Identifying an Indian Army Christian battalion

[bushfighter]

Greetings

A Christian infantry battalion was raised and it took part in the Marri Rebellion in Baluchistan in 1918.

The award of the Honour Baluchistan 1918 to The 3rd Madras Regiment makes me think that one of the antecedents of that regiment must have raised the battalion.

(Source: The Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies 1662-1982 by H.C.B. Cook)

The Great War antecedent regiments were:

73rd, 75th, 79th and 86th Carnatic Infantry and the 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry.

(Source: Sons of John Company. The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903-1991 by John Gaylor)

Can any Member identify the Christian battalion, please?

Harry

[Steven Broomfield]

George, looking at Chris Kempton's Duty & Fidelity nothing is jumping out. Of the regiments you mention, the 79th, 83rd and 86th seem not to have raised further battalions.

The 73rd raised the 2/73rd Malabar Infantry in June 1918 (disbanded 1921) and the 75th raised the 2/75th Carnatic Infantry (October 1918). Both battalions seem to have served only in Bangalore.

There was a 1/156th Indian Infantry, formed in Mesopotamia in May 1918 from companies of the 73rd, 79th, 80th and 83rd. Disbanded in May 1919 it did serve with the Karachi Brigade as part of the 4th Quetta Division, which was on the Frontier in Baluchistan. If the 1/156th served in the campaign, presumably any Honours gained would transfer to the parent units.

I'm afraid I can tell you no more.

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Harry

The 71st Punjabi (Christian) Battalion, raised at Ferozepore from Punjabi Christians, served on Lines of Communication duties, working out of Quetta, during the Marri Rebellion.

The Battalion's Administrative Commandant was Major Ashton Mackrell.

The Rebellion is also known as the 3rd Anglo-Marri War.

40 Men from the Battalion are listed on the CWGC site:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx?cpage=1

Dave

[Michael Johnson]

^{The 71st also qualified for the GSM 1918, clasp "South Persia". The roll is on Ancestry. Interestingly enough you would not know from the names that they were Christians (unlike South indian Christians as served in the Madras Sappers and Miners).}

^{I believe the 71st were disbanded after the war. Recruiting difficulties for a regiment composed of Punjabi Christians would have militated against continuing it.}

^Michael

[MaureenE]

[/b]name='bushfighter' timestamp='1359397451' post='1858899']

The Great War antecedent regiments were:

73rd, 75th, 79th and 86th Carnatic Infantry and the 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry.

This link from britishempire.co.uk about the 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry says

“In 1914 they were stationed at Secunderabad and comprised 4 double companies, 2 of Madrasi Muslims, one of Tamils and one of Paraiyans and Christians”.

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/indianinfantry/83rdltinf.htm

Cheers

Maureen

[bushfighter]

Thanks all of you.

Dave has hit the nail on the head.

If I had looked in Indian Army List January 1919 before asking you, then I would have seen that 71st Punjabis was the only regiment with four companies of Christians.

(By the time that list was compiled Major Mackrell was serving with 1st Bn 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry, on attachment from the 109th Infantry.)

Michael, reading Lieutenant General S.L. Menezes' excellent book The Indian Army, I tend to agree with him that Christians along with other war-enlisted non-Martial Classes were deliberately wasted out of the Indian Army as soon as possible after the war.

Whether they had performed well or not did not come into it.

A very interesting and fair-minded book on different classes is The Sepoy by Edmund Candler, freely downloaded from:

http://archive.org/details/thesepoy00canduoft

Dave, please could you indicate your source for Ashley Mackrell's command.

Stand by for an account of the Marri Field Force in action!

Harry

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Harry

Source here:

http://www.frontiermedals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_9&products_id=430

Dave

[bushfighter]

Dave

Thank you very much.

Looking at the MiDs for the Marri Uprising (LG page 5583 of 18 May 1920) it appears that his aviator brother Gyles was providing air-cooperation support with 114th Squadron RAF.

Harry