17th Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 17th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army
, later of the united British Indian Army
. It was formed at Phillour
in 1858 by Major
J. C. Innes from men of the 3rd, 36th and 61st Bengal Native Infantry regiments who remained loyal to the British East India Company
during the Indian Mutiny, and designated The Loyal Purbiah Regiment.
It was subsequently re-designated as follows:-
Its final designation came in 1903 with the Kitchener reforms
of the Indian Army.
The regiment took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
, the Battle of Tofrek
the siege of Suakin
in the Sudan Campaign and World War I
. During World War I they were part of the 22nd Lucknow Infantry Brigade, first attached to the 8th Lucknow Division
in India on internal security duties the brigade was then transferred to Egypt as part of the 11th Indian Division
.
After World War I the Indian government reformed the army again moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments and disbanding nine regiments. The 17th Infantry was one on the nine regiments disbanded in 1922.
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
, later of the united British 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...
. It was formed at Phillour
Phillaur
Phillaur is a town and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab.- Overview :Phillaur is the railway junction on the border line of Ludhiana and Jalandhar Cantonment. It was a junction for Lohian and Ferozepur. In pre-partition days, it was the main timber market of...
in 1858 by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
J. C. Innes from men of the 3rd, 36th and 61st Bengal Native Infantry regiments who remained loyal to the British East India Company
British East India Company
The 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...
during the Indian Mutiny, and designated The Loyal Purbiah Regiment.
It was subsequently re-designated as follows:-
- 17th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry – 1861
- 17th (The Loyal Purbiah) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry – 1864
- 17th (The Loyal Purbiah) Regiment of Bengal Infantry –1885
- 17th (The Loyal Regiment) of Bengal Infantry – 1898
- 17th Musalman Rajput Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) – 1902
Its final designation came in 1903 with the Kitchener reforms
Kitchener Reforms
The Kitchener Reforms of the Indian Army began in 1903 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, completed the unification of the three armies of the former Presidencies , and also the Punjab Frontier Force, the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces, into one...
of the Indian Army.
The regiment took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
, the Battle of Tofrek
Battle of Tofrek
The Battle of Tofrek was fought between the British forces under the leadership of General Gerald Graham and General John McNeil, against the Mahdist forces led by Osman Digna in the deserts of eastern Sudan.-Details:...
the siege of Suakin
Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin is a port in north-eastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1983 it had a population of 18,030 and the 2009 estimate is 43, 337.It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about 30 miles north. The old city built of coral is in ruins...
in the Sudan Campaign and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During World War I they were part of the 22nd Lucknow Infantry Brigade, first attached to the 8th Lucknow Division
8th Lucknow Division
The 8th Lucknow Division was a formation of the British Indian Army's Northern Army that was first formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903...
in India on internal security duties the brigade was then transferred to Egypt as part of the 11th Indian Division
11th Indian Division
The 11th Indian Division was formed in Egypt in 1914, to defend the Suez Canal. It was one of two divisions in the Indian Expeditionary Force F....
.
After World War I the Indian government reformed the army again moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments and disbanding nine regiments. The 17th Infantry was one on the nine regiments disbanded in 1922.