Bengal Engineer Group

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bengal Engineer Group
Theatre honours
Commanders
Colonel Comdt of Bengal SappersLt Gen Harpal Singh, AVSM, VSM[1]
Colonel of
the Regiment
Lt Gen S. K. Srivastava
Engineer - in - Chief[2]
Notable
commanders
Lt Gen J. S. Dhillon, Padma Bhushan, PVSM
Lt Gen K. N. Dubey, PVSM

The Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) (informally the Bengal Sappers or Bengal Engineers) is a military engineering regiment in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The unit was originally part of the Bengal Army of the East India Company's Bengal Presidency, and subsequently part of the British Indian Army during the British Raj. The Bengal Sappers are stationed at Roorkee Cantonment in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

The Bengal Sappers are one of the few remaining regiments of the erstwhile Bengal Presidency Army and survived the

British India with their never-say-die attitude of Chak De and brandishing their favourite tool the hamber.[3][4][5]

Over the years the Bengal Sappers have won many

Regimental Colours to Bengal Engineer Group at Roorkee.[5]

Besides service on the battlefield, the Bengal Engineers also rendered valuable peacetime contributions. The military engineer Lt. James Agg designed

St Paul's Cathedral, begun 1839, was completed in 1847.[9] St Paul's was also designed by a Bengal Engineer, William Nairn Forbes, who was also architect of the "Old Silver Mint" building at the India Government Mint, Kolkata, basing its portico on the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens.[9]

, Bengal Engineers. Built 1839–47.

History

The

Bombay Sappers and Miners, and the Bengal Sappers and Miners.[11][12]

The Bengal Sappers and Miners was originally the Corps of Bengal Pioneers, which was raised from two pioneer companies in 1803, part of

Allahabad, with Captain Thomas Anburey as the Commandant. The remaining part of the Corps of Bengal Pioneers was absorbed in 1833.[4]
In 1843 'Broadfoot's Sappers', which had been raised in 1840, merged into the Bengal Sappers and Miners.

In 1847 the Bengal Sappers and Miners was renamed Bengal Sappers and Pioneers, and in 1851 it became the Corps of Bengal Sappers and Miners. On 7 November 1853, the regiment moved to

Kitchener Reforms
saw it re-designated as the 1st Sappers and Miners, which was again altered in 1906 to the 1st Prince of Wales's Own Sappers and Miners.

On the accession of

George V to the throne in 1910 it was renamed 1st King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners,[15] with the '1st' being dropped in 1923, to make it King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners. In 1937 it was renamed King George V's Bengal Sappers and Miners, and in 1941 they became the 'King George V's Bengal Sappers and Miners Group of the Indian Engineers'. In 1946 it became the 'King George V's Group' of the Royal Indian Engineers. On Indian independence and partition in 1947, about half of the serving personnel were allocated to the Pakistan Royal Engineers. In 1950 they became the Bengal Centre, Corps of Engineers, after which they became the Bengal Engineer Group and Centre.[16]

Battle honours

Corps of Royal Bengal Engineers.

Colonial India

First Afghan War
.
First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842)
First Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
  • Punjab
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Second Afghan War
, c. 1879.
Second Anglo-Afghan War
Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885–1887)
  • Burma 1885–87
Hunza–Nagar Campaign (1891)[19]
Chitral Expedition (1895)
Tirah (1897–1898)
  • Tirah
Boxer Rebellion
  • China 1900
World War I
Third Anglo-Afghan War
  • Afghanistan 1919.
World War II

Republic of India

First Indo-Pakistani War
  • Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
  • Jammu and Kashmir 1965
  • Punjab 1965
  • Rajasthan 1965
Third Indo-Pakistani War
  • East Pakistan 1971
  • Jammu and Kashmir 1971
  • Sindh 1971.[16]

