The 4th Bombay Grenadiers were an infantry regiment of the pre-independence 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...

, formed on 1 March 1922 as part of the reforms of the Indian Army that took place after the end of the First World War. Following this, the Regiment spent the next fifteen years serving in British Somaliland

British Somaliland

British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...

 in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, and on the North-West Frontier

North-West Frontier (military history)

The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...

. The 3rd, 4th and 5th Battalions were all disbanded and the 10th Battalion amalgamated with the 10th Battalion, Jat Regiment

Jat Regiment

The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army and is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours, Two Ashok Chakras, eight Mahavir Chakras, eight Kirti...

 to form a Combined Training Centre at 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...

. Following the Second World War they were one of the regiments allocated to the new Indian Army

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

 and renamed the The Grenadiers

The Grenadiers

The Grenadiers are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two world wars and also since the Independence of India...

The regiment consisted of six battalions, all former regiments themselves. These were:

• 1st Battalion - Formerly the 101st Grenadiers
  101st Grenadiers
  -The beginning:The Regiment was first formed in 1778 after 6 grenadier companies were combined to form a composite battalion. The Regiment took part in the First Mahratta War against the Mahratta Empire and fought in a number of engagements against them, including the Battle of Talegoan where they...
  
  .
• 2nd Battalion - Formerly the 102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers
• 3rd Battalion - Formerly the 108th Infantry
  108th Infantry
  The 108th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1768, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion, Bombay Sepoys....
  
  
• 4th Battalion - Formerly the 109th Infantry
  109th Infantry
  The 109th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to 1768, when it was raised as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys.The regiment's first action was during the Mysore Campaign in the Third Anglo-Mysore War...
  
  
• 5th Battalion - Formerly the 112th Infantry
  112th Infantry
  The 112th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1796, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
  
  
• 10th (Training) Battalion - Formerly the 113th Infantry
  113th Infantry
  The 113th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
  
  

Second World War

At the beginning of the Second World War there were only two battalions of the Regiment, the 1st and 2nd. This was soon changed, though, as a number of battalions were raised for wartime service, including: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 14th, 25th, 26th and 27th Battalions. The 10th (Training Battalion) was also de linked from the Jat Regiment. Some of these battalions were to be garrison or rear area troops only, while others went on to serve with distinction in a number of theatres during the war including the Middle East and Burma, notably during the Arakan campaigns and at Kohima

Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...

.

The 4th Grenadiers formed the motorised infantry element of the Indian Armoured and Tank brigades, distinguishing themselves as 'tank escort' infantry protecting tanks against sniper attack in jungle conditions:

• 1/4th Battalion, 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade
  252nd Indian Armoured Brigade
  The 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II.It was formed as the 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade in September 1939, and then when mechanized renamed the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade in February 1940, and finally the 252nd in January 1942, when it was...
  
  , 31st Indian Armoured Division
  31st Indian Armoured Division
  The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, as 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army...
  
  
• 2/4th Battalion, 50th Indian Tank Brigade
  50th Indian Tank Brigade
  The 50th Indian Tank Brigade was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed for service in the Burma Campaign of World War II from units of the British Army and the British Indian Army...
  
  
• 3/4th Battalion, 254th Indian Tank Brigade
  254th Indian Tank Brigade
  The 254th Indian Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade of the Indian Army during World War II, it was part of the Fourteenth Army and saw action in the Burma Campaign...
  
  
• 4/4th Battalion, 255th Indian Tank Brigade
  255th Indian Tank Brigade
  The 255th Indian Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade of the Indian Army during World War II. It was part of the Fourteenth Army and saw action in the Burma Campaign...