Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles
The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles were an auxiliary regiment associated with the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway..
Chronology
- 1910 on 4th June the Madras Railway Volunteers and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifle Corps amalgamated to become Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles,[1]
- 1917 renamed 32nd Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles, 1st April[1]
- 1920 redesignated the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles on 1st October[1]
Details
- Uniform - Khaki
- Facings - White
- Badge - Eight pointed star surmounted by a crown with a bugle encircled by a garter in the centre
- Motto - "One and all"
Battalions
The Madras Railway Volunteers became 1st Battalion and the Southern Mahratta Railway Rifle Corps became 2nd Battalion.
Personal recollections
An oral history taken from MSM Railway's Percy Morris includes references to the Rifles.[2] On his time in the battalion Morris said: “It was part of our contract that you had to join the Territorials. We had two battalions on the Railway. The 1st and 2nd Madras and Southern Maharatta Railways. You had to put in so many parades a year and spend ten days every year in camp. It was all infantry type of training. Later on they introduced things like protecting a railway.”[3] He also explained that during World War 2 they were so busy running the railway there was no time for military matters.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jackson, Major Donovan India's Army (1940)
- ↑ Grandpa’s Story, an oral history taken in 1986 and subsequently blogged by Morris's grandaughter.
- ↑ Grandpa’s Story, Part V