Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial
Origins of the regiment
Early history
The expansion of the
1922 reorganisation of the British Indian Army
In the 1922 reorganisation of the British Indian Army the 70th Burma Rifles and the 85th Burma Rifles were merged to form the 20th Burma Rifles. The new regiment numbered four regular battalions. A new battalion, the 11th (Territorial) Battalion was also formed in 1922.
The Burman element in the regiment was mustered out after 1927,
Separation from India
After the British formally separated Burma from India in 1937 the 20th Burma Rifles was allocated to Burma and renamed the Burma Rifles. The intention was for officers to be drawn from the British Army. However the majority of the British officers already serving with the regiment chose to remain with their units on secondment from the British Indian Army.
Second World War
The regiment was expanded during the
After the British Burma Army's retreat from Burma, a reconstituted 2nd Battalion continued to take part in the Burma Campaign.[2] The remaining highly weakened battalions were disbanded although many of the non-Burmese nationals (Indians and Gurkhas) from them went to form battalions of the Burma Regiment created in September 1942.[4]
The 2nd battalion participated in the 1st and 2nd
I would like to record here that I have never had under my command in the field as good a body of men as the 2nd Burma Rifles.
As a result, for the 1943 Chindit operation, the battalion was expanded and broken down into reconnaissance platoons for the Chindit columns.[2] In 1944, the battalion was broken down into three detachments for attachment to Special Forces units among the Chindit force.
In 1945, the 2nd Burma Rifles was reconstituted as an infantry battalion.[2] In July 1945, the 1st battalion was re-raised in Burma. Over the following three years leading up to Burmese independence, the 3rd through 6th battalions were re-raised.
Post-Second World War
Reorganised as a conventional infantry battalion of four companies, the 2nd Burma Rifles was based at Hshiarpur in India, where it remained until August 1945. It was listed in September 1945 as being as part of an internal security and administration static command in the South Burma District. In January 1946 the battalion was transferred to
Uniform and insignia
The
The last surviving Burma Rifles Officer, Major Neville Hogan MBE noted the following further insignia distinctions from the Second World War period: Shoulder titles : rifle green with "BURMA RIFLES" in red. Collar dogs: a (male) Burmese peacock (displaying) over a title-scroll "BURMA RIFLES" in white metal (officers silver or silver gilt). Officers pips: silver for full dress, black for service dress. Black embroidered onto red worsted (after the traditions of the 60th Rifles/KRRC). Enlisted stripes & crowns: black embroidered onto rifle green worsted (after the traditions of the 95th Rifles/Rifle Brigade).
This unusual mix was noted and verified by photographs in Major Hogan's collection.[5]
Titles of the Regiment
- 70th Burma Rifles / 85th Burman Rifles
- 20th Burma Rifles
- Burma Rifles
References
- ^ a b c Rothwell, Steve (2001-10-21). "The Burma Rifles, Burma Campaign Website". Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e Rothwell, Steve (2000-09-18). "2nd Burma Rifles, Burma Campaign Website". Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ISBN 0-946771-98-7.
- ^ Rothwell, Steve (1999-01-17). "The Burma Regiment, The Burma Campaign Website". Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ a b "The Far Setting Sun". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
Sources
- The Standing Orders of the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles. Aldershot: Gale & Polden, Ltd. 1948.
- Enriquez, Colin Metcalf (1922). A Burmese Wonderland. Thacker, Spink.
- Lunt, James D (1981). Imperial Sunset: Frontier Soldiering in the 20th Century. Futura Publications. ISBN 0-354-04528-8.
- Government of British India (2000). Dress Regulations (India) 1931. Naval and Military Press. ISBN 1-84342-077-5.
- Gaylor, John (1992). Sons of John Company: the Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903-91. Tunbridge Wells: Spellmount. ISBN 0-946771-98-7.