Indian Army, 1939
v.1.0 March 11, 2001
Thic opyright list is by Dr. Graham Watson.
This list is based on the Indian Army List of July 1939. It provides titles of units and locations for that date. Units marked with an * are those which had undergone or were undergoing the process of ‘Indianisation’ by which their British officers were being replaced by Indian officers. Under plans announced in 1923, this process would extend to the whole Indian Army and be complete by 1967.
Cavalry
Cavalry regiments were organised into three administrative groups, with one regiment in each group permanently allocated the depot and training role for the group. By 1939 a few regiments had been mechanised but the rest retained their horses.
|
1st GROUP |
|
|
1st Skinner’s Horse [mech 1939] |
Bannu |
|
2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) [mech 1939] |
Jullundur |
|
3rd Cavalry * |
Jubbulpore |
|
15th Lancers (Depot Regiment) |
Jhansi |
|
16th Light Cavalry * |
Peshawar |
|
17th Poona Horse |
Poona |
|
18th King Edward VII’s Own Cavalry |
Meerut |
|
2nd GROUP |
|
|
4th Hodson’s Horse |
Lorelai |
|
5th Probyn’s Horse |
Risalpur |
|
10th Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) |
Quetta |
|
11th Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) |
Sialkot |
|
12th Sam Browne's Cavalry (Depot Regiment) |
Ferozepore |
|
13th Duke of Connaught’s Lancers [mech 1938] |
Peshawar |
|
14th Scinde Horse mech 1938 |
Rawalpindi |
|
3rd GROUP |
|
|
6th Duke of Connaught’s Lancers |
Delhi |
|
7th Light Cavalry * |
Bolarum |
|
8th King George’s Own Light Cavalry |
Kohat |
|
9th Royal Deccan Horse |
Quetta |
|
19th King George’s Own Lancer |
Lahore |
|
20th Lancer (Depot Regiment) |
Lucknow |
|
21st Central India Horse [mech 1939] |
Meerut |
|
Artillery The previously independent mountain batteries had been grouped together into six mountain regiments. |
|
|
20th Mountain Regiment |
Quetta |
|
22 Mountain Battery |
Quetta |
|
23 Mountain Battery |
Quetta |
|
24 Mountain Battery |
Quetta |
|
25 Mountain Battery |
Fort Sandeman |
|
21st Mountain Regiment |
Peshawar |
|
1 Royal (Kohat) Mountain Battery |
Peshawar |
|
6 (Jacob’s) Mountain Battery |
Nowshera |
|
9 (Murree) Mountain Battery |
Peshawar |
|
14 (Rajputana) Mountain Battery |
Landi kotal |
|
22nd Mountain Regiment |
Ambala |
|
4 (Hazara) Mountain Battery |
Dehra Dun |
|
7 (Bengal) Mountain Battery |
Dehra Dun |
|
10 (Abbottabad) Mountain Battery |
Ambala |
|
21 Mountain Battery |
Ambala |
|
23rd Mountain Regiment |
Razmak |
|
3 (Peshawar) Mountain Battery |
Razmak |
|
8 (Lahore) Mountain Battery |
Razmak |
|
12 (Poonch) Mountain Battery |
Razmak |
|
17 (Nowshera) Mountain Battery |
Wana |
|
24th Mountain Regiment |
Kohat |
|
11 (Dehra Dun) Mountain Battery |
Kohat |
|
16 (Zhob) Mountain Battery |
Rawalpindi |
|
18 (Sohan) Mountain Battery |
Mi Ali |
|
20 Mountain Battery |
Thal |
|
25th Mountain Regiment |
Abbottabad |
|
5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery |
Abbottabad |
|
13 (Dardoni) Mountain Battery |
Abbottabad |
|
15 (Jhelum) Mountain Battery |
Abbottabad |
|
19 (Maymyo) Mountain Battery |
Rawalpindi |
|
Independent Batteries |
|
|
2 (Derajat) Mountain Battery |
Maymyo |
Sapper and Miners
King George V’s Own Bengal Sappers & Miners Roorkee (depot)
|
1 Field Company |
Peshawar |
|
2 Field Company |
Nowshera |
|
3 Field Company |
Wana |
|
4 Field Company |
Roorkee |
|
5 Field Company |
Rawalpindi |
|
6 Army Troops Company |
Roorkee |
|
7 Company –not yet formed |
|
|
8 Army Troops Company |
Roorkee |
|
31 Field Troop |
Risalpur |
|
35 Field Troop |
Roorkee |
|
41 Divisional HQ Company |
Rawlpindi |
|
43 Divisional HQ Company |
Roorkee |
|
Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sappers & Miners |
Bangalore (depot) |
|
9 Field Company |
Wana |
|
10 Field Company |
Razmak |
|
11 Army Troops Company |
Bangalore |
|
12 Field Company |
Bangalore |
|
13 Field Company |
Mandalay |
|
14 Field Company |
Bangalore |
|
15 Field Company * |
Bangalore |
|
16 Army Troops Company |
Wana |
|
44 Divisional HQ Company |
Bangalore |
|
Royal Bombay Sappers & Miners |
Kirkee(depot) |
|
17 Field Company |
Wana |
|
18 Field Company |
Kirkee |
|
19 Field Company |
Quetta |
|
20 Field Company |
Kirkee |
|
21 Field Company |
Kirkee |
|
22 Field Company * |
Kohat |
|
42 Divisional HQ Company |
Quetta |
Signals
|
‘A’ Corps Signals |
Rawlpindi |
|
‘B’ Corps Signals |
Karachi |
|
1st Indian Divisional Signals |
Rawalpindi |
|
Western District Signals |
Quetta |
|
3rd Indian Divisional Signals |
Meerut |
|
4th Indian Divisional Signals |
Trimulgherry |
|
Peshawar District Signals |
Peshawar |
|
Waziristan District Signals |
Dera Ismail Khan |
|
Kohat District Signals |
Kohat |
|
1st Cavalry Brigade Signal Troop |
Risalpur |
|
3rd Cavalry Brigade Signal Troop |
Meerut |
|
4th Cavalry Brigade Signal Troop |
Trimulgherry |
|
Indian Army Signal School |
Poona |
Infantry
Infantry Battalions were grouped into 18 regiments, each of which had a training battalion which was designated the 10th Bn, and several active battalions.
