1 Field Regiment (India) Explained

Unit Name:1 Field Regiment
Dates:1935 – present
Country: India
Allegiance:
India
Branch:
Indian Army
Type: Artillery
Size:Regiment
Identification Symbol:1 Fd Regt
Identification Symbol Label:Abbreviation
Motto:Sarvatra, Izzat-O-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory)
Sarvada Pratham Hamara Dharam
Colors:"Red & Navy Blue"
Anniversaries:15 January (Raising Day)[1]
28 February (Meiktila Day)[2]
Battle Honours:Meiktila

1 Field Regiment (Meiktila) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. It is the first field artillery unit with Indian officers.

Formation

Following, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, all Indian artillery units were disbanded and replaced by British units, except for a few mountain batteries. This total ban on Indian artillery units existed till the British Government relented on this order, allowing the first Indian Artillery unit to be formed in 1935.[3] A year prior to the raising of the unit, volunteers from other arms were attached to 14th Field Brigade RA for training, to form the nucleus of warrant officers and other non-commissioned officers for the new Indian Brigade.[4] The regiment was raised with four horse drawn batteries on 15 January 1935 as ‘A’ Field Brigade, Indian Artillery at Bangalore. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel GA Rickards (later Colonel / honorary Major General[5]).[6] [7]

The use of the letter ‘A’ distinguished it from Royal Artillery field brigades, which used numbers instead of letters.[8] The newly raised unit took the place of 14 Field Brigade RA, which proceeded to the United Kingdom.[9] At the time of raising, the unit had three King's Commissioned Indian Officers - Lieutenant Prem Singh Gyani, Lieutenant Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam and Lieutenant Anup Singh Kalha. Subadar-Major and Honorary Captain Muhammad Buksh, Sardar Bahadur was the Viceroy's commissioned officer.[10] [11] [12] Muhammad Buksh was subsequently awarded the Additional Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.[13]

‘A’ Field Brigade subsequently provided the nucleus for ‘B’ Field Brigade and ‘C’ Field Regiment. These units now exist as 2 Medium Regiment (Self Propelled) (Letse & Point 171) of the Indian Army and 2 Field Regiment of the Pakistan Army respectively.[6]

Reorganisation

By Indian Army Order 204 of 1938, the nomenclature ‘Brigade’ was replaced by ‘Regiment’ and thus the title of the unit became ‘A’ Field Regiment. The unit moved to School of Artillery, Deolali in 1941. On 15 May 1941, the regiment was reorganised. The horses were exchanged for mechanised transport and the unit organised into two 8-gun batteries - 1st and 2nd Batteries forming a new 1st Field Battery and 3rd and 4th Batteries forming a new 2nd Field Battery. The unit was re-designated as 1 Indian Field Regiment in August 1941.[14] [15]

Name changes

The regiment has undergone the following changes in its designation -

Equipment and batteries

Year Batteries Equipment
1935 1 and 2 18-pounder (horse drawn)
3 and 4 4.5-inch howitzer (horse drawn)
1941 1 and 2 25-pounder towed guns
1946 1, 48 and 50Sexton (self-propelled)
1971 1, 48 and 50Abbott (self-propelled)
1, 48 and 50122 mm D-30 howitzer
1, 48 and 50105 mm Indian field gun
Present 1, 48 and 50?

Composition

At formation, the class composition of the four batteries were as follows – the 1st of Madrasis, originally formed from the disbanded Madras Pioneers, the 2nd, Punjabi Mussalmans, the 3rd, Rajputana Rajputs and the 4th Ranghars.[17] [18] The unit was converted into a single class regiment in April 1946 with Rajput troops, when two batteries with Rajput troops from 17 Field Regiment (which itself was raised as 8th Battalion, the 7th Rajput Regiment) joined the regiment.[6]

Operations (pre independence)

