2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Infantry, commonly shortened to 2nd Rajputs, was a regiment
of the British Indian Army
, with an origin in 1798 and amalgamated with five other Rajput
regiments in 1922.
raised a 2nd Battalion
for the 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
(BNI) in 1798. As such, it fought at Delhi
, Laswari
, Deeg
, and Bharatpur
. For its service under General Lake
during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
, the battalion was granted an honorary colour
. An additional jemadar
was employed on its strength to carry it.
The battalion was separated from the 15th in 1828, to form the 31st BNI. Its first campaign as a regiment was in 1839, in the First Anglo-Afghan War
. The regiment fought at Kalat, a fortress captured on 13 November. Three battle honour
s were awarded during the Second Anglo-Sikh War
, two for the battles of Chillianwala
and Gujarat
.
In the Indian rebellion of 1857
, the regiment did not mutiny
and fought in the Central India Campaign
. Almost the entire Bengal Army
had mutinied and in the ensuing disbandment of its regiments, the 31st became the second most senior. When Queen Victoria became Empress of India in 1876, the regiment became the 2nd (Queen's Own) Regiment of Bengal Native Light Infantry.
The regiment later served in the Second Afghan War
and contributed to the international force that intervened in the Boxer Rebellion
of 1900. Two additional battalions were raised during the First World War
, the 2nd in 1917 and the 3rd in 1918. The regiment served in Egypt
, Mesopotamia, and Afghanistan
.
Reorganisation of the Indian Army in 1922 resulted in its amalgamation with the 4th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 16th Rajputs, to form the 7th Rajput Regiment
. The 2nd Rajputs, upon becoming the 1st Battalion, retained its title, albeit as a subtitle. After India's independence
, the battalion was elevated to "Guard"
status and transferred to the Brigade of the Guards
as its 4th Battalion.
, Laswaree
, Deig
, Bhurtpore
, Khelat. Afghanistan
, Maharajpore
, Punjaub
, Chillianwallah
, Goojerat
, Central India
, Afghanistan 1879-80
, Burma 1885-87, China 1900
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the 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...
, with an origin in 1798 and amalgamated with five other Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
regiments in 1922.
History
The British East India CompanyBritish 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...
raised a 2nd Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
for the 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
Bengal Native Infantry
The Bengal Native Infantry was part of the organisation of the East India Company's Bengal Army before the Indian rebellion of 1857.The infantry regiments underwent frequent changes of numbering during their period of existence...
(BNI) in 1798. As such, it fought at 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...
, Laswari
Laswari
The Battle of Laswari took place on November 1, 1803 and was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.The British, commanded by General Lake were about 10,000 men strong, opposing the Sindhia's Maratha army of 9,000 veteran infantry and 5,000 cavalry...
, Deeg
Deeg
Deeg is a city and a municipality in Bharatpur district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated in the north of Bharatpur at a distance of 32 km, and North of Agra....
, and Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
. For its service under General Lake
Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake
General Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake was a British general. He commanded British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the military in British India.-Background:...
during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
Second Anglo-Maratha War
The Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.-Background:...
, the battalion was granted an honorary colour
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
. An additional jemadar
Jemadar
Jemadar was a rank used in the British Indian Army, where it was the lowest rank for a Viceroy's Commissioned Officer . Jemadars either commanded platoons or troops themselves or assisted their British commander...
was employed on its strength to carry it.
The battalion was separated from the 15th in 1828, to form the 31st BNI. Its first campaign as a regiment was in 1839, in the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
. The regiment fought at Kalat, a fortress captured on 13 November. Three battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s were awarded during the Second Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
, two for the battles of Chillianwala
Battle of Chillianwala
The Battle of Chillianwala was fought during the Second Anglo-Sikh War in the Chillianwala region of Punjab, now part of modern-day Pakistan. The battle was one of the bloodiest fought by the British East India Company. Both armies held their positions at the end of the battle and both sides...
and Gujarat
Battle of Gujarat
The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the British East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the Company's control of the Sikh Kingdom, represented by the child Maharaja Duleep Singh who was in...
.
In the Indian rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, the regiment did not mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
and fought in the Central India Campaign
Central India Campaign (1858)
The Central India Campaign was one of the last series of actions in the Indian rebellion of 1857,...
. Almost the entire Bengal Army
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...
had mutinied and in the ensuing disbandment of its regiments, the 31st became the second most senior. When Queen Victoria became Empress of India in 1876, the regiment became the 2nd (Queen's Own) Regiment of Bengal Native Light Infantry.
The regiment later served in the Second 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...
and contributed to the international force that intervened in the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
of 1900. Two additional battalions were raised during the First World War
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...
, the 2nd in 1917 and the 3rd in 1918. The regiment served in Egypt
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
, Mesopotamia, and Afghanistan
Third Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
.
Reorganisation of the Indian Army in 1922 resulted in its amalgamation with the 4th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 16th Rajputs, to form the 7th Rajput Regiment
7th Rajput Regiment
The 7th Rajput Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army moving away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
. The 2nd Rajputs, upon becoming the 1st Battalion, retained its title, albeit as a subtitle. After India's independence
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, the battalion was elevated to "Guard"
Foot Guards
-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901...
status and transferred to the Brigade of the Guards
Brigade of the Guards
Brigade of The Guards is a regiment of the Indian Army. It is the first "All India" mixed "All Class" Composition Infantry Regiment of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together in various battalions of the Regiment...
as its 4th Battalion.
Notable members of the regiment
- Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa CariappaKodandera Madappa CariappaField Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...
- Field Marshal Sir Henry Wylie NormanHenry Wylie NormanField Marshal Sir Henry Wylie Norman GCB, GCMG, CIE , Field Marshal and colonial Governor.-Early life:He was born 2 December 1826, only son of James Norman, merchant, and his wife Charlotte, née Wylie....
- Major-General Corrie Hudson
Battle honours
Delhi 1803Battle of Delhi
The Battle of Delhi took place on 11 September 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, between British troops under General Lake, and Marathas of Scindia's army under French General Louis Bourquin...
, Laswaree
Laswari
The Battle of Laswari took place on November 1, 1803 and was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.The British, commanded by General Lake were about 10,000 men strong, opposing the Sindhia's Maratha army of 9,000 veteran infantry and 5,000 cavalry...
, Deig
Deeg
Deeg is a city and a municipality in Bharatpur district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated in the north of Bharatpur at a distance of 32 km, and North of Agra....
, Bhurtpore
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
, Khelat. Afghanistan
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
, Maharajpore
Maharajpur, Madhya Pradesh
Maharajpur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Chhatarpur district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Betel leaf cultivation is one of the major source of revenue.-Geography:...
, Punjaub
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, Chillianwallah
Battle of Chillianwala
The Battle of Chillianwala was fought during the Second Anglo-Sikh War in the Chillianwala region of Punjab, now part of modern-day Pakistan. The battle was one of the bloodiest fought by the British East India Company. Both armies held their positions at the end of the battle and both sides...
, Goojerat
Battle of Gujarat
The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the British East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the Company's control of the Sikh Kingdom, represented by the child Maharaja Duleep Singh who was in...
, Central India
Central India Campaign (1858)
The Central India Campaign was one of the last series of actions in the Indian rebellion of 1857,...
, Afghanistan 1879-80
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...
, Burma 1885-87, China 1900
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...