The Daily Telegraph
WAR BOOKS
FAMOUS FIGHTS OF INDIAN
NATIVE REGIMENTS
[Illustration: WITH THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. 1914.]
FAMOUS FIGHTS OF
INDIAN NATIVE
REGIMENTS
_By_
REGINALD HODDER
_Author of "British Regiments at the Front," Etc._
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
MCMXIV
The Author wishes to express his indebtedness to Mr. J. NORVILL for his
valuable assistance and suggestions.
THE PADISHA'S WORDS
"_I look to all my Indian soldiers to uphold the Izzat of the British
Raj against an aggressive and relentless enemy._
"_I know with what readiness my brave and loyal Indian soldiers are
prepared to fulfil this sacred trust on the field of battle shoulder to
shoulder with their comrades from all parts of the Empire. Rest assured
that you will always be in my thoughts and prayers._
"_I bid you to go forward and add fresh lustre to the glorious
achievements and noble traditions of courage and chivalry of my Indian
Army, whose honour and fame are in your hands._"
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION xi
A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIAN ARMY 1
THE SIKHS 9
THE RAJPUTS 19
THE MAHRATTAS 25
THE GURKHAS 42
THE DOGRAS 69
THE BALUCHIS 73
THE BATTLES OF THE GOLDEN DAGON PAGODA 81
BHURTPORE 100
THE WAR IN SCINDE 104
THE FIRST SIKH WAR 109
ALIWAL AND SOBRAON 116
THE STORMING OF THE TAKU FORTS 131
THE THIRD AFGHAN WAR 134
TEL-EL-KEBIR AND KASSASSIN 139
BATTLES AROUND SUAKIN 143
THE FRONTIER FIGHTING OF 1886 149
THE RELIEF OF CHITRAL 154
BATTLE OF DARGAI 159
A LIST OF INDIAN NATIVE REGIMENTS 162
ORDER OF THE DAY.--No. 1.
SOLDIERS OF THE INDIAN ARMY CORPS,
We have all read with pride the gracious message of his Majesty the
King-Emperor to his troops from India.
On the eve of going into the field to join our British comrades,
who have covered themselves with glory in this great war, it is our
firm resolve to prove ourselves worthy of the honour which has been
conferred on us as representatives of the Army of India.
In a few days we shall be fighting as has never been our good fortune
to fight before, and against enemies who have a long history.
But is their history as long as yours? You are the descendants of men
who have been mighty rulers and great warriors for many centuries. You
will never forget this. You will recall the glories of your race. Hindu
and Mahomedan will be fighting side by side with British soldiers and
our gallant French Allies. You will be helping to make history. You
will be the first Indian soldiers of the King-Emperor who will have
the honour of showing in Europe that the sons of India have lost none
of their ancient martial instincts and are worthy of the confidence
reposed in them.
In battle you will remember that your religions enjoin on you that to
give your life doing your duty is your highest reward.
The eyes of your co-religionists and your fellow-countrymen are on you.
From the Himalayan Mountains, the banks of the Ganges and Indus, and
the plains of Hindustan, they are eagerly waiting for the news of how
their brethren conduct themselves when they meet the foe. From mosques
and temples their prayers are ascending to the God of all, and you will
answer their hopes by the proofs of your valour.
You will fight for your King-Emperor and your faith, so that history
will record the doings of India's sons and your children will proudly
tell of the deeds of their fathers.
JAMES WILLCOCKS,
_Lieut.-General_
_Commg. Indian Army Corps_.
CAMP, Oct. 10th, 1914.
INTRODUCTION
Our native army in India is principally composed of Sikhs, Pathans,
Punjabi Mussalmans, and Gurkhas. Each of these races has acquired in
its own way a high reputation for valour and martial skill, and it need
not be doubted that the men drawn from these sources in the East to
confront a relentless foe in the West are absolutely reliable.
Quite a third of the Indian Army is composed of Sikhs. They are not
exactly a race, but are a military and religious caste, the only modern
importation into their religion being a savour of socialism. The Sikh
sect dates from the fifteenth century, when Baba Nanak raised them, so
to speak, from the indiscriminate mass, to governing positions in the
Punjab. This was partly owing to their strong religious sentiment, but
principally to their military capabilities. In course of time, they
came to dominate the whole of Northern India, and reached the height
of their power under the Maharajah Runjit Singh (1780-1839). The
Sikh wars of 1845-6 and 1848-9 are a matter of history. In these both
British and Sikhs fought with the utmost gallantry. But, since 1849,
the brave Sikhs have been loyal British subjects, and have fought on
our side not only in the Indian Mutiny, but in Abyssinia, Afghanistan,
China, Burma, Somaliland, and Tibet. At the present time, the Indian
Army includes thirteen Sikh battalions, and there are one or more Sikh
squadrons in each of the cavalry regiments, as well as a company or two
in each of the infantry battalions.
The Khalsa Sikh is the beau-ideal of everything high and noble in the
Sikh race. Stirred by the depths of his own religion, he fought and
conquered at its behest. And to him is owing the high reputation and
romantic popularity of an honoured name. The Khalsa Sikh is derived
from many different castes, but principally from the Jats of the
Punjab, whose character has responded to, and whose development has
been moulded by, the self-reliant, warlike, and manly teachings of
their ideal lawgiver and hero, Govid Singh, from whom their name is
derived--the word Sikh being originally Singh.
