| Nizam's Contingent | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1798 - 27 October 1945 |
| Allegiance |  Hyderabad State (1798-1853)Company rule in India (1853-1858)  British India (1858-1945) |
| Branch | Hyderabad State Forces  East India Company Army  British Indian Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Regiment |
The Nizam's Contingent, later Hyderabad Contingent, was a British-officered army of the Nizam of Hyderabad. [1]
The Nizam's Contingent was formed through the plan of Governor-General Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley to rid British India of French influence. On arriving in India in 1798, he effected the disbandment of the Nizam of Hyderabad's Indian units that had been under the command of the Frenchman Monsieur Raymond and officered by non-British Europeans.
The disbanded units would be formed into a British-officered army and would fight with the East India Company troops during the Mysore campaign (1790 - 1792) and their efforts at the Siege of Seringapatam against Tipu Sultan in the final battle of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War would earn approbation of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who recorded that they 'behaved well.' [2]
The Madras Presidency would have no cause to raise Irregular troops as the services of the Nizam's forces could be relied upon for support. [2]
In 1813, Sir Henry Russell, 2nd Baronet, the British Resident to the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, raised the Russell Brigade, comprising two battalions. Later, four more battalions were raised and they were known as the Berar Infantry. In addition, two battalions, known as the Elichpur Brigade, were raised by Nawab Salabat Khan, Subedar of Berar, who later formed part of the Nizam's forces. The men of the Russell Brigade were chiefly Hindus, recruited from Oudh and other parts of Uttar Pradesh.[ citation needed ]
By 1853, at the time of the signing of a treaty between the Nizam and the British, the Nizam's forces consisted of eight battalions. The East India Company assumed the responsibility for maintaining the Nizam's Contingent, renaming it the Hyderabad Contingent in exchange for rights to administer the Berar Division. The Hyderabad Contingent would serve closely alongside the Madras Army of the East India Company.
The Hyderabad Contingent would remain loyal to Company rule in India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, effectively stemming the revolt in the Carnatic and Mysore regions.
During the British Raj, the unit would see serve in Burma (1885-1887), on the North-West Frontier (1897) and in the Boxer Rebellion (1900). In 1902, seven regiments would be transferred to the British Indian Army.
On 23 October 1917, during the World War I, a Kumaon Battalion was raised at Ranikhet as the "4/39th Kumaon Rifles". In 1918, this unit was redesignated as the 1st battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles, and a second battalion was raised. These were merged with the Hyderabad Contingent into the 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1922. Some units of the regiment were demobilized after the war, but the regiment would be again expanded during the World War II.
As links with Hyderabad and Deccan lessened, calls to rename the regiment were heard. On 27 October 1945, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment was renamed the 19th Kumaon Regiment and renamed again as the Kumaon Regiment after the independence of India.
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India. An outnumbered Indian and British force, under the command of Major General Arthur Wellesley, defeated the combined Maratha army of Daulatrao Scindia and the Bhonsle Raja of Berar. The battle was Wellesley's first major victory and the one he later described as his finest accomplishment on the battlefield, even more so than his more famous victories in the Peninsular War, and his defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo.
The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles,, was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was 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.
The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wars, and is one of the highest decorated regiments of the Indian Army.
The siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British, with the allied Nizam Ali Khan, 2nd Nizam of Hyderabad and Marathas, achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. The leader of the British troops was Major General David Baird, among the lesser known allies were the Portuguese in Goa and Damaon. Tipu Sultan, the ruler after the death of his father, was killed in the action. The British restored the Wodeyar dynasty back to power after the victory through a treaty of subsidiary alliance and Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was crowned the King of Mysore. However, they retained indirect control of the kingdom's external affairs.
The Punjab Regiment is the second oldest regiment 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.
The Central India Campaign was one of the last series of actions in the Indian rebellion of 1857. The British Army and Bombay Army overcame a disunited collection of states in a single rapid campaign, although determined rebels continued a guerrilla campaign until the spring of 1859.
The 23rd Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign. It was then reformed as a division of the independent Indian Army in 1959.
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed at the time of reforms of the Indian Army after the First World War, when it moved from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The regiment saw service during the Second World War, and after Operation Polo was incorporated into the Indian Army as the Kumaon Regiment.
The 8th Light Cavalry traces its origins from the 8th King George's Own Light Cavalry which was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 26th King George's Own Light Cavalry and the 30th Lancers following a re-organisation of the Indian Cavalry Corps. Both regiments were regular cavalry units that had had long and distinguished records in the British Indian Army prior to their amalgamation. During World War II the regiment was converted into an armoured car unit and served during the Burma campaign. After India gained Independence the regiment was named 8th Light Cavalry.The regiment is the third oldest armoured regiment in India and is amongst the most highly decorated regiments in the country.
General Satyawant Mallanna Shrinagesh was an Indian military officer who served as 2nd Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 14 May 1955 till 7 May 1957. After retirement he served as the governor of Assam from 14 October 1959 to 12 November 1960 and again from 13 January 1961 to 7 September 1962. He was the governor of Andhra Pradesh from 8 September 1962 to 4 May 1964 and governor of Mysore from 4 May 1964 to 2 April 1965. He also served as principal of the Administrative Staff College of India in Hyderabad, Hyderabad State from 1957 to 1959.
The 67th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1759, when they were raised as the 8th Battalion Coast Sepoys.
The 94th Russell's Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1813, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion of the Russell Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army then after signing of a treaty with the then Governor General of India, The Nizam's Contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.
The 95th Russell's Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1813, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion of the Russell Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army, then after signing of a treaty with the then Governor-General of India, The Nizam's Contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.
The 96th Berar Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1797, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion of the Aurangabad Division for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army then after signing of a treaty with the then Governor General of India, The Nizam's Contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.
The 98th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It could trace its origins to 1788, when it was raised as the 1st Battalion of the Ellichpur Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army; then, after the signing of a treaty with the then Governor General of India, the Nizam's Contingent was renamed the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.
The 99th Deccan Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1788, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion of the Ellichpur Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regiment was part of the Nizam of Hydrabad's Army then after signing of a treaty with the then Governor General of India, The Nizam's Contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent and became part of the regular Indian Army.
The Hyderabad State Forces were the armed forces of the princely state of Hyderabad. People from both India and abroad were recruited into the Forces. Among these groups were Arab nationals like Chaush and African nationals like Siddis who now stay in Barkas and A. C. Guards areas of Hyderabad respectively. The Hyderabad cavalry was chiefly composed of Muslim castes such as Mughals, Pathans, Syeds, Sheikhs and Balochs. They were principally recruited from the Deccan, but Delhi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Sindh and Balochistan also supplied recruits to bolster ranks. These non-indigenous soldiers were known as the "Rohollas". The Hindus made a very small portion of the cavalry. The Nizam of Hyderabad also had about 1200 Sikh guards. Other battalions within the army were referred to with the suffix "-walas". Some troops were also supplied by the Europeans for the security of the Nizam.
Lieutenant-general Sir John Doveton was a British military officer in the East India Company's Madras Army.