World War II The regiment was sent to Burma in February 1942 from Calcutta.[19] It became part of the 17 Infantry Division during the Burma campaign.[20] From February 1942, the two 8 -gun batteries provided commendable artillery support during the withdrawal of the division.[21] The unit returned to India in May 1942 with four guns saved. This was followed by two years of intensive training, following which the regiment and one attached battery of Gwalior Scindia forces fought in Burma under the same division.[22] Meiktila is a city in central Burma and was advanced supply base and principal air-field for the Japanese forces in Burma. The defences to this city were prepared for a long period and was held in strength by the Japanese. 17 Infantry Division was assigned the task of capturing Meiktila in February 1945. The main attack was to be by the 48th Indian Infantry Brigade, which had to attack the city from the north, towards south.[23] [24] Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel DWD Nicholl, 1 Indian Field Regiment was placed in direct support of the charging brigade. The battle started on 28 February 1945 and lasted for four days. The fall of Meiktila was a turning point in the battle for Burma.[6] [25] [26]

In the advance to Rangoon, 1 Indian Field Regiment had the occasion to mount the 25-pounder guns on open railway wagons, patrolling along the railway tracks. These guns so mounted enabled artillery support to be given to the stretched-out infantry dispositions.[27] Following the war, the regiment returned to India and was converted into a self-propelled unit.

The regiment was awarded the following honours and gallantry awards-[6] [25] [28] [29] [30]

Operations (post independence)

Operation PoloThe regiment was despatched immediately after independence to the Hyderabad State for internal security duties and was part of Smash Force under 1 Armoured Division.[6] [31] [32]
  • Indo-Pakistani War of 1965During the war, the regiment equipped with self-propelled Sextons supported 2 (Independent) Armoured Division (the corps reserve of 11 Corps).[33] From 6 September 1965, the unit was in support of 4 Mountain Division in the Battle of Asal Uttar.[6] [34] The regiment won the following gallantry awards during the war[6] -
    • Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The regiment saw action in the western front. Equipped with the self propelled Abbotts, it was part of Operation Cactus Lily in support of 1 Armoured Division.[6]
  • Operation Blue StarThe regiment took part in this operation and captured a large number of terrorists and weapons. Three officers were awarded the COAS Commendation Card during this operation.[6]
  • Operation Rakshak IIThe regiment was deployed for counter terrorism operation between April and August 1992.[6]
  • Operation Meghdoot1 Medium Regiment was deployed in Siachen Glacier in 2015. Lance Havildar Ganga Singh was mentioned in despatches.[35]

    • Other achievements

    Notable officers

    Legacy

    The Regiment of Artillery celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 15 January 1980. In spite of its long history, the regiment opted to use 15 January 1935, the raising day of ‘A’ Field Brigade, the first wholly Indian artillery unit as its birthday.[40]

    Motto

    The motto of the regiment is ‘सर्वदा प्रथम हमारा धर्म (Sarvada Pratham Hamara Dharam)’, which translates to ‘Being the first is our duty.[41]

