891 as the Chota Nagpore Mounted Rifles and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. It was renamed the Chota Nagpur Light Cavalry in 1910 then the Chota Nagpur Regiment in 1917...	Ranchi Ranchi -Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
Northern Bengal Mounted Rifles	Darjeeling
Punjab Light Horse Punjab Light Horse The Punjab Light Horse was raised in 1867 and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. The regimental headquarters was at Lahore, in Punjab...	Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Southern Provinces Mounted Rifles	Madras
Surma Valley Light Horse	Silchar Silchar Silchar is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. It is south east of Guwahati. The city of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance and is the second largest city in the state of Assam...
Allahabad Detachment, United Provinces Horse (Southern Regiment)	Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
Cawnpore Detachment, United Provinces Horse (Southern Regiment)	Cawnpore
Lucknow Detachment, United Provinces Horse (Southern Regiment)	Lucknow Lucknow Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
Armoured companies
Bangalore Armoured Car Company	Bangalore Bangalore Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
Artillery brigades
Bengal Artillery, RA	Barrackpore Barrackpore Barrackpore or Barrackpur is headquarters of Barrackpore subdivision in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town was a military and administrative center under British rule, and was the scene of several acts of rebellion against Britain during the 19th century...
I (Calcutta Port Defence) Brigade, RA	Calcutta
V (Cossipore) Field Brigade, RA	Cossipore Cossipore Cossipore is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. One of the old neighbourhoods of the metropolis, it has a police station and is an assembly constituency.-History:...
Separate artillery batteries
No. 3 (Madras) Field Battery, RA	Madras
No. 10 (Bombay) Battery, RA	Bombay
No. 13 (Lucknow) Field Battery, RA	Lucknow Lucknow Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
No. 15 (Kirkee) Field Battery, RA	Kirkee
No. 17 (Agra) Field Battery, RA	Agra Agra Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
No. 18 (Bareilly) Field Battery, RA	Bareilly Bareilly Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
No. 20 (Cawnpore) Field Battery, RA	Cawnpore
Engineer companies
No. 1 (Calcutta) Fortress Company, RE	Calcutta
No. 3 (Bombay) Fortress Company, RE	Bombay
No. 4 (Karachi) Fortress Company, RE	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
Signal companies
No. 1 (Madras) Signal Company	Madras
Railway battalions
Assam Bengal Railway Battalion	Chittagong Chittagong Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
Bengal Nagpur Railway Battalion	Kharagpur Kharagpur Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
Bengal and North Western Railway Battalion	Gorakhpur Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
1st Battalion, Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment	Lower Parel
2nd Battalion, Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment	Ajmer Ajmer Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
Eastern Bengal Railway Battalion	Sealdah Sealdah Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
1st Battalion, East Indian Railway Regiment	Lillooah
2nd Battalion, East Indian Railway Regiment	Lucknow Lucknow Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
1st Battalion, Great India Peninsula Railway Regiment	Parel Parel Lower Parel or Parel is central part of Mumbai. It is also lends its name to two railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway. Most of the mills in Mumbai used to be in this area till some years ago...
2nd Battalion, Great India Peninsula Railway Regiment	Jhansi Jhansi Jhansi Hindi:झाँसी, , Marathi: झाशी, is a historical city of India. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock. This district is on the bank of river Betwa.The National...
1st Battalion, Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles	Perambur Perambur Perambur , is a locality in Northern part of the metropolitan city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India.It is one of expensive area in chennai with all facilities of needs....
2nd Battalion, Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles	Hubli
North Western Railway Battalion	Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
South Indian Railway Battalion	Trichinopoly
Infantry battalions
Allahabad Rifles	Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
Bangalore Battalion	Bangalore Bangalore Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
Bombay Battalion	Bombay
Calcutta and Presidency Battalion	Calcutta
Calcutta Scottish Calcutta Scottish The Calcutta Scottish was a regiment of volunteers of Scottish descent raised in 1914 as an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment formed part of the army reserves in Auxiliary Force, India . The regimental dress uniform was Hunting Stewart tartan...	Calcutta
Cawnpore Rifles	Cawnpore
East Coast Battalion	Vizayapatam
Hyderabad Rifles	Secunderabad Secunderabad Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
Kolar Gold Fields Battalion	Oorgaum
Lucknow Rifles	Lucknow Lucknow Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
Madras Guards	Madras
Nagpur Rifles	Nagpur Nagpur Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
Nilgiri Malabar Battalion	Ootacamund Ootacamund Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
Poona Rifles	Poona
Punjab Rifles	Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Simla Rifles	Simla Simla -Politics/History:Simla , the summer capital of British India, often refers generically to the government of the British Raj.-Places:* Shimla , city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh...
Sind Rifles	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
Separate infantry companies
Bhusawal Company	Bhusawal Bhusawal Bhusawal or Bhusaval is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Geography:Bhusawal is located at . It has an average elevation of 209 metres ....
Coorg and Mysore Company	Mercara
Eastern Bengal Company	Dacca
Yercaud Company	Yercaud
Machine-gun companies
No. 2 (Karachi) Machine-Gun Company	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
No. 5 (Agra) Machine-Gun Company	Agra Agra Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...