125th Napier's Rifles

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125th Napier's Rifles
Four Punjabi Muslims of the 125th Napier's Rifles, by A. C. Lovett (1911)[1]
Active1820–1922
CountryIndian Empire
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry
Part ofBombay Army (to 1895)
Bombay Command
ColorsRed; faced pale yellow, 1882 yellow
1890Green; faced red, 1898 scarlet
EngagementsMeanee, Hyderabad, Central India, ABYSSINIA,BURMA 1885-87

The 125th Napier's Rifles was an

infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. At various points in history it was also known as the 1st Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry, the 25th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry (1826–1889) and the 25th Bombay Rifles. Amalgamated with five other regiments in 1922, it is now the 5th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles
. The Battalion celebrated its bicentenary on 17 Feb 2020. The Battalion is now known as 5th Battalion the Rajputana Rifles (Napiers) or 5 RAJ RIF.

History

Origins

The regiment traced its origins to the 1st Extra Battalion of Bombay Native Infantry, raised in 1820 out of the Poona Auxiliary Force as part of the

Honourable East India Company's Bombay Army. In 1826, this battalion was elevated into a separate regiment called 'The 25th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry'.[2][3]

After serving in

Battle of Meeanee, a bond was cemented between Napier and the regiment, which sixty years later was given his name.[2][4][5] Napier later wrote: "The 25th played a distinguished part in the engagement. Had the 22nd (The Queen's Regiment) and the 25th given way, all would have been lost."[2]

During the

W. F. F. Waller, organized a surprise attack by night on the Gwalior Fort, their party succeeding in breaking open a number of gates and, after hand-to-hand fighting, taking the fort. Rose was killed, but for his part in the action Waller was awarded the Victoria Cross.[2]

In a despatch dated 5 September 1858, the regiment's commanding officer Lt Col. G. H. Robertson reported from a camp near

Beejapoor that he had led a column of the 25th with men of other units out of Powree on 27 August in pursuit of Maun Singh, on the 29th engaged a party of Singh's infantry, and early on 5 September arrived near Beejapoor where he caught up with Singh, attacked him at 5.15 and had routed him by 7 a.m., destroying "at least 450 mutineers". Robertson reported only four of his men killed, and twenty men and fifteen horses wounded. He recommended Havildars Ram Lal (10th Bengal Light Infantry) and Dowlut Sing of the 25th "to the consideration of the Brigadier-General commanding" as they had "acted as spies and risked their lives in procuring information in a country where Maun Sing's influence is paramount". On the advice of Brigadier-General Sir Robert Napier, commanding the Gwalior Division, the Commander in Chief recommended that the two Havildars should receive the Order of Merit, 3rd class, "for their exertions in procuring intelligence of the movements of the enemy".[6]

Captain W. Rice of the 25th Bombay Native Infantry, commanding the Goonah Column, wrote from camp at

Arone to Sir Robert Napier on 23 December 1858 to report the success of his men, after a moonlight march through dense jungle, in breaking up the camp near Sypoor of rebels led by Feroz Shah, capturing "100 horses, several camels, and many arms", causing the enemy to "flee with the utmost despatch, and seek shelter among the dense foliage, on all sides around their position". Napier wrote to the Chief of the Staff on Christmas Day of this action "Although they did not lose many men killed, the capture of their horses and property must tend greatly to cripple and break up the party. I hear that two of the elephants were left in the Arone jungles, and may be recovered; there are, therefore, only two remaining with the enemy.[7]

In 1861 the unit was constituted as a Light Infantry regiment, and in 1889 it was renamed 'The 25th Regiment (3rd Battalion Rifle Regiment) of Bombay Infantry', then in 1901 'The 25th Bombay Rifles'.[3][8]

After the Mutiny, the regiment went on to serve in

Kitchener Reforms) gave it the new name; '125th Napier's Rifles'.[2][3]

First World War

During the

German and Ottoman
opponents.

At the outbreak of the war, the regiment was an unbrigaded unit of the

21st (Bareilly) Brigade, the regiment sailed from Marseilles[13] to go to Mesopotamia, landing at Basra on 31 December 1915 and taking part in the attempt to relieve the besieged garrison of Kut al Amara. It proceeded under Allenby to Palestine, and arrived at Suez on 13 January 1918.[14]

The unit suffered some problems and criticism during the First World War. A Rajput officer of the Indian Army, Amar Singh, who kept a diary in English from 1905 to 1921, paid particular attention to the regiment's wartime role. This diary was published in 2005 as Between Two Worlds: A Rajput Officer in the Indian Army, 1905–21.[15]

Later

In a further reorganization of the Indian Army in 1921–1922, the regiment was amalgamated with the 104th Wellesley's Rifles, 120th Rajputana Infantry, 122nd Rajputana Infantry and 123rd Outram's Rifles to become one of the six battalions of the new 6th Rajputana Rifles.[16] The 125th was renamed 'The 5th Battalion (Napier's)'.

In 1945, the regiments of the British Indian Army lost the numerals in their titles, and the Rajputanas arrived at their present name of

Empire of India gained independence from the British Empire and was partitioned into the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan, the regiment was allocated to India and is now the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army
.

Names

  • 1820–1826: 1st Extra Battalion of Bombay Native Infantry
  • 1826–1889: 25th Regiment of Bombay Native (Light) Infantry, or 25th Bombay Native Infantry
  • 1889–1901: 25th Regiment (3rd Battalion Rifle Regiment) of Bombay Infantry
  • 1901–1903: 25th Bombay Rifles
  • 1903–1922: 125th Napier's Rifles
Successor unit
  • 1922–1945: 5th (Napier's) Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles
  • 1945–: 5th Battalion (Napier’s),
    The Rajputana Rifles

Notable Soldiers

Battle Honours

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "INDIA. 125th Napier rifle Subedar-Maj Jat Jaipur Havildar Punjabi Musalman 1911". 1911.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-81-7023-140-0) page 99
    at books.google.co.uk, accessed 4 August 2008
  3. ^ a b c d e 125th Napier's Rifles at britishempire.co.uk, accessed 3 August 2008
  4. ^ General Charles Napier and the Conquest of Sind at victorianweb.org
  5. ^ Napier, Priscilla, I Have Sind: Charles Napier in India, 1841-1844 (Michael Russell Publishing, 1990)
  6. London Gazette, issue 22224 (31 January 1859) page 360,page 361 and page 362
    , accessed 4 August 2008
  7. London Gazette, issue 22251 (18 April 1859) page 1569
    , accessed 4 August 2008
  8. ^ Sharma, Gautam, op. cit. page 100 at books.google.co.uk, accessed 4 August 2008
  9. ^ Army 1914 Archived 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine at orbat.com, accessed 3 August 2008
  10. ^ Lahore Division at 1914–1918.net, accessed 3 August 2008
  11. ^ Battle of Loos at 1914–1918.net
  12. ^ Preparations for the Battle of Loos Archived 10 July 2012 at archive.today at virgin.net, accessed 3 August 2008
  13. ^ Admiralty, Transport Department: Correspondence and Papers (1915) ref. MT 23/376 at nationalarchives.gov.uk, accessed 4 August 2008:"Ships utilised for Conveyance of Indian Troops. 69th and 89th Punjabis from Egypt to Marseilles, the 9th Bhopal Infantry and 125th Napier's Rifles from Marseilles."
  14. ^ Meerut Division Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at 1914-1918.net, accessed 3 August 2008
  15. ISBN 0-7618-3113-4
    ), pages 152, 184, and Chapter 9
  16. ^ The Rajputana Rifles Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine at bharat-rakshak.com, accessed 4 August 2008

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