List of regiments of the Indian Army (1903)

This List of regiments of the Indian Army (1903) is after the Commander-in-Chief, India Lord Kitchener carried out a reform of the Indian Army. These reforms were intended to improve the Indian Army, which had been formed from the separate Bengal, Bombay and Madras armies in 1895 (replaced by the Bengal, Bombay, Madras and Punjab commands). The localisation of regiments was abolished, and in future every regiment was to have the opportunity of experiencing frontier conditions. A new method of numbering and designating regiments was introduced. The renumbering went as follows:

Contents

• Bodyguard troops
• Former Bengal Regiments
• Former Punjab Regiments
• Former Madras regiments
• Former Hyderabad regiments
• Former Bombay regiments
• Former Local Corps
• Cavalry and Infantry
• Former Madras Regiments
• Former Hyderabad Regiments
• Former Bombay Regiments
• Grkha Line
• Indian Mountain Artillery
• Engineers
• Services
• Imperial Service Troops
• Cavalry
• Artillery
• Infantry
• North West Frontier and Baluchistan
• North East Frontier and Burma
• Paramilitary
• References

By 1903, the total strength of the Indian Army was 240,000 men. They served in 39 cavalry regiments, 135 infantry battalions (including 17 Gurkha), a joint cavalry-infantry unit the Corps of Guides, three sapper regiments and 12 mountain artillery batteries. In addition to the regular Indian Army, the armies of the Princely states, and regiments of the Auxiliary force (European volunteers) could also be called on to assist in an emergency. The Princely states had 22,613 men in 20 cavalry regiments and 14 infantry battalions. The Auxiliary force could field another 40,000 men in 11 regiments of horse and 42 volunteer infantry battalions. Also available were the Frontier Militia and the Military Police, which could field 34,000 men between them.