Seen & Unseen military images of Indian subcontinent of the past

[third eye]

The King’s Indian Orderly Officers

In 1903, the Viceroy of India issued a General Order establishing the annual appointment of Indian Orderly Officers to act as the King’s honorary bodyguard in the UK. Each year four officers from the Indian Army were selected by the Commander in Chief to attend the King at Court, and at any reviews or ceremonies that the King attended during the London season. When in London, the Indian Orderly Officers (IOOs) were looked after by a British Officer, who would take them to be fitted for their ceremonial uniforms, show them around London, accompany them on their official engagements and generally see that they had everything they needed during their stay.

1911: Major L C Jones, 5th Cavalry; Subadar Major Bahadur Ali Khan, 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force); Rissaldar Major Malik Sher Bahadur Khan, 26th King George's Own Light Cavalry; Rissaldar Major Abdul Karim Khan, 30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse); Subadar Major Muhammad Ismail, 32nd Mountain Battery.

1909: The photograph shows (from left): Major P Holland-Pryor, 13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers (Watson's Horse); Rissaldar Major Hanwant Singh, 3rd Skinner's Horse; Rissaldar Mangal Singh, 16th Cavalry; Subadar Major Rekha Ram, 6th Jat Light Infantry, and Subadar Major Prem Singh, 32nd Sikh Pioneers.

1919 : The officers shown are: Captain G van R Reyne, 1st Battalion, 76th Punjabis; Rissaldar Kunda Singh, 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) Daly's Horse; Rissaldar Hargyan Singh, 14th Murray's Jat Lancers; Subadar Major Dalpat Singh, 1st Battalion, 6th Light Infantry; Subadar Fateh Singh, 24th Punjabis.

 

[third eye]

JAPAN'S SURRENDER DAY AT SINGAPORE. 12 SEPTEMBER 1945, SINGAPORE. THE JAPANESE FORCES SURRENDER TO THE SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, ADMIRAL LORD LOUIS MOUNTBATTEN. THE SIGNING TOOK PLACE IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING AFTER ADMIRAL MOUNTBATTEN HAD RECEIVED THE GENERAL SALUTE FROM THE TROOPS MASSED ON THE PADANG AND HAD INSPECTED THE GUARD OF HONOUR SUPPLIED BY THE 5TH INDIAN DIVISION.

The Japanese representatives arriving under a mixed Services guard

 

[third eye]

Re Occupation of the Andamans.1945

Members of the Japanese military delegation salute Lieutenant Colonel Thakur Nathu Singh, commanding officer of the Rajput Regiment, after they arrived on board HMS ROCKSAND to arrange for the British occupation of the islands.

 

[third eye]

“Sikh trooper, Shanghai Municipal Police, Shanghai, 1937”

Prior to 1949 several foreign communities residing in Shanghai’s international settlement configured its multifaceted history. One such community was that of soldierly Sikhs. They were engaged as Shanghai Municipal policemen, watchmen, troopers manning traffic intersections and providing security. In 1900 British Indian army regiments were transported to China to quell the Boxer uprising. For almost fifty years the Sikhs impacted Shanghai’s landscape always inviting attention for their stalwart appearance and mighty flame red turbans.

 

[tiloor habura]

Good to find this beautiful thread which has alived the soldiers of the past , taking an opportunity to share few old record of history preserved in my family , any information shared about the units will be a great favour ,however unable to post the pics, Regards

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

3rd Sikh Infantry :Officers in Various Dress Orders, 1900

This interesting group shows Indian officers in full dress and the rather wider choice of uniform modelled by four British officers. The Lieutenant sitting on the right is in full dress. The tunic and breeches are drab with black collar, cuffs, light between the two silk trouser stripes and the thin line above the pagri on his helmet. His brown leather pouchbelt has silver fittings.

Next to him sits a 2nd Lieutenant in a drab patrol jacket and plain, unstriped breeches. The patrol jacket is not so tight fitting as the fulldress tunic and differs in the cuff design and the lack of caps on the 'drops' at the end of the five rows of braid. He has a drab pillbox cap decorated with drab silk braid and lace.

Behind them stand two officers in service dress, sam browne belts, breeches and puttees. One carries a helmet without the silver spike and the other, a captain with two medal ribbons, wears a black and drab service cap. This has a small boss on the front of drab silk with a silver bugle-horn on it.

The Indian officers wear drab turbans with black ends edged with an orange fringe. Their pouchbelts have a badge or breastplate like the British officers but they seem less sure what to do with their chains.

The soldiers in Kula are Panjabi musalmans.

