Mountain Artillery

History

Mountain Artillery

Mountain Artillery was developed to allow field guns to accompany forces operating in mountainous regions. The guns were dismantled into three loads (piece, carriage and wheels) and carried on mules. The first mountain train in India was formed in 1840 for service in the 1st Afghan War and disbanded in 1843. Mountain Batteries formed part of the forces raised to defend the territory gained in the 2nd Sikh War in due course known as the North West Frontier Province. The Hazara Mountain Train was the first to be formed in 1850 from a nucleus raised by Capt J Abbott, Bengal Artillery, during the Hazara rebellion of 1848.

Punjab Irregular Force

When the Punjab Irregular Force was formed in 1851 it had four batteries of artillery mainly recruited from defeated Sikh artillerymen. They were known as Punjab Light Field Batteries:

• No 1 Horse Light Field Battery
• No 2 Horse Light Field Battery
• No 3 Horse Light Field Battery
• No 4 Garrison Company

The force later gained two further units:

• Hazara Mountain Train
• Peshawar Mountain Train

The Indian Mutiny

As a consequence of the Indian Mutiny the European artillery regiments (21 horse batteries & 48 field batteries) of the Presidency Armies were taken into the Royal Artillery of the British Army. The Bengal, Madras and Bombay Native Foot Artillery were disbanded except for the Mountain Trains, the Horse Light Field Batteries, three companies of Madras Native Foot Artillery (disbanded in 1870), three companies of Bombay Native Foot Artillery (one disbanded in 1870) and some garrison and local units which were soon disbanded.

Punjab Frontier Force

The Punjab Iregular Force became the Punjab Frontier Force in 1865 and the two mountain trains were redesignated mountain batteries. The No 1 Light Field Battery was disbanded in 1870. In 1876/7 the remaining batteries were renumbered as follows:

No 2 Horse Light Field Battery	became	No 1 Mountain Battery (PFF)
No 3 Punjab Horse Light Field Battery	became	No 2 Mountain Battery (PFF)
Peshawar Mountain Battery	became	No 3 Peshawar Mountain Battery (PFF)
Hazara Mountain Battery	became	No 4 Hazara Mountain Battery (PFF)
No 4 Garrison Company	became	No. 5 Garrison Battery

In 1879 the titles were further changed to:

No 1 Mountain Battery (PFF)	became	No 1 (Kohat) Punjab Mountain Battery
No 2 Mountain Battery (PFF)	became	No 2 (Derajat) Punjab Mountain Battery
No 3 Peshawar Mountain Battery (PFF)	became	No 3 (Peshawar) Punjab Mountain Battery
No 4 Hazara Mountain Battery (PFF)	became	No 4 (Hazara) Punjab Mountain Battery

Also in 1876 the two remaining companies of Bombay Native Foot Artillery became No 1 & No 2 Bombay Mountain Batteries. In 1890 there were again renumbered:

No 1 Bombay Mountain Battery	became	No 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery
No 2 Bombay Mountain Battery	became	No 6 (Bombay) Mountain Battery

In 1886 No 1 & No 2 Bengal Mountain Batteries were formed and renumbered in 1899:

No 1 Bengal Mountain Battery	became	No 7 (Bengal) Mountain Battery
No 2 Bengal Mountain Battery	became	No 8 (Bengal) Mountain Battery

Also in 1899 the 9th (Native) Mountain Battery was raised at Rawalpindi
and in 1900 the 10th (Native) Mountain Battery was raised at Abbottabad

Titles in use in 1900 were again changed in 1901:

No 1 Kohat Mountain Battery	became	Kohat Mountain Battery
No 2 Derajat Mountain Battery	became	Derajat Mountain Battery
No 3 Peshawar Mountain Battery	became	Peshawar Mountain Battery
No 4 Hazara Mountain Battery	became	Hazara Mountain Battery
No 5 Bombay Mountain Battery	became	Quetta Mountain Battery
No 6 Bombay Mountain Battery	became	Jullundur Mountain Battery
No 7 Bengal Mountain Battery	became	Gujarat Mountain Battery
No 8 Bengal Mountain Battery	became	Lahore Mountain Battery
No 9 Native Mountain Battery	became	Murree Mountain Battery
No 10 Native Mountain Battery	became	Abbottabad Mountain Battery

1903 reorganisation

The units were again numbered and their names changed:

Kohat Mountain Battery	became	21st Kohat Mountain Battery (FF)
Derajat Mountain Battery	became	22nd Derajat Mountain Battery (FF)
Peshawar Mountain Battery	became	23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (FF)
Hazara Mountain Battery	became	24th Hazara Mountain Battery (FF)
Quetta Mountain Battery	became	25th Quetta Mountain Battery
Jullundur Mountain Battery	became	26th Jacob's Mountain Battery
Gujarat Mountain Battery	became	27th Mountain Battery
Lahore Mountain Battery	became	28th Mountain Battery
Murree Mountain Battery	became	29th Mountain Battery
Abbottabad Mountain Battery	became	30th Mountain Battery

• 1907 two more batteries were formed: 31st Mountain Battery and 32nd Mountain Battery
• 1920 all batteries were titled 'Pack' rather than 'Mountain"
• 1921 names in bracket were restored to Nos 25-30. No 31 named Dehra Dun. No 32 named Poonch
• 1922 80 added to all numbers
• 1924 became batteries in the Royal Regiment of Artillery
• 1927 100 deducted from numbers and all retitled Indian Mountain Batteries RA
• 1928 Indian dropped from title
• 1939 transferred to the Indian Regiment of Artillery
• 1942 retitled Indian Mountain Batteries IA

Armament

See separate article Mountain Guns

External links

• Indian Army Mountain Artillery www.king-emperor.com
  
• Mountain Gunners www.victorianmilitarysociety.org
• War Horse: Munitions National Army Museum
  • Photograph of No. 2 Mountain Battery descending Springawi Pass, Afghanistan, 1879, Larger version
  • Oil Painting of the 7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery going into action near Kaniguram, Waziristan, 1920, Larger version
• Model Mountain Artillery with Mule Team and Quick Firing Gun, 1908. National Army Museum
• Photograph of Breech loading 10-pounder gun of the 5th (Bombay) Mountain Battery, 1933 National Army Museum
• Film footage of gunners of the Indian Mountain Artillery, probably of 5th Indian Division, manning their 3.7-inch howitzers in action on the Tiddim Road in India/Burma in September 1944. colonialfilm.org.uk
• Obituary of Colonel John Kenyon, 1921-2006 who won an immediate MC as a mountain gunner in the Burma campaign during the critical battle of Kohima. In 1944 Kenyon, a lieutenant, was serving with 5 (Bombay) Indian Mountain Battery, part of 25th Indian Mountain Regiment. telegraph.co.uk
• Photograph of 31st Mountain Battery: Mule with part of a dismantled gun flickr.com. No.3 Mule carrying the carriage assembly Probably 31st Mountain Battery. flickr.com

Historical books online

• The History of the Indian Mountain Artillery by Brigadier-General C A L Graham 1957 Archive.org. This book is also available to read online on the Digital Library of India website, where the print quality is better.