The Bombay Sappers draw their origins back to the late 18th century when the British had become a new force in the politics of
India which then consisted of a large number of kingdoms and fiefdoms; the principal ones being the
Maratha confederacy,
Mysore,
Hyderabad and
Berar, with British presidencies at
Bombay,
Madras and
Bengal in addition to their factories at
Surat. The British engaged in conflict with
Tipu Sultan and later the Marathas, which along with diplomatic measures resulted in British overlordship over large parts of India. The earliest instance of recruitment of native sappers was the formation of a company of
Pioneer Lascars, comprising 100 men, in 1777 by
Major Lawrence Nilson, the first Chief Engineer of the
Bombay Presidency. Over the next few years, these newly born Lascars saw action mostly in skirmishes with the Marathas. Soon after being recognised as a Pioneer Corps in 1781, they participated in 1782–84 expedition to the Malabar coast against
Tipu Sultan's forces in the
Second Mysore War and also saw action in the
Third Mysore War, when they served at
Calicut and at the first siege of
Seringapatam. In 1797, the Bombay Pioneer Corps was organised afresh with four companies of 100 men each, under Captain-Lieutenant Bryce Moncrieff (Bo.E.) into which the Pioneer Lascars were wholly absorbed. till, in 1812, the inescapable demands of a vibrant and growing Presidency led to the Corps being increased to a strength of four companies, Numbers 1 to 4. Soon after during the Third Maratha War (1818–1820), the four companies paid a vital role in the capture of the erstwhile Peshwa's territories by the reduction of as many as 33 forts in the Konkan, Khandesh and Deccan. Impending operations in Central India led to the Corps being expanded to six companies in 1819 and to eight companies in 1822 when they were officially recognised as a battalion. Besides the Bombay Pioneers, a separate company of Engineer Lascars had been raised in 1820 and designated as 'Sappers and Miners Company'. This field company was the first Bombay Sapper unit to proceed abroad when in 1821 it sailed for operations against pirates on the
Arabian coast and earned for itself the first
battle honour of the Corps,
Beni Boo Alli. In 1826, a second company was raised and the 'Sappers & Miners' made into the
Engineer Corps in 1829. Earlier, in 1803, a pontoon train had been raised by the British at Bombay to help with the crossing of the rivers of the Deccan in monsoon. This proved unable to keep up with the swift movement of infantry and cavalry characteristic of Sir Arthur Wellesley's manoeuvres, but later proved to be useful for operations in
Gujarat. This too was merged with the Engineer Corps. In 1830 the Bombay Pioneers were reduced from eight to six companies and the pioneer companies merged into the Engineer Corps. The Engineer Corps was reduced in strength yet again in 1834 as part of a general retrenchment to just one Sapper & Miner and three Pioneer companies. The Corps took part in many operations both in India and abroad, the long
list of battle and theatre honours earned giving an idea of the sterling service rendered by the Corps both in peace and war. In the 19th century and prior to World War I, the Bombay Sappers served in
Arabia,
Persia,
Abyssinia, China,
Somaliland; in India fought in the
Mysore,
Maratha and
Anglo-Sikh Wars; fought in the aftermath of the
Mutiny in
Mhow,
Jhansi,
Saugor and
Kathiawar and many times over in the
Punjab,
North West Frontier Province and
Afghanistan. In the
1903 reorganisation of the Indian Army, the Corps was renamed in the newly unified Indian Army as the
3rd Sappers & Miners. A mistaken interpretation of the historic records led to the Bombay Sappers being considered as junior to the Madras and Bengal Sappers whereas they could trace an unbroken descent from before the Madras or Bengal Sappers were formed; the case for reversion being taken up a number of times unsuccessfully, presumably due to inadequate records of the services of the Corps in the late 18th century. The Bombay Sappers expanded greatly during the 'Great War' to meet a large number of Indian engineer troops required by the Empire. The Bombay Sappers fought against the Germans and the Turks in Europe, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Aden, Persia, East Africa and also in Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the North West Frontier Province, winning as many as 29 battle and theatre honours. The very large losses of 20 and 21 Field Companies in Europe in 1914–15 led to the
Malerkotla Sappers & Miners joining the Corps where they remained affiliated till 1945 when all state forces sapper companies were transferred to the Bengal Sappers ostensibly on grounds of administrative convenience. In recognition of the prodigious contribution of the Bombay Sappers in World War I, the title 'Royal' was bestowed on the Corps in 1921 and they became the
3rd Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners. The numeral
3rd was removed in 1923 and the Corps became the
Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners and were so-called right until the end of World War II. The Second World War once again saw a great wartime expansion and the Bombay Sappers fought the Germans, Italians and the Japanese in
Malaya, Singapore,
Burma, Abyssinia,
Eritrea, North Africa, Syria,
Italy and
Greece. After independence, the Group became part of the
Corps of Engineers of the
Army of independent India. The Bombay Engineers is the only engineers who have a Parachute Field Company, that is 411 (Independent) Parachute Field Company of 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade situated in
Agra. ==Lineage==