    See also

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Battle Honours and Raising Day Anniversaries. 2022-12-13. 2023-06-27.
    2. Book: Sharma, Gautam. Indian Army, a Reference Manual. 62. Reliance Publishing House. 2000. 978-8175101142.
    3. Book: India - A Spy Guide, Volume 1, Strategic Information, Intelligence, National Security. 162. 2019. IBP, USA. 978-1433022746.
    4. Book: India in 1933-34. Manager of Publications, Delhi. 1935. 72–73.
    5. Web site: The London Gazette, Supplement:35836, Page:5625. 1942-12-25. 2023-06-22.
    6. Web site: 1st Field Regiment (SP) - Golden Jubilee 1995. 1995-02-17. 2023-06-23.
    7. Web site: SP's Land Forces : Guns and Glory - A Saga of Dedication and Valour. 2023-06-23.
    8. Book: Gulati, YB. History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army. Leo Cooper Ltd. 1973. 290. 978-0850521184.
    9. Book: Gaylor, John. Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–1991.. 1992 . Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd.. 978-0-946771-98-1. 108.
    10. Web site: Indian Army's Artillery regiment celebrates 182nd Gunners Day on Monday. 2009-09-27. 2023-06-23.
    11. Book: India in 1934-35. Manager of Publications, Delhi. 1937. 91.
    12. Book: The Indian Army List, July 1936. Defence Department, Government of India. 1936. 278.
    13. Web site: Supplement to the London Gazette, page 3087. 1937-05-11. 2023-06-23.
    14. Book: Farndale, Sir Martin. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre, 1941-46. 2002. Brassey's (UK) Ltd. 350. 978-1857533316.
    15. Book: Gulati, YB. History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army. Leo Cooper Ltd. 1973. 61. 978-0850521184.
    16. Web site: The Indian Army, 3 September 1939. 2023-06-26.
    17. Book: Jackson, Donovan. India's Army. 1940. Sampson Low, Marston & Co Ltd. 186–187.
    18. Book: Adams, EG Phythian. The Madras Soldier 1746-1946. 1948. The Superintendent Government Of Madras. 147.
    19. Book: Warren, Alan. Burma 1942-The Road from Rangoon to Mandalay . Bloomsbury Publishing India Private Limited . 2012. 978-1441152503. 146.
    20. Web site: Burma Army - Order of Battle - 19th March 1942. 2023-06-27.
    21. Book: Moreman, Tim. Japanese Conquest of Burma 1942: The Advance to the Gates of India. 2022. Osprey Publishing. 978-1472849731. 84.
    22. Web site: 17 Indian Infantry Division (1944-45). 2023-06-27.
    23. Book: Outline History of the Regiment of Artillery. Artillery Institute Press, Deolali. 1946. 45.
    24. Book: Kirby, Stanley Woodburn. The War Against Japan: The reconquest of Burma . 1965. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. 309.
    25. The Rajput Gunners Celebrate Meiktila Day . Sainik Samachar . 17 . 1970-04-05 . Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence.
    26. Book: Prasad, Bisheshwar. Official History of the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War, 1939-45. Combined Inter-Services Historical Section (India and Pakistan). 1959. 249–327.
    27. Web site: Anjan Mukherjee in Evolution of Indian Artillery and its Impact on India's Comprehensive Military Power, chapter II. 2023-06-27.
    28. Book: The Tiger Kills. 1944. Director of Public Relations, India Command, Government of India. 316–7.
    29. Book: The Tiger Strikes. 1942. Director of Public Relations, India Command, Government of India. 150.
    30. Web site: The London Gazette, Supplement:35763, Page:4688. 1942-10-27. 2023-06-27.
    31. Web site: Operation Polo: The Liberation Of Hyderabad at Bharat Rakshak Volume 2-3, November-December 1999. 2020-09-06.
    32. Book: Praval, KC. Indian Army After Independence. 2009. Lancer Publishers. 978-1935501107.
    33. Book: Singh, Harbaksh . War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. 2012. Lancer Publishers LLC. 978-8170621171.
    34. Book: Singh, Jogindar. Behind the Scene-An Analysis of India's Military Operations, 1947-1971. 152. 1993. 978-1897829202. Lancer International.
    35. Web site: Gazette of India, No 50, page 3139. 2015-12-12. 2023-06-27.
    36. Web site: 2 Indian Field Regiment And The Battle Of Bir Hachiem – Pt 171 . 2019-07-24. 2023-06-28.
    37. Web site: Obituary. 2023-06-27.
    38. Book: Naravane, AS. A Soldier's Life in War and Peace. APH Publishing Corporation. 2004. 978-8176484374.
    39. Book: Lt. Gen J.F.R. Jacob. An Odyssey in War and Peace. Roli Books Private Limited. 2012. 9788174369338. New Delhi. 262.
    40. Web site: Regiment Of Artillery. 2023-06-23.
    41. Web site: Medium Regiment - Brochure. 2010-01-15. 2023-06-28.

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