 

[Gibbs]

Brilliant thread @third eye

Not sure if Ceylon actually constitute to Sub Continent but still a shared British military heritage so

Few images of Ceylon light infantry and Ceylon rifles regiment


Victorian era Ceylon Rifle Regiment Helmet Plate brass metal. The unit was a regular native

Malay regiment of Ceylon

Ceylon rifles

Ceylon mounted rifles cap badge

Ceylon planters rifles corps badge

British; (Ceylon Light Infantry) & Cape Town highlanders

 

[third eye]

A Second World War recruitment poster from Ceylon, reminiscent of the famous First World War poster showing Field Marshal Lord Kitchener demanding the viewer to join up.

 

[PDF]

Rawalpindi

 

[third eye]

Indian troops pass bomb shattered buildings on the outskirts of Cassino, Italy, 1944

 

[third eye]

Risaldar-Major Ali Muhammad Khan, 2nd Bengal Lancers ( Gardners Horse ( 2nd Lancers) Indian Army)

Ca: About 1897

Risaldar-Major Ali Muhammad Khan was an Imperial Service Officer. He was one of the soldiers in the Indian contingent which came to England for the Diamond Jubilee. Here he is in uniform and his badges include the Egypt medal 1882-9

 

[third eye]

Risaldar-Major Kishan Singh, Nabha Lancers
Ca : Before 2 August 1897

Kishan Singh is depicted in uniform with the Jubilee medal. A Risaldar-Major was a Commander of a risala (mounted troop). He was one of the soldiers in the Indian contingent which came to England for the Diamond Jubilee.

Nabha was one among the smaller Cis- Sutlej States of The Punjab

 

[axisofevil]

The martial races theory was based on the racist assumption that certain Indian peoples were more martially inclined than others. The geography and culture of these peoples supposedly had common characteristics, such as hilly and mountainous terrain, a basis as hunting or agricultural societies and a history of warfare.

These groups were also said to be politically subservient and docile to authority. Most came from northern India, including the Moslems of the Punjab. Unlike the martial races, the inhabitants of southern and eastern India were supposedly unwarlike, unfit for military services and prone to political agitation.

A divide and conquer tactic. Folks from the South were fighting back the Europeans and tried to work with them whenever possible...

 

[Well.wisher]

Rewa State Elephant Car

A Non issue really for me

Wow elephant car ..
Thats beautiful .
I read in ancient india stories when we used to travel on taangas , elephants cahse there were no cars available.. i miss that.

 

[axisofevil]

Nairs,Coorgs we're undisciplined and considered non Martials .. They were considered warriors but after bad experiences with them the recruitment was cancelled..

People still think that the British didn't recruit bangalis because they fought/mutinied against them.. Yet bangalis were never recruited and even the bangal army comprised of Awadh Muslims,Brahmans and Rajputs.

I'm not inventing anything from my own self .. David Omissi is the official historian of British army.. His book details everything from the particular habits of races down,their habits and down to recruitment at platoon or company level. With data collected from official British Indian army records,testimonies of British officers etc...

Be my guest and buy the book or find it at a library.

Nairs were the only Indians to single handedly defeat an European power with no foreign help. They defeated the Dutch so badly, they never came back to Kerala. They were very disciplined, don't believe the foreign BS. As for marital races LOL....If you believe this garbage and cannot decipher the reasoning for these categories, then good luck to you.

Xryhtyv


You don't think so doesn't change history nor does a members post.. I'm not inventing facts out of thin air rather giving you official records .. The Coorgs were homesick and deserts among having other disciplinary issues.. Nairs were again same .. And all were considered lacking in courage and mellow... That stereotype exists even today in your own country about south indians..




The British ruled modern day day (minus Punjab) for over 200 years ... Without a hiccup .. Your revolt doesn't even find space in history books...

Compare that to the ever turbulent and non controllable history of Balochistan,FATA or KPK.. Where British couldn't even control the areas .. And still the recruited heavily from these area..



The Japanese also banned kungfu in occupied China.. So did the British in many colonies of theirs... Do you think people with canons and rifles are scared of martial arts ?

You just revealed how clueless you are.


You really think British ruled India without any revolts? Totally clueless..


British could never truly take over and colonize China because their ppl never worked with the European powers against China. Chin had sufficient time to establish a cultural identity free of any religion. There was no interference from any foreign power for 100's of years.

India on the other hand was fragmented and fighting a 700yr Jihad that was not successful.

Corgis and Nairs were pretty damn good fighters. The only issue is that once the Europeans were able to establish dominance and crushed every little known resistance. Then subjected the ppl to tremendous hardships to break their back over the course of 200 yrs very systematically, the fighting nature died out amongst these ppl who eventually settled into farming.


Same reason why the Northwest was powder keg, the British failed to establish dominance. The land was worthless. the only reason they even stepped in and got involved, was to curb Russian influenece.