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Indian and Afghan Regular Army – Infantry advancing

  • Product Code: CR6
  • Availability: In Stock

£0.59

This product is sold unpainted.

Additional Images.

1 and 2. Indian Army regiments on parade for the Commander in Chief prior to marching to battle. From Jack Alexander's collection. 

3. Soldiers of the 20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry, Egypt 1882.


COLONIAL INDIAN ARMY: ORGANISATION

 

·         Post Mutiny. From the reorganisation of the 1860s the basic structure of the Indian Army remained unchanged, the Bengal, Madras and Bombay armies remaining independent under their own commander in chief (C-in-C Bengal was C-in-C India who commanded all troops in the subcontinent, British and Indian, except for the Punjab Frontier Force) until 1895. The term ‘Native’ was dropped from regimental titles in 1885.

 

·         1863. From 1863 the number of British officers in the Indian units was reduced from a full compliment to approximately seven per battalion or cavalry regiment including the commanding officer, second in command and adjutant. Companies were usually commanded by Indian officers. British NCOs no longer served with Indian units, except for the Sappers.   

 

·         1895. the Presidency armies were abolished although the regiments retained their traditional titles.

 

·         1903. Lord Kitchener introduced a new unified system of numbering for regiments. The army in India was divided into four commands: Bengal, Bombay (including Sind, Querta and Aden),; Madras (including Burma) and Punjab (including North west Frontier). A few auxiliary or irregular units, the Hyderabad Contingent and the Central India Horse remained under control of the Government of India.  

 

Source: The Colonial Wars Source Book, PJ Haythornthwaite, Caxton Editions, London, 2000. A fascinating and highly readable text with a significant amount of useful detail for the wargamer.

 

Jacklex Miniatures Colonial Nineteenth Century 20mm metal wargame figures.