39th (The Garhwal Rifle) Regiment of Bengal Infantry

Known as The Garhwal Rifles

History

• 1887 raised as the 2nd Battalion, 3rd (Kumaon) Gurkha Regiment
• 1891 became 39th (The Garhwal Rifles) Regiment of Bengal Infantry
• 1901 amalgamated with the 49th (Garhwal Rifles) Regiment of Bengal Infantry, which had been raised earlier in 1901, to become 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles
• 1921 became 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles
• 1922 became 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles
• 1947 allocated to India on Partition

Regimental Histories

The following histories are available at the British Library

• Historical Record of the 39th Royal Garhwál Rifles Vol. 1, 1887-1922 compiled by Brigadier-General John Thorold Evatt. UIN: BLL01006789841 . Available online, see below.

Historical Record of the 39th (18th) Royal Garhwal Rifles Vol. II 1923-1947 compiled by Sir Ralph B. Deedes. Dehra Dun 1962? UIN: BLL01012503809

• With the Royal Garhwal Rifles in the Great War, from August 1914 to November 1917 by D. H. Drake-Brockman CMG 1933. This book is the memoir of an officer serving with the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front, in which the regiment was the first regular Indian army force to see service in the trenches, fighting at Aubers RIdge, Festubert and Loos. Available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3, see below.
• 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles‬: ‪Register of Casualties, World War II‬ by A Nath ‪Himalayan Institute‬, 1992

External links

• 39th Garhwal Rifles Wikipedia
• 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles Wikipedia
• The Garhwal Rifles Wikipedia
  
• 39th Garhwal Rifles britishempire.co.uk
• 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles with links to information about the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions. researchingww1.co.uk
• Garhwal Rifles in WWI uttarakhand.prayaga.org, now an archived webpage
  
• Garhwal Rifles indiapicks.com
• Gabar Singh Negi cwgc.org, now an archived webpage. Gabar Singh Negi was a Rifleman in the 2/39th Garhwal Rifles when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 10th March 1915 at Neuve Chapelle, France. Note: The London Gazette states "near Festubert". His bravery led to his death.

"On the frontline, 100 years ago" August 17, 2014 indianexpress.com . Scroll down to "Darwan Singh Negi, 39th Garhwal Rifles, Defence of Festubert" by Hamza Khan.

Darwan Singh Negi Wikipedia.

• "Kurdistan 1919: Military Operations in Mesopotamian Kurdistan: South Kurdistan, May–June 1919" by Harry Fecitt. From Harry's Sideshows kaiserscross.com
• John Eric Colenso: British Officer in the Gurkha Rifles by Ann Collins 24th August 2014. now an archived webpage. colensostudy.id.au. He was appointed to the 2/7th Gurkha Rifles in 1907 and seconded to the Burma Military Police (BMP) in1909. During WW1 was with the 2/7th Gurkha Rifles in Egypt and then on the Western Front with the 2/39th Garhwal Rifles, and then with the 2nd/2nd Gurkhas. Back in India, he took part in the 3rd Afghan War with the 2/7th Gurkhas and was then with the BMP 1919- c 1922, when he was transferred to the 3rd Gurkha Rifles and took part in the actions in Waziristan 1922-1923. He retired in 1932.
• "A Helmet of the Garhwal Rifles 39th (Garhwal) Regiment Bengal Army" by Stuart Bates and Steve Saunders. August 2019 militarysunhelmets.com . The helmet belonged to Henry Spencer Cardew, who joined the regiment 1906.

Historical books online

• Historical Record of the 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles Volume 1 1887-1922 by John Thorold Evatt 1923 Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset. Archive.org mirror version.
• Across the roof of the world; a record of sport and travel through Kashmir, Gilgit, Hunza, the Pamirs, Chinese Turkistan, Mongolia and Siberia by Lieut P T Etherton, 39th Garhwal Rifles (Indian Army). 1911 Archive.org. The author set out from the regiment at Lansdowne, and his servants included a Rifleman from the regiment, who accompanied him on the entire trip.
• With the Royal Garhwal Rifles in the Great War, from August 1914 to November 1917 by D. H. Drake-Brockman CMG 1933 is available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in Military Books/India).