9th Bhopal Infantry
| 9th Bhopal Infantry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1859 - 1922 |
| Country | British India |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 4 Battalions |
| Nickname(s) | Bo-Peeps; Haidris |
| Uniform | Drab; faced chocolate |
| Engagements |
Indian Mutiny 1857-58 Second Afghan War 1878-80 First World War 1914-18 |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | Nawab of Bhopal |
The 9th Bhopal Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1859, as the Bhopal Levy. It was designated as the 9th Bhopal Infantry in 1903 and became 4th Battalion (Bhopal) 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 17th Battalion The Punjab Regiment.
The regiment could trace its origins to 1818, when it was raised at Sehore, as a mixed force of infantry and cavalry by the State of Bhopal for service with the British. It was known as the Bhopal Contingent and was employed to keep peace in the lawless regions of Central India. Following the upheaval of the Indian Mutiny, the contingent was reorganized by Lieutenant Colonel James Travers, VC, as the Bhopal Levy in May 1859. In 1865, it was redesignated as the Bhopal Battalion. In 1878, the battalion participated in the Second Afghan War, where it operated on the Line of Communication.
Subsequent to the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903, the Bhopal Battalion's designation was changed to 9th Bhopal Infantry. During the First World War, the 9th Bhopal Infantry was dispatched to France in 1914. The regiment suffered heavy losses at the Battles of Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, Givenchy and the Second Ypres. In 1915, they arrived in Mesopotamia, where they were engaged in fierce fighting on the Tigris Front. Sepoy Chatta Singh was awarded the Victoria Cross for exceptional valour at the Battle of Wadi on 13 January 1916. By the time the regiment returned home in March 1919, only fifteen men remained of those who had sailed for France in 1914. The 9th Bhopal Infantry raised three more battalions, which were disbanded after the war.
...
Wikipedia