The 109th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to 1768, when it was raised as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys.
| 109th Infantry | |
|---|---|
 A depiction of a 109th Infantry soldier (second from right) among other British Indian Army troops | |
| Active | 1768–1922 |
| Country |  British India |
| Allegiance | .svg){kind=small} East India Company (till 1858)  British Indian Army (1858–1949) British India (1858– |
| Branch | British Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Part of | Bombay Army (to 1895) Bombay Command |
| Uniform | Red; faced black |
| Engagements | Third Anglo-Mysore War Fourth Anglo-Mysore War Second Anglo-Sikh War Second Afghan War World War I |
The regiment's first action was during the Mysore Campaign in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. It was next involved in the Battle of Seringapatam in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, and next used in the Siege of Multan during the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Its last campaign in the 19th century was the Second Afghan War. During World War I it was attached to the Aden Brigade, which was formed to protect the important naval refueling point at Aden.[1]
After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single- to multi-battalion regiments.[2] In 1922, the 109th Infantry became the 4th Battalion 4th Bombay Grenadiers. After independence it was one of the regiments allocated to the Indian Army.
Predecessor names
edit- 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys - 1768
- 2nd Battalion, 1st Bombay Native Infantry - 1796
- 9th Bombay Native Infantry - 1824
- 9th Bombay Infantry - 1885
- 109th Infantry - 1903
References
editBibliography
edit- 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