It is to the Jat element that the Sikh owes his most lofty
characteristics. Thus the Jat Sikh respects himself wisely. His racial
pride is based on the knowledge that he is justly, and without doubt,
the flower of India. With him, as with all others who undertake great
deeds in the present, the natural stimulus to such deeds is the
stirring song of heroic achievements in the past.
The Pathans emanate from the Afghan race, and inhabit the hills of
the north-west frontier of India. While many of the clans are Shiahs,
the majority are orthodox Mussalmans. These Pathans, who frequently
figure in novels dealing with Indian life, are, in their way, romantic
figures. They are not only tall, handsome, and striking in appearance,
but they have also a very independent character, obeying discipline
for discipline's sake, and their officers for love of them. It is very
strange that their facial characteristics are decidedly Jewish in type.
It may be asked why there are only Company regiments, and no Class
regiments of the Pathans. The reason is that, while they do not possess
all the qualities which make for the complete efficiency of the Class
regiment, they have unusual merits which are a very desirable leaven to
almost any body of fighting men. They are certainly an admirable factor
in combination with Sikhs and Punjabi Mussalmans.
The Punjabi Mussalmans were the original inhabitants of the Punjab, and
their strong characteristics are still uppermost in that province. By
race they are both Rajput and Jat, but their clans are many. From their
wealthy families are recruited many fine cavalry regiments. They have
a particular leaning towards mountain cavalry work, and this tendency
has been fostered by the Government. Taking them all round, they are
most efficient and courageous soldiers, and their attachment to their
officers is proverbial.
As to the Gurkha, he needs but slight introduction. He is, so to speak,
the "Little Benjamin" of the force from India, and excites great
interest by his high courage and remarkable skill.
When the Gurkhas were told that they were wanted to fight in the great
war they asked, "Shall we all be killed?"; and the officer said, "Not
all." They inquired, "Shall a great many be killed?" He replied,
"Possibly." Then they asked, "Will a hundred come back?" "Perhaps so."
"That will be enough," they said; "our people will know that we have
fought well."
The Gurkha's skill with his _kukri_ is so remarkable as to appear
absolutely unerring. Given a human mark--let us say in the shape of a
German--he can take off his nose or ear, or pierce his eye with deadly
precision. No knife-thrower in the world can so accurately and closely
fence in a man standing against a wall as can a Gurkha with some twenty
knives--without drawing a drop of blood. A soldier writing from the
front concludes his mention of these terrible little men with the
passage: "God help the Germans these men come across, for nobody else
can. Death to them is a pastime." Yet, though the art of throwing the
_kukri_ is perfection itself among the Gurkhas, it must not be supposed
that they make a practice of throwing it at the enemy. They would not
run the risk of losing the beloved weapon for the sake of killing _one_
German.
The well-known fighting races inhabiting the Punjab, such as the
Sikhs and Pathans, are supplemented by a considerable number of
smaller fighting castes. All these are either of Rajput, Jat, or
Tartar descent; but, being mostly Mahomedans, they are prone to claim
Moghul or Arab origin. Though not very distinct from some of the more
unwarlike Punjab castes, they have, at some period of their history,
displayed enough valour to acquire the ascendancy over neighbouring
districts, and the memory of this has given them that pride of blood
and race and that spirit of self-reliance which so largely constitute
the martial instinct. The smaller Mahomedan fighting tribes of the
Punjab are often grouped together under the generic term "Punjabi
Mahomedan."
The most important, from a military point of view, are the _Ghakkars_,
who make excellent soldiers. They are fine men, fierce, proud, and
high-spirited.
_Awans_ and _Sials_.--These were at first soldiers, and latterly
agriculturists. During the Mutiny the Sial chief remained loyal, and
rendered active assistance by raising a small body of cavalry from his
tribe for Imperial use.
The Kharrals are also a well-built, hardy tribe, possessing the martial
instinct in a high degree. The Bhattis and the Khokars are also among
the warriors of India.
[NOTE.--The warriors of India have a score to settle with the
Germans. It is a private matter not to be mentioned in the same
breath with the whole-hearted loyalty of the Indian troops, but at
the same time it will lend a keener edge to every _kukri_, a more
formidable point to every lance and bayonet, a more deadly aim to
every bullet. What rankles justly in the Indian's breast in this.
During the Boxer Insurrection of 1900 the Germans treated the brave
Indian troops fighting by their side as if they had been the dirt
of the earth. Our noble Indians, whose traditions were clothed
in glory long before the Germans knew proper clothing of any
kind, have not forgotten this. For fourteen years they, too, have
been looking forward to "the day." And now it has come. "For the
Padisha and the Right!"--if one could read their thoughts--"and,
incidentally, a squaring of accounts!"]
A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIAN ARMY
COMMANDS.--A Command is one of the principal administrative
portions into which the Army of India is divided. There are four
such Commands--the Punjab, Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. Each Command
is presided over by a Lieut.-General, and is further divided into
first and second class districts, commanded by Major-Generals and
Brigadier-Generals respectively. The principal executive authority is
vested in the Commander-in-Chief in India, subject to the control of
the Governor-General, who is, by law, the supreme head of the Army.
NATIVE CAVALRY.--A regiment of native cavalry, with the exception of
the Guides and the Lancers of the Hyderabad Contingent, consists of
four squadrons. The strength varies slightly, but is usually eight
British officers, one medical officer, seventeen native officers, and
608 noncommissioned officers and men.
