101st Grenadiers
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
101st Grenadiers | |
---|---|
Third Burmese War |
The 101st Grenadiers was a regiment of the British Indian Army.
1778–1878
The regiment was formed in 1778 after six grenadier companies (two companies each from the three battalions of the
In 1783 the regiment's title was amended to become the 8th Grenadier Regiment of Bombay Sepoys, known informally as the Bombay Grenadiers. The regiment thus gained the claim to be the oldest
Meanwhile, the Regiment took part in the numerous
The regiment raised a 2nd Battalion in 1793 and became the 1st Grenadier Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The 2nd Battalion would, in 1824, be separated from the 1st Grenadiers to become the 2nd Grenadier Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry (later the
The Second Afghan War
After the outbreak of the
The British began the battle with an artillery barrage that the Afghans responded to via their own artillery at about 11:20 am; the Grenadiers were on the left flank of the British-Indian force and were in an exposed position that saw them take the brunt of the Afghan barrage, sustaining significant casualties. Shortly after noon, the Afghan infantry began the attack and the Grenadiers were heavily involved in the attempts to repulse the constant attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the Afghans. At about 1:00 pm the Grenadiers confronted a large group of Afghans and at about 2:30 pm two companies of
The battle had been a devastating defeat for the British-Indian forces: over 1,100 casualties had been sustained, but they had inflicted over 7,000 casualties upon the Afghan forces. The Grenadiers commanding officer (CO) was severely wounded during the battle and his life was saved by
Third Burmese War
In 1885 the Regiment took part in the
20th century
In 1901 the Regiment deployed to the British territory of
First World War
The
The Regiment took part in operations in
In January 1915, a company of the 101st took part in the
One company of the Regiment acted with the
The 101st later saw service in the Middle East in the Palestine theatre – this theatre was the second largest, in terms of troop numbers, after the Western Front. Their opposition was the Ottoman Empire that controlled Palestine, and was an ally of Germany. The Regiment took part in the attempts to capture the important port of Gaza and by the end of December 1917 the Allies were in control of much of Palestine, including the symbolic capture of Jerusalem. In July 1918 the Regiment took part in the Ghurabeh raid that saw intense fighting and over 100 Ottomans taken prisoner. The Regiment later took part in the Megiddo Offensive – the World War I equivalent of the German Blitzkrieg during World War II – and took part in the attempts to capture Nablus. The Ottomans signed an Armistice with the Allies on 30 October. The First World War finally ended on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany.
Post-War
Soon after the war, the regiment deployed to British Somaliland, where operations against Hassan and his followers had resumed. The campaign, which encompassed the army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force, succeeded in defeating Hassan in 1920, after two decades of conflict.
In accordance with the Indian Army reforms of 1922, the 101st amalgamated with five other regiments to form six battalions of the
Battle honours
- Burma 1885–87, Somaliland 1901–04
- First World War:
- Africa: East Africa 1914–16
- Middle East: Palestine 1917–18
- Africa:
Notes
- ^ Sharma (1990), p.70.
- ^ Omar, Mohamed (2001). The Scramble in the Horn of Africa. p. 402.
This letter is sent by all the Dervishes, the Amir, and all the Dolbahanta to the Ruler of Berbera ... We are a Government, we have a Sultan, an Amir, and Chiefs, and subjects ... (reply) In his last letter the Mullah pretends to speak in the name of the Dervishes, their Amir (himself), and the Dolbahanta tribes. This letter shows his object is to establish himself as the Ruler of the Dolbahanta
- ISBN 978-1-4728-4891-8.
- ^ Sharma (1990), pp.74–5.
References
- Barthorp, Michael; Burn, Jeffrey (1979). Indian infantry regiments 1860–1914. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-307-0.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-9776072-8-0.
- Sharma, Gautam (1990). Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army. Allied Publishers. ISBN 81-7023-140-X.
- Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 1914–1947. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-196-6.
- Moberly, F.J. (1923). Official History of the War: Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-870423-30-5