123rd Outram's Rifles
Known as the 23rd Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in the Bombay Army
Known as 123rd Outram's Rifles in the Indian Army
Contents
Chronology
- 1820 formed as 1st Battalion, 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry
- 1824 became 23rd Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry
- 1841 became 23rd Regiment of Bombay Infantry (Light)
- 1889 became 23rd Regiment (2nd Battalion Rifle Regiment) of Bombay Infantry
- 1901 became 23rd Bombay Rifles
- 1903 became 123rd Outram's Rifles
- 1922 amalgamated with five other regiments, including the 125th Napier's Rifles, to become the 4th Battalion (Outram's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
- 1945 became 4th (Outram's) Battalion Rajputana Rifles
- 1947 allocated to India on Partition
1930s
Memoirs of Brigadier William Alston's service in the Indian Army are in the collection of the National Army Museum, London, catalogue reference 8005/151. A description of the papers (8005/151/4) Volume III of his memoir, covering the period 1933-1935, indicate in Chapter 18 that he was a Coy Commander at Mhow March 1933. Chapter 19. Left in October 1934 for Wana, South Waziristan; training, building barracks, etc. Late Nov 4-day column to Tiarzha as Bde Intelligence Officer.[1]
Second World War
4/6th Rajputana Rifles was part of the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade 23/9/39 - 8/7/43, and was also attached 1/44 to 6/44. The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was raised at Jhansi on 23 September 1939 from 9th (Jhansi) Brigade.The movements of the Brigade were as follows
- India 23/9/39 - 23/9/39
- At sea 23/9/39 - 3/10/39
- Egypt 3/10/39 - 21/12/40
- Sudan and East Africa 21/12/40 - 13/4/41
- Egypt 13/4/41 - 8/6/41
- Syria 8/6/41 - 10/41
- Egypt and Libya 10/41 - 4/42
- Palestine 4/42 - 10/6/42
- Egypt 10/6/42 - 1/1/43
- Cyrenaica 1/1/43 - 13/3/43
- Tripolitania 13/3/43 - 16/3/43
- Tunisia 16/3/43 - 6/7/43
- …
- Italy 22/11/43 - 8/12/44[2]
External links
- 123rd Outram's Rifles British Empire website
- Rajputana Rifles Wikipedia
- 123rd Outram's Rifles Wikipedia
- 6th Rajputana Rifles Wikipedia
- Richhpal Ram [4th Battalion] 6th Rajputana Rifles was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for outstanding acts of courage at Keren [Cheren], Eritrea. February 1941 cwgc.org, now an archived webpage.
- Richhpal Ram Wikipedia
- Remembering the Battle of Keren 75 years on 29 March 2016 cwgc.org, now an archived webpage.
- Keren War Cemetery & Cremation Memorial Eritrea. ww2cemeteries.com
Historical books online
- Record Of The Service Of The 23rd Bombay Light Infantry During The Campaign In Burma, From July 1886 To May 1888 by W A M Wilson. Archive.org mirror version from Digital Library of India.
- Outram’s Rifles: A History of the 4th Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles by H. G. Rawlinson 1933. Central Secretariat Library (CSL) [Delhi] Digital Repository version. Archive.org mirror version.
- It is also available in a reprint edition,[3] which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in World War II/Military Books/India).
References
- ↑ 8005/151 Alston Papers at National Army Museum, London. Discovery catalogue entry discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- ↑ WW2Talk Forum thread 4/6 Rajputana Rifles reply by 'dryan67'. David A Ryan is co author of books on the Indian Army in WW2, see the WW2Talk Forum post Indian Army: An Organisational History (retrieved 11 August 2016)
- ↑ Outram’s Rifles: A History of the 4th Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles by H. G. Rawlinson, originally published 1933. Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
