The
Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
of the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders...
. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the
British Indian ArmyThe Indian Army , now sometimes called the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the modern army of the Republic of India, was the principal army of the British Raj in India during the last half-century before the partition of India in 1947.The Indian Army served both in India and,...
, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated together to form six battalions of the
6th Rajputana Rifles. In 1945 the numeral designation was dropped from the title and in 1947 the regiment was transferred to the newly independent
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders...
. Since independence, the regiment has been involved in a number of conflicts against Pakistan, as well as contributing to the United Nations Custodian Force in Korea in the 1950s and to the UN Mission to the Congo in 1962. Over the course of its existence the regiment has had the distinction of receiving six Victoria Crosses and one Param Vir Chakra as well as many other decorations and honours.
The Name
The name
Rajputana Rifles is derived from the
Rajput a hindu clan and
HindiStandard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
word
Rajputana which was the old name of
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
. It is based on the
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
word
Rajputra meaning son of a king.
Lineage
The regiment's origins lie in the 18th century when the
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
(HEIC) recruited Rajputs to protect its operations. The impressive performance of French local units which were composed of local recruits mixed with French officers, helped the HEIC to decide that it needed to do something similar. In January 1775, it raised its first local infantry units which included the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys, which is considered to be the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army. The 5th Battalion was successively redesignated as 9th Battalion Bombay Sepoys in 1778; 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in 1796; 4th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in 1824, and then 4th Regiment Native Infantry (Rifle Corps) in 1881. It thus became the first Rifle Regiment of the
British Indian ArmyThe Indian Army , now sometimes called the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the modern army of the Republic of India, was the principal army of the British Raj in India during the last half-century before the partition of India in 1947.The Indian Army served both in India and,...
.In 1899 the Battalion was once more renamed as 4th Regiment (1st Battalion Rifle Corps) Bombay Infantry and again in 1901 as 4th Bombay Rifles.
In
Kitchener'sField Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener,
KG,
KP,
GCB,
OM,
GCSI,
GCMG,
GCIE,
ADC,
PC was a British Field Marshal, a diplomat, and a statesman.-...
1903 reorganisation of the Indian Army, 4th Bombay Rifles became 104th Wellesley’s Rifles, to commemorate the fact that the regiment had been commanded in 1800 by
Arthur WellesleyField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
(later the
Duke of WellingtonThe Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born British career officer and statesman, and unqualified...
). In the further re-organisation in 1921, six regiments were brought together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles Regiment:
- 1st Battalion - 104th Wellesley's Rifles
The 104th Wellesley's Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1775, when they were raised as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys....
- 2nd Battalion - 120th Rajputana Infantry
The 120th Rajputana Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1817, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
- 3rd Battalion - 122nd Rajputana Infantry (God's Own)
- 4th Battalion - 123rd Outram's Rifles
-History:It traced its origins to the 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, part of the British East India Company's Bombay Army. It fought in the Battle of Khadki on 5 November 1817 in the Third Anglo-Maratha War and became the regiment's 1st Battalion in 1820...
- 5th Battalion - 125th Napier's Rifles
The 125th Napier's Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Its earlier names include:1st Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry, The 25th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry and The 25th Bombay Rifles...
- 10th (Training) Battalion - 13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment)
The 13th Rajputs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to the Shekhawati Regiment raised in 1835, as part of the Jaipur contingent of the Honourable East India Company and were taken into the Company's service as a local battalion 8 years later. They...
.
In 1945 the regiments of the
British Indian ArmyThe Indian Army , now sometimes called the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the modern army of the Republic of India, was the principal army of the British Raj in India during the last half-century before the partition of India in 1947.The Indian Army served both in India and,...
dropped the numeral in their titles and so the Rajputanas assumed their current name. In 1947 the regiment was allocated to India and the newly formed
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders...
when the sub-continent became independent from the
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
. In 1949, the 1st Battalion was elevated to the status of
guards-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist...
, becoming 3rd Battalion,
Brigade of the GuardsThe Brigade of the Guards is an Indian Mechanized Infantry regiment, which was once the only regiment of Foot Guards in the Indian Army. Formed in 1949 as the first mixed class Indian regiment by Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the first battalions of the Brigade of Guards were formed by taking the...
.
History
In 1817 the 4th Battalion met the Marathas at the
Battle of KhadkiThe Battle of Khadki took place at Khadki on November 5, 1817 between the forces of the English East India Company and those of Bajirao II, the Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy...
. The defence earned the regiment the battle honor of "Khadki". In 1856–57 the 1st, 2nd and 4th Battalions were together in the Persian theatre of operations. In 1856 Captain
J. A. WoodJohn Augustus Wood VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
of the 2nd Battalion (then the 20th Bombay Native Infantry) was awarded the
Victoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals...
for storming Reshire Fort. This was the first Victoria Cross to be won in an Indian unit. In the same battle Subedar Major Mohammed Sharief and Subedar Peer Bhatt were recommended for the
Victoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals...
but were turned down as at that time the medal category was not open to Indians.
In 1878–1880, during the Second Afghan War, the 1st Battalion marched 145 miles in 5 days from
Quetta) is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It is known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan", due to its diversity in plant and animals wildlife. The city has been a major stronghold along the western frontier of the country. It is situated at an average...
to
KandaharKandahār, also spelled Qandahār, Pashtoکندهار or قندهار is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 324,800 . It is the capital of Kandahar province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
and laid siege to the city. In 1900–1902, the 3rd Battalion was part of a force used to contain the
Boxer rebellionThe Boxer Rebellion, more properly called the Boxer Uprising, or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in Chinese, was a violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony,” Yihe tuan义和团 or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China , between 1898 and 1901...
in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
The First World War saw the regiment fight in battlefields from
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
to
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
. The 5th Battalion was in all theatres of the war and participated in General Allenby’s march to recapture
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. In this march the units got the better of their German and Turkish opponents.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the regiment was expanded to thirteen battalions and served in the Middle East, Burma and Malaya. The 4th Battalion had the distinction of earning two Victoria Crosses during this conflict.
External links