Victoria Cross recipients

Name Event Date of action Place of action
Duncan Home
Indian revolt
1857-09-1414 September 1857 Delhi, India
James Innes
Indian revolt
1858-02-2328 February 1858 Sultanpore, India[22]
Philip Salkeld
Indian revolt
1857-09-1414 September 1857 Delhi, India[23]
John Smith
Indian revolt
1857-09-1414 September 1857 Delhi, India[24]
Edward Thackeray
Indian revolt
1857-09-1616 September 1857 Delhi, India
William Trevor
Anglo-Bhutanese War
1865-04-3030 April 1865 Dewangiri, Deothang, Bhutan
James Dundas
Anglo-Bhutanese War
1865-04-3030 April 1865 Dewangiri, Deothang, Bhutan
Edward Leach
Second Afghan War
1879-03-1717 March 1879 Khyber Pass, Afghanistan[25]
Fenton Aylmer
Hunza-Naga Campaign
1891-12-02 2 December 1891
British India[25][26]
James Colvin
First Mohmand Campaign
1897-09-16 16 September 1897
British India[27]
Thomas Watson
First Mohmand Campaign
1897-09-16 16 September 1897
British India[28]

See also

Citations

  1. ^ "Gazette of India No 45" (PDF). 7 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Gazette of India No 45" (PDF). 7 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. ^
    The Tribune
    , 24 November 2008.
  4. ^
    Govt. of India
    .
  5. ^ a b Corps of Engineers, Indian Army bharat-rakshak.com. Archived 25 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Bengal Engineering Group Archived 1 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Haridwar Official website.
  7. Bengal Sappers
    .
  8. ^ "Churches in Kolkata". Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  9. ^ , retrieved 30 June 2020
  10. ^ Corps of Engineers - History Indian Army Official website. Archived 22 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Indian Sappers (1740-1947) Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 31 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Indian Army Service Records (up to 1947) Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 20 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ THE BENGAL SAPPERS National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee. Archived 13 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Institute Time Capsule IIT Roorkee.
  15. ^ "1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners - Officers & Non-Commissioned Officers and Men". Reubique.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  16. ^ a b "King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners". Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
  17. The Tribune
    , 29 October 2003.
  18. ^ "The Battle of Kabul 1879". Britishbattles.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  19. ^ Nevill 1912, p. 136-137.
  20. ^ "Chitral 1895 - Fort Siege". Devonheritage.org. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  21. ^ Cassino Memorial Archived 17 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Lieutenant James John McLeod INNES VC Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 23 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Lieutenant Philip SALKELD VC Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ Sergeant John SMITH VC Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ a b "Victoria Crosses held by the Royal Engineers Museum". victoriacross.org.uk/. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Captain Fenton John AYLMER VC". Royal Engineers Museum. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  27. ^ Lieutenant James Morris Colquhoun COLVIN VC Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 23 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ Lieutenant Thomas Colclough WATSON VC Royal Engineers Museum. Archived 23 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography

Short Histories:

  • The Indian Sappers and Miners,By Lieut.-Colonel E.W.C. Sandes D.S.O., M.C., R.E. (Ret.), Published by The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1948. Extracts
  • K.S. Calendar of battles, honours and awards : King George V's Own Bengal Sappers & Miners from 1803 to 1939, by Rhamat Ullan Khan, ca. 1944.
  • History and digest of service of the 1st King George's Own Sappers & Miners. Roorkee : 1st King's Own Press, (ca. 1911)
  • Regimental history of the King George's Own Bengal Sappers & Miners. Roorkee : KGO Sappers & Miners Press, 1937.
  • Corps reunion and the unveiling of the war memorial. (Roorkee : King George V's own Bengal sappers and miners group, R.I.E),1927.
  • History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, by Great Britain Army. Royal Engineers, Whitworth Porter. Published by Longmans, Green, 1952.
  • The Bengal Sappers 1803–2003, by General Sir George Cooper GCB MC and Major David Alexander. .
  • The Military Engineer in India, by Lt. Col. E.W.C Sandes. Reprint 2001, Original 1933..

First World War:

  • Cunningham, A.H., A Short history of the Corps of King George's Own Bengal Sappers & Miners during the War, 1914-1918. (1930)

Second World War:

External links