The native cavalry, with the exception of the Body-Guards and the
three regiments of Madras Lancers (now the 26th King George's Own
Light Infantry, the 27th Light Cavalry and the 28th Light Cavalry),
is organised on what is called the Silladar System, _i.e._, the
horses, saddlery, clothing, equipment and war arms (except carbines
and revolvers) are the private property of the regiment, and are
provided for by funds to which all ranks pay donations on joining, with
monthly subscriptions throughout their entire service. This system is
characteristic of their dignity and standing. The original donation, or
_assami_, is returned on a man being pensioned or discharged. A baggage
mule or pony, and a driver who acts as grass-cutter, are maintained
by every pair of fighting men. Two Sowars, mounted on fast-trotting
camels, are attached to each squadron for the rapid conveyance of
orders over long distances. The native cavalry is armed with sword and
carbine. Lancers carry their own special weapon in addition. All corps
are trained in the use of the lance, which in some regiments is carried
by the front-rank men.
THE RANKS.--The native ranks and their respective duties are as
follow:--
_Risaldar-Major._--The chief native officer of the regiment. The
badge of his rank is a crown worn on each shoulder-strap. He
commands a half-squadron, and is the confidential adviser of the
Commandant in all matters relating to the native ranks.
_Risaldar and Ressaidar._--Half-squadron commanders. The badge of
the former is three stars; of the latter, two stars, worn on each
shoulder-strap.
_Woordie-Major._--Native adjutant. He is generally a Ressaidar.
_Kot Dafadār._--The senior non-commissioned officer of the regiment.
_Dafadār._--Sergeant.
_Solutri._--Veterinary subordinate.
_Sowar._--Trooper.
NATIVE ARTILLERY.--A native mountain battery has an establishment of
five British officers, three native officers, and 253 non-commissioned
officers and men. The armament consists of six 2.5 in. R.M.L. guns,
carried on mules.
The only native field batteries now maintained are those of the
Hyderabad Contingent. Each battery consists of two British officials,
two native officers, and 128 non-commissioned officers and men. The
armament consists of two six-pounder S.B. guns and two twelve-pounder
howitzers.
NATIVE INFANTRY.--A single battalion of native infantry is organised in
four double companies, and has a complement of nearly twenty British
officers, one medical officer, sixteen native officers, and eighty
non-commissioned officers. The strength of the rank and file varies
from 800 in the Punjab and Bengal to 720 in Madras and Bombay. To
facilitate transfers in war time, the infantry, with a few exceptions,
is organised into groups of two or three linked battalions, having a
common regimental centre. Each battalion has a reserve, varying in
strength from 218 to 160 men.
Native ranks and duties are:--
_Subadār-Major._--Principal native officer of the battalion and
confidential adviser of the Commanding Officer on all matters
relating to the native ranks. He also commands a company.
_Subadār._--Company commander.
_Jemadār._--Subaltern.
_Havildār-Major._--Sergeant-major.
_Quarter-Master-Havildār._--Quarter-master-sergeant.
_Havildār._--Sergeant.
_Naick._--Corporal.
_Sepoy._--Private.
RECRUITING.--For recruiting purposes, India is divided into districts,
each in charge of an officer, who recruits only for some particular
race. All recruiting parties detached from regiments work under his
orders, and all candidates for enlistment are brought to him for
approval after undergoing medical examination. The number of applicants
for service, especially for the Silladar Cavalry, is often in excess
of the number of vacancies available. Recruits must be from sixteen
to twenty-five years of age. There is a comparative scale of chest
measurement to height, the minimum in each case being 33 in. and 5 feet
6 in. Special standards are allowed for Gurkhas, Dogras, and Mazhbi
Sikhs. A native soldier enlists for three years. At the end of that
time he may either claim his discharge or prolong his service up to
twenty years, when he becomes entitled to a pension. All enlistments
are for general service, with liability to serve wherever required.
RACIAL COMPOSITION.--Regiments of native cavalry and battalions of
infantry are organised on the class system. They may be composed
entirely of one class, when they are called "Class" regiments, or
they may be recruited from three or four classes, kept apart in
separate companies, when they are styled "Class Company" regiments.
For instance, the 14th Sikhs, composed of eight companies of Sikhs,
would be an example of the former, while the 30th Punjab Infantry,
composed of four companies of Sikhs, two of Dogras, and two of Punjabi
Mussalmans, would serve as an example of the latter.
FORAGE AND RATIONS.--The native soldier pays for his own food and, in
the Silladar Cavalry, also for the upkeep of his horse. A regimental
bazaar is attached to each corps, from which the men purchase their
rations. When the cost of the daily ration exceeds Rs. 3.8.0 per month,
compensation is granted by the Government for the difference. On field
service the native soldier draws free rations, and in addition to his
ordinary pay is granted a special monthly allowance.
QUARTERS.--The quarters of native troops, except in Burma and on the
North-west Frontier, are ranges of huts, called lines, which have to
be built and kept in order by the corps temporarily occupying them. To
defray the cost of repairs, the Government makes an allowance, which is
paid monthly.
EDUCATION.--Each regiment and battalion has a school, at which
attendance is voluntary. Sepoys are required to pass an easy
examination in reading, writing, arithmetic and drill before promoted
to non-commissioned rank.
