Indian Home Guard?

[3battalion]

Hello Gents,

Can anyone ID this badge? I've taken a guess and believe it may be Indian due to the English and possibly sanskrit writing.

Thanks

Paul

[Hussar100]

To be honest I'd like to hear somebody translate the Sanskrit into English first. The actual Indian Home Guard badge is an eagle in a laurel wreath.

The HG in India isn't army btw, it is an auxiliary police force and was only formed in 1946. It had no WW2 role. It continues to this day.

[peter monahan]

Yes, the 'Home Guard' are actually an auxilliary police unit. The tiger is a fairly common motif in India, for obvious reasons, though surprisingly few units actually feature it on their badges. Judging by the apparent age and general appearance, I wonder if it might be an earlier version of the HG, perhaps organized at the state level, before the group was nationally organized in 1962.

[Hussar100]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Yes, the 'Home Guard' are actually an auxilliary police unit. The tiger is a fairly common motif in India, for obvious reasons, though surprisingly few units actually feature it on their badges. Judging by the apparent age and general appearance, I wonder if it might be an earlier version of the HG, perhaps organized at the state level, before the group was nationally organized in 1962.

Ref my bold - you could be right.

[3battalion]

Hello Peter and 'Hussar',

Thanks for your comments. I believe we've come to a general agreement that the badge is probably indian and related to the Home Guard.

I read somewhere on the forum that a book has recently been released detailing Indian badges and I wonder if this publication may shed some light on this badge?

Paul

[peter monahan]

Paul

I have a copy of Ashok Nath's new badge book, but it covers Indian Army badges of the Great War, so no joy there. As far as I'm aware there is no comprehensive work on post-'47 badges of the subcontinent. It would be a mammoth volume, especially as many of the Indian forces, both Army and paramilitary have gone through multiple reorganizations.

Just as an example, the 73rd Carnatic Infantry became 1st Battalion the Carnatic Regiment and is now the 1st Battn the Mechanized Infantry Reg't. Infact, the Guards and the Airborned regiment also contain what were the 1st Battalions of a number of older regiments. All very confusing! And while many of the units have kept their traditions and honours, multiple badges and appointments exist.

[Peter R. Moore]

Originally Posted by 3battalion

Hello Gents,

Can anyone ID this badge? I've taken a guess and believe it may be Indian due to the English and possibly sanskrit writing.

Thanks

Paul

Hi Paul,
The non-English script is in the Bengali language and may relate to Bangla Desh formerly East Pakistan and, before Independence, East Bengal. The 'Bengal' tiger's head motif was also used by the East Bengal Regiment. I can read some of the characters from which it appears that the caption is an abbreviation for "Bengal Home Guard". A closer examination would, of course, have helped to confirm this.
Best regards,
Peter R. Moore

[pinfrin]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Paul

I have a copy of Ashok Nath's new badge book, but it covers Indian Army badges of the Great War, so no joy there. As far as I'm aware there is no comprehensive work on post-'47 badges of the subcontinent. It would be a mammoth volume, especially as many of the Indian forces, both Army and paramilitary have gone through multiple reorganizations.

Just as an example, the 73rd Carnatic Infantry became 1st Battalion the Carnatic Regiment and is now the 1st Battn the Mechanized Infantry Reg't. Infact, the Guards and the Airborned regiment also contain what were the 1st Battalions of a number of older regiments. All very confusing! And while many of the units have kept their traditions and honours, multiple badges and appointments exist.

A (Quick) Reference Manual on the IA (ISBN 81 7510 114 8 pub. 2000 pgs. 222) . The author's Acks. and Introduction a must read.