The Baloch Regiment has its origin in the former
Bombay and
Madras Armies, as well as the State Forces of
Bahawalpur.
The Madras Army In the 18th century,
British possessions in
India were divided into the '
Presidencies' of
Madras,
Bengal and
Bombay. Each presidency maintained its own army, and it was not until the end of the 19th century that a unified command was established for the British Indian Army. For more than fifty years, the
Madras Army was engaged in the struggle for control of
South India and was largely responsible for the British defeat of
Tipu Sultan and the
French. It also took an active part in the wars against the
Marathas, dispatched a number of overseas expeditions and played a major role in the conquest and pacification of
Burma. The Baloch Regiment's Madrassi origins are derived from the five battalions it inherited from the 8th Punjab Regiment in 1956. The 1st Battalion was raised in 1798 at
Masulipatam, as 3rd Extra Battalion of Madras Native Infantry, and was known as
MacLeod ki Paltan (MacLeod's Battalion) after the officer who raised it. It was designated as the 1st Battalion 15th Regiment in 1800, and 29th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry in 1824. The battalion was dispatched to
Ceylon to suppress a
rebellion of the Sinhalese in 1818. In 1832, it was stationed at
Malacca,
Malaya, when it was again engaged in suppressing a revolt in the State of
Naning. 2, 3, 4 & 5 Baloch were also raised as battalions of Madras Infantry in 1799–1800. In 1824, they were designated as the 30th, 31st, 32nd & 33rd Madras Native Infantry respectively. The 30th & 32nd Regiments took part in the
First Burma War, while the 30th, 31st & 33rd fought in the
Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817. The 31st Regiment, then known as 1st Battalion 16th Regiment (or
Trichinopoly Light Infantry), greatly distinguished itself at the
Battle of Mahidpur. It was styled as Light Infantry in 1811, as a reward for a 25-mile forced march in support of a retreating force; when it arrived just in time to turn the tables in a minor engagement near
Mysore. The 33rd Regiment first made its name in the
Travancore War in 1809, when the battalion repulsed a force of 3000 rebels at Cochin. All four battalions saw considerable action in
Central India against the Marathas during the Great
Indian Rebellion of 1857-58. (1 Baloch).Watercolour by Alex Hunter, 1846.|215px Between 1890 and 1893, the five battalions were moved to Burma and reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims,
Sikhs and other North Indians. Their designations were changed to 29th (7th Burma Battalion), 30th (5th Burma Battalion), 31st (6th Burma Battalion), 32nd (4th Burma Battalion) and 33rd (3rd Burma Battalion) Regiments of Madras Infantry. In 1901, these cumbersome titles were simplified by removing all mention of Madras, and the five regiments were styled as the 29th and 30th Burma Infantry, 31st Burma Light Infantry, 32nd and 33rd Burma Infantry. These Burma Battalions were created to police the new territories acquired in the
Third Burma War and pacify the rebellious hill tribes inhabiting the frontier regions of Burma. In 1903, all Madras regiments had sixty added to their numbers, requiring another change in designation to
89th and
90th Punjabis,
91st Punjabis (Light Infantry),
92nd Punjabis and
93rd Burma Infantry. After the
First World War, the five Burma Battalions were grouped together to form the 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. These frontier battalions had adopted uniforms of drab colour (a pinkish shade of
khaki) when they moved to Burma and the 8th Punjab Regiment retained drab as its regimental colour with blue facings. (10 Baloch). Watercolour by AC Lovett,
c. 1910.|200px In 1858, Major
John Jacob raised two local 'silladar' infantry battalions known as Jacob's Rifles; the only silladar infantry to have existed in the Indian Army. These battalions soon earned a formidable reputation in and around
Jacobabad for keeping the peace on the Sindh frontier. In 1861, the first of these was accorded regular status, becoming the 30th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry or Jacob's Rifles, while the second was disbanded. Following
World War I, the five battalions were merged to form the 10th Baluch Regiment. The pre-1914 full dress uniforms of all five Baluchi infantry regiments included dark red trousers; with
rifle green tunics and dark green turbans for the 127th, 129th and 130th Baluchis. The 124th and 126th Baluchistan Infantry also wore red trousers but with drab-coloured tunics and turbans. On the formation of the 10th Baluch Regiment, rifle green and red uniform was adopted by the whole regiment. The 1911 edition of the
Encyclopædia Britannica commented that "The remarkable Baluchi uniforms (green and drab with baggy red trousers) are unique in the British Empire".
The Bahawalpur State Forces The two senior battalions of Bahawalpur Regiment trace their origin to 1827 when the
Nawab of Bahawalpur first organized his forces. These forces were engaged in support of the British during the
Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1848–49 and the Great Rebellion of 1857. In 1889, a small force from Bahawalpur was accepted as
Imperial Service Troops, placing them at the disposal of the British for use in emergencies. However, it was not until the 20th century that these units began training on modern lines. In 1901,
Bahawalpur State raised a camel baggage train with an escort of mounted infantry, called the Bahawalpur Imperial Service Mounted Rifles and Camel Transport Corps, which would go on to become the 1st Bahawalpur Sadiq Battalion in 1924. In 1912, the colour of their uniform was khaki with green facings. ==Baloch Regiment in the First World War==