BANDS.--These are maintained by infantry, but not by cavalry. All
Gurkha battalions and many corps in which Pathans are enlisted have
pipers as well as bandsmen, buglers and drummers. The pipers make
their own pipes, in imitation of the Scottish bagpipes, and acquire
considerable efficiency under the instruction of Highland bandmasters.
FURLOUGH AND LEAVE.--The popularity of service in the native army is
largely due to the liberal manner in which furlough and leave are
granted.
DRESS.--The dress of the native army is picturesque and distinctive.
Kilmarnock caps are worn by the Gurkhas and Garhwalis, otherwise
the universal headdress is the turban or pugri. In the Silladar
Cavalry all uniforms are provided under regimental arrangements. In
the other regiments clothing is issued by the clothing factories at
Calcutta and Madras, but the khaki uniform, and all necessaries, such
as great-coats, boots, pugris, haversacks, water-bottles, bedding,
cooking-pots, etc., are purchased or manufactured regimentally, and may
be had from the quarter-master at fixed prices.
* * * * *
Most of our native Indian soldiers are either peasant proprietors
or cultivators, and on retirement from service return to their
former employment. Some, however, accept minor posts with the civil
administration, such as those of caretakers or messengers.
The Indian soldier is generally excellent in sports and athletics.
The skill of the Sowar in tent-pegging, lime-cutting, and his daring
feats of horsemanship are well known. In the infantry, wrestling is a
favourite amusement, and certain classes, more especially Gurkhas, are
keen sportsmen in the all-round sense of the word.
The military and agricultural classes of India are seen at their best
in the native army. Enthusiastic in his profession, endued with great
pride of race and considerable spirit, the native soldier feels that
there is a _camaraderie_ and a community of interests between himself
and his British officers which are wholly lacking in his relations
with civil officials. Daily intercourse in the lines, and in various
games and sports, affords opportunities for mutual acquaintance, and
enables British officers to acquire that personal influence over their
men which has been so largely responsible for the brilliant results
achieved by most of our great men of India.
THE SIKHS
There are three great classes of Sikhs: the Sikh by race, the Sikh
by religious sect, and the Sikh by political conviction. They are,
however, divided tribally as follows:--
The Jat Sikhs,
The Khattri Sikhs,
The Kamboh Sikhs,
The Lobana Sikhs,
The Sikh Chuhras or Mazhbis,
The Sikh Tarkhans,
The Kalal Sikhs.
THE JAT SIKHS.--Our Jat recruits are drawn from the Eastern Jats, a
race of hardy husbandmen. They are, so to speak, a clan of Indian
agricultural peasantry. They came originally from the highlands of
Scythia. These men possess the necessary instincts of the soldier, and
their history has been marked by stern, hard fighting.
THE KHATTRI SIKHS.--These are the merchant caste of the Punjabis.
THE KAMBOH SIKHS.--These make excellent soldiers, being of very fine
physique and possessing great courage. They have always been noted
for their cunning strategy, which now, being far less "slim" than in
former times, has developed into the permissible strategy of war.
THE LOBANA SIKHS.--These are the social equals of the Jats.
THE SIKH CHUHRAS or MAZHBIS.--The term "Mazhbis" has now come to be
applied to all Chuhras who have adopted Sikhism as their religion.
The true Mazhbis are descendants of certain Chuhras, who rescued in
a heroic fashion the body of Gurai Teg Bahadur from the Mahomedans,
thus saving it from being dishonoured. In return for this, Gurai's
son, Govind Singh, bestowed upon them the title of "Mazhbis Rangreeta"
("Chosen Brave"), and invited them into the fold of Sikhism. Therefore
the name Mazhbis belongs properly to the descendants of these
particular Chuhras' families. Inspired as they are by the glorious
history and traditions of Khalsa, these men make excellent soldiers.
SIKH TARKHANS.--Tarkhans are carpenters by caste and profession. They
are intelligent and industrious men, of whom about 20 per cent. are
Sikhs by religion, the rest being Hindu or Mahomedan. Sikh Tarkhans, if
carefully recruited, could supply a fair number of good soldiers.
KALAL SIKHS.--The Kalals are by caste and profession distillers and
wine merchants on a small scale. Twenty-five per cent. of these have
now embraced Sikhism, the rest being Hindu or Mahomedan; the Hindus
being about 50 per cent. of the whole, and the Mahomedans about 25 per
cent. Sikh Kalals are often styled Alhuwalias, from the fact that the
famous and important Alhuwalia Misb was founded by the Kalal convert to
Sikhism. The Chiefs of Kapurthala have always been Kalals by descent,
and, since the rise of the Sikh Kalals to political prominence, they
have largely given up their original profession to take to the more
respectable avocations of merchandise and agriculture. The Kalals have
a reputation for "enterprise, mercy and obstinacy"; and the Sikh Kalals
make good soldiers, being of good physique and great hardihood.
The stately, manly Sikh has a character all his own. He has the manly
virtues of honesty, industry, and tenacity well developed. He is
independent, patient, and full of methodical, laborious energy; and, of
all the Sikh tribes of whom this description is more or less true, the
Jat may be particularly mentioned.
The Sikh race is drawn from the Punjab tribes, such as the Jat and
Khattri, who from time immemorial have been renowned for their sturdy
grit and independence. It may perhaps be said that the Jat-Sikh
combines especially the best qualities of the Pathan races with those
of the Sikh tribes.
