3rd Madras Regiment

Last updated

3rd Madras Regiment
Active19221947
Country British Raj Red Ensign.svg British India
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  British Empire
Branch British Raj Red Ensign.svg British Indian Army
Type Infantry
Size Regiment

The 3rd Madras Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed after the World War I reforms of the Indian Army. The infantry regiments were converted into large regiments with four or five battalions in each regiment plus a training battalion, always numbered the 10th. The regiment was later disbanded for economic reasons. The 3rd and 4th Battalions were disbanded in 1923, the 2nd and 10th in 1926 and the 1st in 1928.

Formation

It was due to the 'spirited advocacy' of the then Governor of Madras Sir Arthur Hope, that the 3rd Madras Regiment was restored to the Army List in 1941 ; the old 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th Territorial battalions were converted into regular units, becoming the 1st to 4th Battalions of the reconstituted Regiment, with the Regimental Centre at Madukkarai (Coimbatore). Hectic training activity commenced and several other battalions were raised.

The 4th Battalion joined the War at Imphal in 1943 and distinguished itself in the fierce fighting that ensued in Tamu in March 1944. Capt RS Noronha tenaciously held his company defences for sixteen days against repeated attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, for which he was awarded Military Cross. He was again instrumental in launching a feint attack to relieve pressure on 19 Inf Div bridge-head for which he was awarded a Bar to Military Cross.

In October 1945, all the Infantry Regiments of the Indian Army (barring Punjab) shed their numbers and the 3rd Madras Regiment became simply The Madras Regiment. At the time of Independence it had four battalions, 1st to 4th, with the Regimental Centre having shifted in 1946 to Trichinapally.

Regiments that joined: [1]

Citations

  1. "Indian Army through the Ages. By <italic>Gautam Sharma</italic>. (Bombay: Allied Publishers Private, Ltd. 1966. Pp. 311. Rs. 26.50.)". The American Historical Review. July 1967. doi:10.1086/ahr/72.4.1462. ISSN   1937-5239.

Related Research Articles

10th Princess Marys Own Gurkha Rifles British and British Indian Army unit

The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles,, was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was first formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition. It took part in a number of campaigns on the Indian frontiers during the 19th and early 20th centuries, before fighting in the First World War, the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the Second World War. Following India's independence in 1947, the regiment was one of four Gurkha regiments to be transferred to the British Army. In the 1960s it was active in the Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation. It was amalgamated with the other three British Gurkha regiments to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994.

Punjab Regiment (India) Military unit

The Punjab Regiment is the second oldest regiments still in service in the Indian Army, and is the most senior regional infantry regiment. It was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1947 and has taken part in various battles and wars since, winning numerous honours for the same.

Madras Regiment Regiment in the Indian Army

The Madras Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment of the Indian Army, originating in the 1750s. The regiment took part in numerous campaigns with both the British Indian Army and the post-independence Indian Army.

Kings Shropshire Light Infantry Military unit

The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 1968, the four regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade amalgamated to form The Light Infantry, with the 1st KSLI being redesignated as the 3rd Battalion of the new regiment.

1st Punjab Regiment Former infantry regiment of the armies of British India and Pakistan

The 1st Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamated with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab regiments to form the Punjab Regiment, an existing infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army.

Baloch Regiment Infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army

The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to 57 active battalions. The Baloch Regiment is descended from the infantry of the old British Indian Army and is named after Balochistan. Before 1991, it was called the Baluch Regiment but the spelling was changed to 'Baloch' to better reflect the correct pronunciation.

A pioneer is a soldier employed to perform engineering and construction tasks. The term is in principle similar to sapper or combat engineer.

8th Punjab Regiment Former infantry regiment of the armies of British India and Pakistan

The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.

14th Punjab Regiment Former regiment of the armies of British India and Pakistan

The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment.

The 9th (Secunderabad) Division was an infantry division formation of the British Indian Army. It was part of the Southern Army and was formed in 1904 after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale reforms, including merging the three armies of the Presidencies into a unified force and forming higher level formations, eight army divisions, and brigading Indian and British units. Following Kitchener's reforms, the British Indian Army became "the force recruited locally and permanently based in India, together with its expatriate British officers."

10th Baluch Regiment Military unit

The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments. During more than a hundred years of military service, the 10th Baluch Regiment acquired a distinguished record amongst the regiments of the British Indian Army. Its list of honours and awards includes four Victoria Crosses.

62nd Punjabis Military unit

The 62nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1759 as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys, and formed part of the Madras Army. It was designated as the 62nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 1st battalion, Punjab Regiment. It is the senior-most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army.

91st Punjabis (Light Infantry) Military unit

The 91st Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 91st Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 3rd Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 64th Pioneers was a regiment of the British Indian Army. Originally serving as regular infantry it evolved into a specialist military pioneer unit performing engineering and construction tasks.

The 79th Carnatic Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1777, when the 20th Carnatic Battalion was raised from sub-units of the 1st, 3rd, 8th and 16th Carnatic Battalions.

63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry Military unit

The 63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment could trace its origins to 1759, when it was raised as the 4th Battalion Coast Sepoys.

73rd Carnatic Infantry Military unit

The 73rd Carnatic Infantry was an infantry regiment originally raised in 1776 as the 13th Carnatic Battalion as part of the Presidency of Madras Army which was itself part of the Honourable East India Company Army. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct authority of the British Crown. In 1903 all three presidency armies were merged into the British Indian Army. The unit was transferred to the Indian Army upon Indian Independence.

The 80th Carnatic Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the 21st Carnatic Battalion, by enlisting men from the 2nd, the 6th, the 12th and the 15th Carnatic Battalions.

The 86th Carnatic Infantry was an infantry regiment originally raised in 1794 as the 36th Madras Native Infantry, part of the Presidency of Madras Army which was itself part of the Honourable East India Company Army. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct authority of the British Crown. In 1903 all three presidency armies were merged into the British Indian Army. The unit was disbanded before Indian Independence.