Indian Army

The official (British) Indian Army was formed in 1895. Prior to this date there were three separate Presidency armies (which after 1861 were sometimes unofficially referred to as the Indian Army).

Indian Army regiments can be viewed here.

See also

• Armies in India - an overview
• Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns

British Indian Army Cavalry

The British Indian Army maintained about forty regiments of cavalry, officered by British and manned by Indian sowars (cavalrymen). The legendary exploits of this branch lives on in literature and early films. Among the more famous regiments in the lineages of modern Indian and Pakistani Armies are:

• Governor General's Bodyguard (now President's Bodyguard)
• Skinner's Horse (now India's 1st Horse (Skinner's)
• Gardner's Horse (now India's 2nd Lancers (Gardner's)
• Hodson's Horse (now India's 4th Horse (Hodson's) of the Bengal Lancers fame
• 6th Bengal Cavalry (later amalgamated with 7th Hariana Lancers to form 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry) now 18th Cavalry of the *Indian Army
• Probyn's Horse (now Pakistani)
• Royal Deccan Horse (now India's The Deccan Horse)
• Poona Horse (now India's The Poona Horse)
• Queen's Own Guides Cavalry (now partitioned between Pakistan and India).
• Several of these formations are still active, though they now are armoured formations, for example Guides Cavalry in Pakistan.

Records

There are India Office records in the British Library, reference IOR L/MIL/14. The records include Indian Army Records of Service IOR/L/MIL/14/239/1-72481 c1901-1947. The closure period for these files has been set at 75 years from the date of entry of the serviceman/woman into the service. The files are opened on an annual basis. On 1 January 2010, files relating to persons joining the service in 1934 were opened. A complete alphabetical index to the opened files is now available on open access in the Asian & African Studies Reading Room at the British Library

A limited number of LDS (Mormon) microfilms are available. Library catalogue entries using keyword search “Indian Army” and “India Office”

Naval and Military Press has published the Indian Army List 1919, a four-volume comprehensive list of the Indian Army during the Great War. It includes its British officers and gives details of ranks, promotions, background, honours and awards of all who served in India and other theatres

Indian Army Officers 1939-1945 from World War II Unit Histories & Officers

National Army Museum

The National Army Museum in London has the following guide on its website:

• Information Sheet No 1: Researching soldiers of the East India Company’s Armies and the Indian Army.

The collection at the NAM includes the card index by Hodson and Percy Smith which includes details of officers who joined the Indian Army from Sandhurst, warrant officers and some Emergency Commissioned Officers of the Second World War. The NAM collection also includes 3,400 questionnaires completed in the 1960’s, 70s and 80s by former India Army Officers about their careers and families.

External Links

Wikipedia:

• British Indian Army (1895-1947)
• List of Indian Army Regiments 1903
• List of Indian Army Regiments 1922
• Indian Army during World War II

Other:

• Indian Army 1902 orbat.com
• Center for Indian Military History from Orders of Battle (orbat.com) is an index page which has links to articles such as “British-Indian Army: Imperial Service Troops 1888-1918”, “Indian Infantry Regiments of World War I: 1st Brahmans through 30th Punjabis “, “Indian Army, 1939” and the “British Indian Army”. The page History also has some links about the Indian Army pre 1947 which do not appear to be included in the previous index page.
• For the King-Emperor The Indian Army during 1901-1939. Photos, histories, profiles etc.
• "British colonial experience in Waziristan and its applicability to current operations" by Matthew W Williams, 2005 from Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library
• "The Indian Army in Africa and Asia 1940-1942 Implications for the planning and execution of two nearly- simultaneous campaigns" by Major James Scudieri, 1995 from Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library
• BBC website World War 2 People's War Stories involving the Indian Army and Stories in the Category India
• Indian Cavalry British Empire website
• Bengal Cavalry Regiments 1857-1914 Google Books
• A register of titles of the units of the H.E.I.C. & Indian armies, 1666-1947 by Chris Kempton published by the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, c1997. Available at the British Library (catalogue entry)

Recommended Reading

• A Matter of honour : an account of the Indian Army, its officers and men. By Philip Mason (London: Cape, 1974) Review in FIBIS Military reading list
• India’s Army by Donovan Jackson (pub 1940) Review in FIBIS Military reading list