All the Punjab races are, as a rule, impatient of control, but the Jat
is particularly so, exercising in his impatience a fine quality of
individual freedom. This, together with the fact that he is neither
truculent nor turbulent, provides him with one of the finest qualities
of a well-disciplined soldier, in contradistinction to the machine-made
soldier. Well understood, he can be, and has been, well managed.
Encouraged to continue in his own peaceful agricultural ways, he is
reasonable and contented in doing his work; but if he is roused by what
he considers unjust aggression, or any unsolicited interference, he is
a dangerous man to deal with.
These salient characteristics of the Jat, combined with other qualities
cultivated by British rule and example, have tinctured practically the
whole Sikh race.
Respect of self and pride of race have now improved from the Sikh
character the early intolerance and ungovernable spirit emanating from
the Jats. Even the Sikh religion, as taught by its founder Nanak, has
modified the hard-and-fast prejudices of the Hindu on the one hand, and
on the other has eliminated the baser rancour and fanaticism of the
more exoteric Mahomedanism.
The Sikh of to-day is a level-headed, sober-minded, tolerant man,
keenly alive to practical issues. And from this may be judged his
valour as a soldier. In the thick of battle the Sikh is cool and
resolute. He is possessed of grim determination and tenacity. Just as
in any emergency of social life he will keep his head with admirable
self-restraint, so in the clash of battle he can be relied upon to
do the right thing at the right moment in the right way. While not
possessing quite so much _élan_ as some other tribes, he more than
compensates for that lack by his immunity from any tendency to panic.
The high-class Sikh may always be known by his stately bearing and
lofty courtesy. His every movement is graceful, and the general
impression one would get on the approach of a real Sikh is simply this:
"Here comes one who is a prince in his own country." This dignity
of bearing extends even to the lower classes, especially among our
Sepoys, who carry themselves with an easy elegance, much of which is
attributable to their splendid physique and the due consciousness of it.
It is not too much to say that of all the fine races of the East there
is no type of man superior to the Sikh. In innate breeding he can
tread the razor-edge between independence and insolence, between firm
resolution and unreasoning obstinacy, between the present value of
tradition and the dead husk of the glorified past. In his respect of
himself he commands respect from others, and, combining the essential
instinct of the soldier with the acquired love of practical ideals
he can see with a single eye what the doubleheaded vulture of Prussia
cannot see with four.
Constant fighting and an iron discipline had kept the Sikhs in order
during the lifetime of Ranjit Singh, but after his death the army
became unmanageable.
The history of the Sikh War is too well known to need more than passing
reference. The troops of the Khalsa were defeated after a series of
hard-fought battles, in which they showed soldierly qualities of the
highest order. In the decade which followed the conquest of the Punjab,
the British Government, impressed with the fighting capacity of their
former opponents, determined to employ them as soldiers in their own
army.
On the outbreak of the Mutiny, which from the first was identified
with the restoration of the Moghul power, there was an immense
revival of Sikhism. Hundreds of Sikhs who had turned their swords
into ploughshares flocked to Lahore, and eagerly took service in the
regiments there being raised by Lord Lawrence. All were filled with
an intense longing to range themselves on the side of justice and
right. All were anxious to assist in the capture of Delhi--a city
associated in their minds with the heroic struggles and reverses of
their forefathers. The spirit of the Khalsa, which had suffered greatly
by the defeats on the Sutlej, was aroused at the thought of a conflict
between Sikhism and Islam--a conflict the memory of which is now not
only nobly forgotten, but to be blotted out for ever by heroism and
sacrifice; for both Sikh and Mahomedan of India have joined hands
in common cause against the enemy of all human progress. Both have
espoused our cause with a devotion and loyalty which is almost without
parallel in history.
THE SIKH REGIMENTS, WITH THEIR BATTLE HONOURS
_Cavalry_
The following regiments contain squadrons of Sikhs:--
2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse).
3rd Skinner's Horse.
4th Cavalry.
6th King Edward's Own Cavalry.
7th Hariana Lancers.
9th Hodson's Horse.
10th Duke of Cambridge's Own Lancers (Hodson's Horse).
11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse).
12th Cavalry.
13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers.
16th Cavalry.
18th King George's Own Lancers.
19th Lancers (Fane's Horse).
20th Deccan Horse.
21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier
Force) (Daly's Horse).
22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force).
23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force).
25th Cavalry (Frontier Force).
29th Lancers (Deccan Horse).
30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse).
31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers.
32nd Lancers.
33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry.
36th Jacob's Horse.
37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).
38th King George's Own Central India Horse.
39th King George's Own Central India Horse.
_Infantry_
The following regiments are composed exclusively of Sikhs:--
14TH KING GEORGE'S OWN FEROZEPORE SIKHS. Raised July 30th, 1846.
Consists of 8 companies of Sikhs.
BADGES.--The Plume of the Prince of Wales. The Royal and Imperial
Cypher.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Lucknow," "Ali Masjid," "Afghanistan 1878/79,"
"Defence of Chitral," "China 1900."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
15TH LUDHIANA SIKHS. Raised 1846.
Consists of 8 companies of Sikhs.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"China 1860/62," "Ahmad Khel," "Kandahar 1880,"
"Afghanistan 1878/80," "Suakim 1885," "Tofrek," "Chitral," "Punjab
Frontier," "Tirah."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _emerald green_.
23RD SIKH PIONEERS. Raised 1857.
