Indian badge selection

[High Wood]

Here are a few more of the Indian military badges that I picked up on my trip to India.

Amongst them are:

101st Grenadiers ?

Calcutta Light Horse, collar badge

Indian overseas service badge

6th King Edward's Own Cavalry, shoulder title

East Indian Railway Volunteer Corps, shoulder title.

Gwalior Infantry, button

Gwalior Transport, button

Gwalior Lancers, button

[High Wood]

Close up of the 101st Grenadiers badge. I am not entirely sure that this badge is the 101st Grenadiers as the flames are a different shape from the illustration in Reginald H W Cox's Military badges. The badge lacks a slider.

[Tinto]

Hi High Wood,
I posted a similar query a while back and was informed by revdougal, a Forum member, that:
This is the badge of 4th Bombay Grenadiers, introduced in 1944.It replaced a Grenade with the figure "4" thereupon.
The Horse badge is taken from that of 101st Grenadiers (1903-22) - see Cox 2532.
After Independence the same badge was/is worn by The Grenadiers.
Cheers, Tinto
P.S. Pictures attached

[High Wood]

Tinto,

thank you for the information. I notice that your badge appears to be cast rather than die stamped.


Here is a close up of the Calcutta Light Horse badge.

[Artynut]

Hello High Wood. Your mention of and showing of the badge of the Calcutta Light Horse reminded me of an extremely interesting and enjoyable book by James Leasor entitled "Boarding Party" sub-titled "the last action of the Calcutta Light Horse. Not to give the story away but suffice to say it involves the CLH against three German ships in late 1942.....A MUST read!.Regards, David J.

[High Wood]

Here are the Gwalior buttons. Gwalior was an "independent" princely Indian state that supported the British Indian Army during the Great War. The buttons were made in Aligarh

[High Wood]

Here is the 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry shoulder title.

[peter monahan]

Originally Posted by Artynut

Hello High Wood. Your mention of and showing of the badge of the Calcutta Light Horse reminded me of an extremely interesting and enjoyable book by James Leasor entitled "Boarding Party" sub-titled "the last action of the Calcutta Light Horse. Not to give the story away but suffice to say it involves the CLH against three German ships in late 1942.....A MUST read!.Regards, David J.

Great book! Among other tidbits it remarks that the unit was known at the time as the "Calcutta Tight Horse" for their familiarity with gin fizzes and other 'chota pegs'! Many Europeans in India apparently regarded the mounted units of the Auxilliary Force India as a government scheme to subsidize the cost of polo ponies. nveretheless, when called upon, the served with courage and enthusiasm.

[pinfrin]

Originally Posted by High Wood

Tinto,

thank you for the information. I notice that your badge appears to be cast rather than die stamped.


Here is a close up of the Calcutta Light Horse badge.

1. Nice CLH badge: (scroll ' Defence Not Defiance' )
2. The link also says DND for Calcutta:
http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Calcutta_Light_Horse
3. Another forum thread ( Peter Brydon ) mentions the Cawnpore
Volunteer Rifles also with text ' Defence not Defiance '
(as ref. by Gaylor - MHS Bulletin 1980)
4. Gaylor's Book (Sons of John Company) doesn't describe the
Calcutta or Cawnpore badges. [Does mention detailed lineage]
5. I picked up a Cawnpore badge (attd pic) with the Angel of the
Well. It does not have ' Defence Not Defiance ' on it.
6. Endici had sold a Badge described as Cawnpore (link below) with
' Defence not Defiance' Was that actually a Calcutta VR ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/India-Cawn...-/380629300467
7. Saw the IMHS Journal (Winter 2013) in a library. It describes a
Calcutta VR with a Bugle Badge. (Endici's badge has a bugle)
8. Perhaps Cawnpore did not have DND as for the CVR / CLH ?
Request views please. Thanks in advance.

[Wmr-RHB]

Originally Posted by Tinto

Hi High Wood,
I posted a similar query a while back and was informed by revdougal, a Forum member, that:
This is the badge of 4th Bombay Grenadiers, introduced in 1944.It replaced a Grenade with the figure "4" thereupon.
The Horse badge is taken from that of 101st Grenadiers (1903-22) - see Cox 2532.
After Independence the same badge was/is worn by The Grenadiers.
Cheers, Tinto
P.S. Pictures attached

All correct. But I like to add that I have seen a picture of a 1901 - 1922 101st Grenadiers badge that looks almost the same. The horse is a bit different (first legs off the ground), but that may be insignifficant.

And I would not be surprised when that badge was still used by the 1st Bn, 4th Bombay Grenadiers after 1922. Either allowed as special to Bn or "illegal".

[peter monahan]

Henk

I'll bet you're right about that last. Sadly, the last British Officer who served with them, and who would have known for sure, passed away last year.

[Wmr-RHB]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Henk

I'll bet you're right about that last. Sadly, the last British Officer who served with them, and who would have known for sure, passed away last year.

Indeed, we allways wait asking people with much experience in life until it is to late. Thus we, the human race, loose a lot of knowledge all the time.

[pinfrin]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Henk

I'll bet you're right about that last. Sadly, the last British Officer who served with them, and who would have known for sure, passed away last year.

there is a 1946 photo of an indian grenadiers officer
(then Capt PJE ) in 'Sons of John Company.' not too
clear but the cap badge has a horse. some more info
may turn up in the regtl histories or the GRC archives
or the IAA journal

[Wmr-RHB]

Originally Posted by pinfrin

there is a 1946 photo of an indian grenadiers officer
(then Capt PJE ) in 'Sons of John Company.' not too
clear but the cap badge has a horse. some more info
may turn up in the regtl histories or the GRC archives
or the IAA journal

As 1946 is later then when the new title and the horse badge were adopted by the whole of the regiment, he better does wear it

[David Forbes]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Great book! Among other tidbits it remarks that the unit was known at the time as the "Calcutta Tight Horse" for their familiarity with gin fizzes and other 'chota pegs'! Many Europeans in India apparently regarded the mounted units of the Auxilliary Force India as a government scheme to subsidize the cost of polo ponies. nveretheless, when called upon, the served with courage and enthusiasm.

My father was a member of the Calcutta Light Horse before WW2. During the war he served with the 5th Royal Artillery in Malaya, up to the fall of Singapore. I have a badge identical to the one you posted and an enamelled brooch.
A movie was made about the wartime exploits of the members of the CLH who were too old to be in active service, called the Sea Wolves.