|
1ST PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Cannanore |
|
2nd Bn* |
Multan |
|
3rd Bn |
Jhansi |
|
4th Bn –disbanded |
|
|
5th Bn |
Jullundur |
|
2ND PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Jubbulpore |
|
2nd Bn |
Manzai |
|
3rd Bn |
Lucknow |
|
4th Bn –disbanded January 1939 |
|
|
5th Bn* |
Secunderabad |
|
3RD MADRAS REGIMENT |
|
|
Regiment had been disbanded –was not reformed until 1941 |
|
|
4TH BOMBAY GRENADIERS |
|
|
1st Bn |
Midnapore |
|
2nd Bn |
Rawlpindi |
|
5TH MAHRATTA LIGHT INFANTRY |
|
|
1st Bn |
Mir Ali |
|
2nd Bn |
Delhi |
|
3rd Bn |
Bombay |
|
4th Bn |
Nowshera |
|
5th Bn* |
Fort Sandeman |
|
6TH RAJPUTANA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Ahmednagar |
|
2nd Bn |
Kohat |
|
3rd Bn |
Peshawar |
|
4th Bn |
Jhansi |
|
5th Bn* |
Hong Kong |
|
7TH RAJPUT REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn* |
Kamptee |
|
2nd Bn |
Razmak |
|
3rd Bn |
Hyderabad |
|
4th Bn |
Aurangabad |
|
5th Bn |
Mhow |
|
8TH PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Fatehgarh |
|
2nd Bn |
Rawlpindi |
|
3rd Bn |
Wana |
|
4th Bn |
Peshawar |
|
5th Bn |
Kohat |
|
9TH JAT REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Drosh |
|
2nd Bn |
Chaman |
|
3rd Bn |
Bara Fort |
|
10TH BALUCH REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Jhelum |
|
2nd Bn |
Fyzabad |
|
3rd Bn |
Razmak |
|
4th Bn |
Fort Sandeman |
|
5th Bn* |
Ferozepore |
|
11TH SIKH REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Chittagong |
|
2nd Bn |
Nowshera |
|
3rd Bn |
Allahabad |
|
4th Bn |
Landi Kotal |
|
5th Bn* |
Razmak |
|
12TH FRONTIER FORCE REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Bannu |
|
2nd Bn |
Lansdowne |
|
3rd Bn |
Baroda |
|
4th Bn* |
Fort Salop |
|
5th Bn |
Mardan |
|
13TH FRONTIER FORCE RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Fort Lockhart |
|
2nd Bn |
St Thomas Mount |
|
3rd Bn –not formed |
|
|
4th Bn |
Kohat |
|
5th Bn |
Kohat |
|
6th Bn* |
Secunderabad |
|
14TH PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn* |
Bannu |
|
2nd Bn |
Dacca |
|
3rd Bn |
Ambala |
|
4th Bn |
Peshawar |
|
5th Bn |
Poona |
|
15TH PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Alipore |
|
2nd Bn |
Thal |
|
3rd Bn |
Jhansi |
|
4th Bn |
Shagai |
|
16TH PUNJAB REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Jhelum |
|
2nd Bn |
Delhi |
|
3rd Bn |
Karachi |
|
4th Bn |
Poona |
|
17TH DOGRA REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Jhelum |
|
2nd Bn |
Taiping |
|
3rd Bn |
Lahore |
|
18TH ROYAL GARWHAL RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Wana |
|
2nd Bn |
Lansdowne |
|
3rd Bn |
Chaman |
|
19th HYDERABAD REGIMENT |
|
|
1st Bn |
Ahmednagar |
|
2nd Bn |
Peshawar |
|
3rd Bn –disbanded |
|
|
4th Bn* |
Secunderabad |
|
20TH BURMA RIFLES This regiment was transferred to the Burma establishment in 1937 |
|
|
1st KING GEORGE V’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES (THE MALAUN REGIMENT) |
|
|
1st Bn |
Dharamsk |
|
2nd Bn |
Razmak |
|
2ND KING EDWARD VII’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES (THE SIRMOOR RIFLES) |
|
|
1st Bn |
Fort Sandeman |
|
2nd Bn |
Dehra Dun |
|
3RD QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Almora |
|
2nd Bn |
Wana |
|
4TH PRINCE OF WALES’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Bannu |
|
2nd Bn |
Loralai |
|
5TH ROYAL GURKHA RIFLES (FRONTIER FORCE) |
|
|
1st Bn |
Abbottbad |
|
2nd Bn |
Landi Kotal |
|
6TH GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Malakand |
|
2nd Bn |
Abbottbad |
|
7TH GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Shillong |
|
2nd Bn |
Shillong |
|
8TH GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Razmak |
|
2nd Bn |
Wana |
|
9TH GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Dehra Dun |
|
2nd Bn |
Dehra Dun |
|
10TH GURKHA RIFLES |
|
|
1st Bn |
Quetta |
|
2nd Bn |
Quetta |