Consists of 8 companies of Mazhbi Sikhs.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Taku Forts," "Pekin," "Abyssinia," "Peiwar Kotal,"
"Charasiah," "Kabul 1879," "Kandahar 1880," "Afghanistan 1878/80,"
"Chitral."
UNIFORM.--_Drab_, facings _chocolate_.
32ND SIKH PIONEERS. Raised 1857.
Consists of 8 companies of Mazhbi Sikhs.
MOTTO.--"_Aut viam inveniam aut faciam._"
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi," "Lucknow," "Afghanistan 1878/80," "Chitral."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.
34TH SIKH PIONEERS. Raised 1887.
Consists of 8 companies of Mazhbi Sikhs.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Chitral," "Punjab Frontier," "China 1900."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.
35TH SIKHS. Raised 1798, disbanded 1882, reformed 1887.
Consists of 8 companies of Sikhs.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Punjab Frontier," "Malakand."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
36TH SIKHS. Raised 1858, disbanded 1882, reformed 1887.
Consists of 8 companies of Sikhs.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Punjab Frontier," "Samara," "Tirah."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
47TH SIKHS. Raised 1901.
Consists of 8 companies of Sikhs.
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
The 48th Pioneers, 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force), 52nd Sikhs (Frontier
Force), 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force), and 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)
are Sikh regiments with other tribes intermixed.
THE RAJPUTS
The chief characteristic of the Rajput is his pride of blood.
Representing as he does the higher military castes of India, his one
ambition has always been to wield a sword, and wield it well. For ages
in the past the Rajput maintained his supremacy in one or another part
of India. Claiming descent from the sun and the moon, and later from
those two heroes of the Mahabharata--Rama and Krishna--the Rajput
maintains that his ancient and noble blood has flowed in the veins of
kings from times more remote than any other history can record. That
old but immortal legend of the Bhagavad Gîta, in which Prince Arjuna
held a discourse with Krishna, the supreme Deity, in his war-chariot,
drawn up between the opposing forces of Kauravas and Pandavas, is
regarded by the Rajput as peculiarly his own. It is not to be wondered
at, then, that, possessing from time immemorial this lofty poem, so
sublime in its aspiration, so pure and tender in its piety, the Rajput
has always been a man of high and noble sentiment and lofty ideals. He
is, as the literal rendering of his name implies, the "Rajah's son,"
and in war has always displayed most noble and fearless qualities.
It cannot be said that the Rajput is content to shine in the reflected
glory of the past. In ancient times he devoted his life to making
epic history, and in these days this serves him for an ever-present
tradition from which he will draw the necessary material to add another
volume to that history. Let him dream of the past achievements of his
race, his ancient glory in war; let him sing the songs that he has
made, and shake off the sloth of peace, and so rush into battle; for
out of such dreams and stirring songs springs all human greatness.
There is no questioning the bravery and stamina of the Rajput. Under
a good commander who knows how to appeal to him, the Rajput will face
death in any grim form. He has a spirit so fierce and dauntless that
naturally it is tinctured with the changing tides of strong emotion,
which at times may have its drawbacks; but he is, even more than the
Gurkha, a soldier fit for a special task; indeed, his dash and heroism
are so remarkable that even the Gurkha will sometimes claim to be
directly descended from the Rajput.
There is no history to record of the Rajput as a race, for each Rajput
state and clan--and there are a large number of them--has its own
history. Roughly, they may be described as more or less pure-blooded,
modern Hindu (Brahminical) representatives of the early Aryan emigrants
into India.
... "The mild Hindu
Of far-off Rajputana,
(Who) smiles to think how very few
Will ever reach Nirvana,"
is not the Rajput. It is a mistake to suppose that the Rajputs are
the inhabitants of the province bearing their name. They form but a
small part of the population of that province, nor are they by any
means restricted to it, being found in large numbers from the Indus
to Benares. A large section of the Rajputs of the Punjab, having
been converted to Mahomedanism, have thereby lost their distinctive
character of Rajputs, who, retaining the religion of their forefathers,
are essentially Hindu. And among them are seers and philosophers of the
highest degree--men whose feet Nietzsche and Treitschke are not worthy
to kiss. And in the Rajput's championship of the higher things he is
instinct with the wisdom of India, who sends him westward; India, who
through the mouth of her sublimest poet says, from a platform undreamed
of by the Teutonic philosopher,
"Near to renunciation--very near--
Dwelleth eternal peace."
Each separate Rajput clan has its own peculiar customs and rites, while
holding the general customs and rites in common with the whole Rajput
race. This peculiarity is strongly marked by the fact that the same
clan living in different countries has, in addition to its own general
clan rights, others which seem to have been born out of its separate
environment. The Rajput in Rajputana invariably marries out of his
own clan, but if he allows his daughter to marry into a lower clan he
suffers in social position. A Rajput may legally marry more than one
wife, and he is permitted by his social and moral code certain things
which some other codes condemn.
In the process of recruiting among Rajputs it is a simple matter to
tell the real from the false by the following points. A true Rajput
will eat with his illegitimate children, but not out of the same dish;
he will allow his natural son to smoke his hookah, but only provided
he draws the smoke through his closed hand. He will eat food prepared
and cooked by the natural children of any Rajput, but he will not eat
_with_ them, nor under any conditions allow them to smoke his hookah.
The Rajput woman is noted for her bravery and high ideal of honour.
