The 48th Pioneers were an infantry regiment 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...

. They could trace their origins to 1901, when they were raised as the 48th (Pioneers) Bengal Infantry.

During World War I the regiment was part of 6th (Poona) Division

6th (Poona) Division

For the World War II formation see 6th Infantry Division The 6th Division was a division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army.-World War I:...

 and was captured in its entirety at the Siege of Kut

Siege of Kut

The siege of Kut Al Amara , was the besieging of 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. Its known also as 1st Battle of Kut. In 1915, its population was around 6,500...

. A 2/48th Pioneers was reformed in Mesopotamia in May 1916, renumbered 48th Pioneers in June, and attached to 15th Indian Division

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1921, the 48th Pioneers now became the 4th Battalion, 2nd Bombay Pioneers

2nd Bombay Pioneers

The 2nd Bombay Pioneers were a regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1922, when the Indian army moved from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...

.