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<blockquote>'The Burma Military Police is a semi-military force intended to perform at the cheapest possible cost :
:a. Frontier Watch and Ward duties
:b. Deal with minor insurrections amongst the less civilized hill tribes
:c. transport treasure
:d. guard and transport long term prisoners to and from jail.'<ref> Barry Renfrew in his book Forgotten Regiments : Regular and Volunteer Units of the British Far East, quoted by Harry Fecitt in a GMIC thread [http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/57054-burma-military-police-a-request-to-share-research/ Burma Military Police - a request to share research] </ref></blockquote>
In 1886 the British authorities wished to reduce the cost of garrisoning Upper Burma and the Burma Military Police was raised to replace regular Indian Army units.
European Officers were seconded from the Indian Army (and sometimes from the British Army) and Indian Officers and men were recruited from the Punjab and Nepal. Favoured classes were Gurkhas, Pathans, Garwhalis, Punjabi Muslims, Kumaonis and Dogras. Pensions could be received after 15 years service.
Non-Indians were first recruited in 1909 when Chins were accepted in some units. This was followed by the recruitment of Kachins and other hill tribes, with very few Burmans being enlisted.
Another definition of duties, applicable to frontier battalions rather than those in the large towns, was:
<blockquote>The duties of the force on the frontier are :
:Policing the frontier.
:Repelling local raids.
:Providing escorts to civil officers.
:Furnishing columns for such work as the slave releasing in the Triangle and Hukawng valley and punitive columns.
:Intelligence. <ref>Harry Fecitt in a GMIC thread [http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/57054-burma-military-police-a-request-to-share-research/ Burma Military Police - a request to share research] </ref></blockquote>
Many Gurkhas served in the Burmese Military Police. Probably the best single source explaining the origins and evolution of most, if not all, the numerous BMP battalions raised since 1886 may be found in ''The Lineages and Composition of the Gurkha Regiments in the British Service ''(J.L. Chapple, 1985) published by the Gurkha Museum <ref>’Aberdeen Medals’ in a GMIC thread [http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/57054-burma-military-police-a-request-to-share-research/ Burma Military Police - a request to share research] </ref>
== Chronology ==
*'''1886''' a number of units (including the Mogaung Levy) raised for service in Upper Burma
*[http://homepages.force9.net/rothwell/burmaweb/BMP.htm Burma Military Police] and [http://homepages.force9.net/rothwell/burmaweb/BFF.htm Burma Frontier Force] Steve Rothwell’s The Burma Campaign
*[http://www.kaiserscross.com/304501/468722.html The Kachin Hills Uprising: Burma from January to February 1915] by Harry Fecitt from [http://www.kaiserscross.com/304501/home.html Harry’s Sideshows] kaiserscross.com
*[http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/5478 The Menin Gate: Memorial to the Burma Military Police] oucs.ox.ac.uk. The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing stands at the eastern exit of Ypres in Flanders, Belgium
*[http://www.frontiermedals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_9&products_id=430 Army history and medals of Lieut-Colonel Ashton Mackrell Indian Army 1905-1935] frontiermedals.com. He served with the Burma Military Police during the First World War
===Historical books online===
*[https://archive.org/stream/pacificationofbu00crosrich#page/n7/mode/2up ''The Pacification of Burma]''
by Sir Charles Crosthwaite. Chief Commissioner of Burma 1887-1890 1912 Archive.org. This edition which has illustrations, is missing [https://archive.org/stream/pacificationbur00crosgoog#page/n12/mode/2up first page of Preface].
**[https://archive.org/stream/pacificationofbu00crosrich#page/148/mode/2up Page 131] footnote refers to ''History of the Burma Military Police'' by Lieut-Colonel S C F Peile (Rangoon 1906). This book is available at the National Library of India, Calcutta<ref> [http://nationallibrary.gov.in/showdetails.php?id=644326 National Library of India catalogue reference] The book is 34 pages</ref>
== References ==
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