Woe betide the husband or brother who has not all his wounds in
front. There are many tales of Rajput women snatching a dagger from
their waistband and plunging it into their hearts rather than suffer
dishonour. There are even stories current as to their fighting ability,
telling how on occasion they have fought valiantly in the field, and
even led troops to victory.
THE RAJPUT REGIMENTS, WITH THEIR BATTLE HONOURS
2ND QUEEN VICTORIA'S OWN RAJPUT LIGHT INFANTRY.
BADGE.--The Royal and Imperial Cypher of Queen Victoria within the
Garter.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi 1803," "Leswarree," "Deig," "Bhurtpore,"
"Khelat," "Afghanistan," "Maharajpore," "Punjab," "Chillianwallah,"
"Goojerat," "Central India," "Afghanistan 1879/80," "Burma 1885/87,"
"China 1900."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.
4TH PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR'S RAJPUTS.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Leswarree," "Bhurtpore," "Kabul 1842," "Ferozeshah,"
"Sobraon," "Afghanistan 1879/80," "Burma 1885/87."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _black_.
7TH DUKE OF CONNAUGHT'S OWN RAJPUTS.
BADGE.--The Duke of Connaught's Crest and Cypher.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Moodkee," "Ferozeshah," "Aliwal," "Sobraon," "China
1858/59," "Egypt 1882," "Tel-el-Kebir," "Pekin 1900."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
8TH RAJPUTS.
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Sobraon," "Afghanistan 1879/80."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _yellow_.
13TH RAJPUTS. (The Shekhawati Regiment.)
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Aliwal," "Afghanistan 1879/80," "Chitral."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.
16TH RAJPUTS. (The Lucknow Regiment.)
BATTLE HONOURS.--"Lucknow" (with a Turreted Gateway), "Afghanistan
1879/80," "Burma 1885/87."
UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _white_.
THE MAHRATTAS
For geographical reasons connected with facility in recruiting, the
Mahrattas are divided into two parts: the Konkani Mahrattas and the
Dekhani Mahrattas. The whole race was originally confined to the
country known as Maharashtra, but since their rapid acquirement of
power in India they have spread beyond the limits of that country. They
may now be found in the heart of the Central Provinces on the east,
Central India on the north, and on the borders of Rajputana to the
north and west.
Mahrattas are generally divided into three classes:--
1. Brahmans.
2. Chatris--_i.e._, those who claim Rajput descent.
3. Sudras--those belonging to agricultural and
trading classes.
The best of the soldiers are probably those recruited in the Dekhan,
who are short, hardy and brave. Most of the Mahrattas in our ranks
are recruited from the Konkan. They are taller and smarter than the
Dekhanis, who, nevertheless, excel in endurance. The hillmen are nearly
always more hardy than the inhabitants of the plain.
There is no history of the early Mahrattas, but as it is tolerably
clear that the Mahratta language is Aryan, it follows that the race has
at least Aryan blood, although ethnologists set it down clearly to be
of Turanian or Dravidian origin.
It seems a curious thing that the Mahrattas were not brought up from
the cradle of their race as fighting men, since they have proved
in our first meetings with them such excellent foes. It is certain
that if they are not born fighters, they have become good soldiers.
Mr. Grant Duff in his "History of the Mahrattas" distinguishes them
very clearly in a military sense from the Sikhs and the Gurkhas,
while admitting that they make excellent soldiers. "The very fact of
their having played so conspicuous and not always ignoble a part in
the history of India," he says, "marks them out as a race with some
qualities of the genuine soldier. The Duke of Wellington, who had such
ample opportunities of forming a judgment in regard to them, rated
them highly; and there can be no doubt that, with the discipline which
the British officer enforces, and his personal example of courage,
constancy, and devotion to duty, the Mahrattas can still be made into
good soldiers, despite the enervating and softening influence which a
long spell of peace appears to have on India."
Authoritative historians have said that the courage of the Mahrattas
of old was the courage of the freebooter; that they were at the best
bold buccaneers, who were capable at times of courage because it paid
them, but that the moment the prospect of gain was taken away, their
courage oozed out. These writers maintain that the highest instincts of
the soldier were never theirs. The reason of that was necessarily that
the loyal and steadfast adhesion to a good cause, which has led the
highest human types, in all ages, willingly to sacrifice their lives,
never inspired them. Consequently, they were devoid of that spirit
which takes death with proud indifference from motives of patriotism.
One of these writers says: "The Mahrattas all through history have
never sacrificed a whole skin unless there was something very tangible
and substantial to be got thereby." Neither has Britain. We have never
sacrificed, and never intend to sacrifice, our men for anything less
than "something very tangible and substantial to be got thereby." The
criticism on both sides then simply amounts to this: that courage
is not a thing in itself, but a quality depending on motive, with
knowledge; and the Mahratta, although he may have lacked both in the
past, has certainly acquired them now.
Again, it has been contended that the Mahratta lacks the elegant
proportions of the Jat Sikh, the robust, well-knit figure of the
Gurkha, the lofty personal courage of the Pathan--in short, that he
is cast in a mould that is anything but heroic. But, when we come to
consider that there is in the Mahratta an essential sturdiness and
tenacity, we find eventually, and apart from all superficially striking
characteristics, the pabulum out of which the finest soldiery can be
made.
