Active 1824-1922 Branch Army | Country Indian Empire Type Infantry | |
Part of Bengal Army (to 1895)
Bengal Command Colors Red; faced green
1870 French grey, 1891 yellow | ||
The 44th Merwara Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1824, when the Sylhet Light Infantry was raised. This first 44th eventually became the 44th Gurkhas and later 8th Gurkha Rifles.
The Mhairwara Local Battalion became a civil unit in 1861, but returned to a military role as the Mhairwara Battalion in 1871. It became the 44th Merwara Infantry in 1903, after the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army. During World War I the regiment was part of the 12th Indian Division and took part in the Battle of Shaiba, the Battle of Khafajiya and the Battle of Nasiriya in the Mesopotamia Campaign.
Further reforms of the army were undertaken after World War I and nine single battalion regiments were disbanded. The 44th Merwara Infantry being one of the nine and were disbanded on 20 June 1921.