In physique, the Mahratta is somewhat under the average height. His
skin is dark, and his features irregular. But in those features one can
discern a tremendous capacity for endurance. He may not be a cultured
man--either falsely or truly--but, in the ranks, he possesses those
natural adjuncts to steady, quiet strength, tractability, gentleness,
patience, and a general willingness to fall in with the idea of someone
who obviously knows more.
The Mahrattas in the 1st Bombay Infantry (Grenadiers), now the 101st
Grenadiers, proved their grit at Maiwand. In a tough fight they held
good till more than half their number were gone. Again, at Suakin, in
1885, the Mahrattas in the 28th Bombay Infantry (Pioneers), now the
128th Pioneers, proved, without a doubt, the nature of the qualities
already mentioned, which will indubitably find further development in
the present state of war.
Like the Rajputs, the Mahrattas are chiefly Hindus. They have strange
objects of worship, such as trees and snakes. Their deities are
principally incarnations of Shiva, the Destroyer, such as Etoba and
Kandoba. Like all the Hindus, they still maintain a strong belief in
Spirit, and, like all races who, in their early stages, have clung to
that belief in darkness, they have developed a broader knowledge, which
has always walked arm-in-arm with superstition towards enlightenment.
Yet, especially in time of war, the Mahrattas throw aside all caste
prejudices, even eat in common among themselves, and are not unwilling
to accept a drink from Tommy Atkins himself.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAHRATTAS
Various theories have been advanced as to the origin of the
Mahratta-speaking races of Western India. It is a generally accepted
idea that, though the higher classes are to some extent of Aryan
blood, the majority of the people are descended from aboriginal tribes
who settled in the country long before the Aryans commenced their
emigration from the Oxus.
The Mahratta country extends from Bombay in the north to Goa in the
south, and from the Indian Ocean in the west to the Central Provinces
and the Nizam's Dominions in the east. The tract is divided into two
well-defined portions by the Ghats, a chain of hills running parallel
with the coast. The strip of country near the sea, from the mouth of
the Taptee to Goa, is generally known as the Konkan, and was formerly
infested with pirates and brigands. The table-land of the Dekhan to
the west of the Ghats has been inhabited for numberless generations
by cultivators, shepherds, and herdsmen, and it was not until the
Mahomedan persecutions had driven these peasants into rebellion that
they developed any warlike instincts, and became aware of their own
capacity for conquest.
Considering the power to which they at one time attained, it seems
remarkable that no mention should have been made of the Mahrattas in
history from the time of the Mahomedan conquests in the thirteenth
century to the reign of Aurangzeb. It would appear, however, that
during this period the country on each side of the Ghats was divided
into numerous Hindu principalities, which paid tribute to the Mahomedan
Kings of the Dekhan and Golkonda, but were never really subdued. A
Mahratta family of the Bhondle tribe, which claimed to be of Rajput
descent, had been for many generations in the service of the Sultans
of Bijapur. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a son of this
family, named Sivaji, turned brigand, and supported by his peasant
followers, who rapidly developed into soldiers, commenced a series of
daring raids in the rich plain country to the east of the Ghats.
In 1664 Sivaji changed the scene of his operations to the coast, and
sacked the town of Surat, carrying off booty to the value of a million
sterling. The British factory recently established there by the East
India Company was successfully defended by the merchants, supported by
sailors from their ships, but the exploit excited general alarm, for
Surat was not only a great emporium for trade, but the port at which
Mahomedan pilgrims embarked for Mecca, and landed on their return to
India.
[Illustration: WITH THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, 1914.]
By this time the Moghuls were thoroughly alarmed. The levying of
the "chanth," or fourth share of the revenue, by the Mahrattas was
seriously affecting their finances, for Sivaji's raids extended to
the south, and as far to the east as Bengal. Large Moghul armies took
the field against his followers, but on the whole with very little
success. The Mahrattas were loose hordes of lightly-clad horsemen,
who lived on fruit and grain. They were the Cossacks of India, ever
hovering round camps and armies to carry off treasure, though unable to
face the heavy-armed Moghuls in the open field. The latter, however,
were generally very wanting in activity. Mahrattas could easily escape
from fortresses if driven out by starvation, and few Moghul commanders
dared to follow them into the winding paths of the Ghats, whither they
would retreat, lest the Moghuls, in their turn, should be cut off or
starved into submission. Meanwhile, troops of Mahratta horsemen might
be scouring the plains, harrying and plundering the peaceful villages,
ready to gallop back at the first warning to their fastnesses in the
hills and jungles.
Sivaji died in 1680, after a brilliant career of conquest. From then
until 1707 the Mahrattas were weakened by quarrels among themselves,
which caused the principal power in the state to be gradually
transferred from the Bhonste descendants of Sivaji to a family of
Brahmans, who were their hereditary Peishwas or Ministers.
Under these "Mayors of the Palace" the Mahratta power reached its
zenith. Satara was their original capital, but there were powerful
Mahratta governments established at Poona, Gwalior, Nagpur, Indore, and
Baroda; and, towards the close of the eighteenth century, they started
on a career of conquest which made them masters of India from Delhi to
Cape Comorin--a career which was only checked by the rising power of
the British.
"WILD MAHRATTA BATTLE"
At the time that the Mahratta Dominion was at its zenith in India, it
came into clash with the ever-widening rule of the British. In 1803 the
Mahratta Dominion extended from Hyderabad to Mysore as far as Delhi. In
addition to this its dependencies and territorial possessions in India
were far greater than those of the British.