IMAGINE HYDERABAD...: Hyderabad State Forces

Hyderabad State Forces

10:07 PM | Posted by fareed

	Card No.26 Alwar State Forces The Alwar State Forces, of which our picture shows the Commandant in Full Dress, consist of two troops of Lancers and one active and one training battalion of Infantry. The forces of the Indian Princes which are classed as Indian States Forces are organized on the same lines as the corresponding units of the regular Indian Army. The active units of the Alwar Forces served in the Great War, the Lancers on the North-West Frontier and in Afghanistan, and the Infantry battalion in Egypt and Palestine. Alwar, which is situated in Rajputana, has a population of three quarters of a million.

	Card No.27 Bahawalpur State Forces Bahawalpur is a Musalman state lying to the south-west of the Punjab with an area of 15,000 square miles and a population of about one million. The Nawab of Bahawalpur maintains as Indian States Forces one troop of Bodyguard Lancers and one-and-a-half battalions of Infantry. The Major shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs to the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry (Sadiq Battalion). The Bahawalpur troops have more than once been loaned for Imperial purposes, and in the Great War the Sadiq Battalion served in Egypt, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as on the North-West Frontier of India. The Sadiq Oarh Palace is shown in the background.

	Card No.28 Baria State Forces The officer shown in Full Dress in the picture is the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Baria State Forces, which consist of about 150 men organized as one troop of Cavalry and two platoons of Infantry. Baria is a Rajput State in Western India covering about eight hundred square miles and with about 160,000 inhabitants. The Raja of Baria, who takes a great personal interest in his forces, was promoted in 1937 to the homorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army. The background shows the Secretariat, Devgad Baria.

	Card No.29 Bikanir State Forces The Bikanir State Forces number about 1,800, consisting of one battery of Artillery, two motor machine-gun sections, two squadrons of Lancers, an Infantry battalion, and the Ganga Risala, a Captain of which is shown in our picture in Full Dress. This famous Camel Corps rendered good service in the early days of the Great War in the fighting east of the Suez Canal. Bikanir is one of the largest of the Rajputana States, but much of it is desert, and its population numbers less than one million. The Maharaja of Bikanir holds the honorary rank of General in the British Army and is an extra Aide-de-Camp to the King. The Old Palace and Fort, Bikanir, are shown in the background.

	Card No.30 Dhrangadhra State Forces Dhrangadhra is one of the smaller states of Kathiawar in Western India, covering an area of about twelve hundred square miles and having a population of about 90,000. The Maharaja of Dhrangadhra maintains a Bodyguard of two mounted troops and two companies of Infantry known as the Dhrangadhra Makhwan Infantry. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is the Commandant of the Infantry. The State forces are mostly composed of Rajputs, but have an admixture of other Hindus and also of Musalmans. The Delhi Gate, Dhranpadhra, appears in the background.

	Card No.31 Gwalior State Forces Gwalior is one of the largest and most important of the Indian States. Situated in Central India, it has a population of three-and-a-half million and covers twenty-six thousand square miles. The Maharaja of Gwalior maintains more Indian State Forces than almost any other Prince and they are organized into a Cavalry brigade, consisting of three regiments of Lancers, a battery of Horse Artillery and a Transport Corps, and an Infantry brigade of four Infantry battalions and a Mountain Battery. In addition there is an Infantry training battalion and half a company of Sappers. Our picture shows a Captain of the Mountain Battery, in Full Dress, standing in front of Gwalior Fort.
	Card No.32 Hyderabad State Forces His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad is the Ruler of the premier Indian State, which has a population of over fourteen million, and covers 83,000 square miles in Southern India. He maintains three regiments of Lancers organized as a Cavalry Brigade and, in addition, three Infantry battalions, a Horse Artillery Battery and a Transport Section. His forces number nearly five thousand in all. A regiment of Hyderabad Lancers served with the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade on the Suez Canal and in Palestine during the Great War. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is the commander of the Cavalry Brigade; the Char Minar, Hyderabad, appears in the background.

	Card No.33 Indore State Forces Our picture shows in Full Dress a Major of the 1st Battalion Maharaja Holkar's Infantry. This corps, with Holkar's Mounted Escort (a bodyguard unit of one squadron), and a Transport Corps of ponies, mules and carts make up the Maharaja of Indore's forces. The Transport Corps rendered noble service in the Great War in France, Macedonia, Egypt and Gallipoli, being present at the Suvia landing, while the Mounted Escort served in Iraq. Indore is a large State in Central India covering more than nine thousand square miles and having a population of 1,300,000. The background shows the Daryao Mahal Palace, Indore.

	Card No.34 Jaipur State Forces Jaipur is one of the larger States of Rajputana, having an area of fifteen thousand square miles and a population of more than two-and-a-half million. The Maharaja of Jaipur maintains a regiment of Lancers, three battalions of Infantry and a Transport Corps. The last named is the only one of these units which dates back to before the Great War. It saw service on the North-West Frontier in 1895-7 and in the Great War was continuously employed throughout the Mesopotamian Campaign. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a Captain on the Headquarters Staff of the Jaipur State Forces. He is a Rajput, as are the majority of their officers and men. The background portrays the Residency Gate, Jaipur.
	Card No.35 Jodhpur State Forces The Jodhpur State Forces consist of one regiment of Lancers, an Infantry battalion and a Transport corps. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs to the Sardai Infantry battalion. The Jodhpur Lancers proceeded to France with the first units of the Indian Cavalry at the very outset of the Great War and fought with distinction alongside them throughout the operations both in France and Palestine. Jodhpui, the home of the Rathore Rajputs, is the largest state of Rajputana, covering 35,000 square miles and having a population of over two million. The city itself possesses an up-to-date aerodrome which has become an important point in the air route across Northern India. The Fort, Jodhpur, is shown in the background

	Card No.36 Kashmir State Forces The Maharaja of Kasnmir maintains a larger number of State Forces than any other Ruler of an Indian State. These forces are organized into the Jammu and Kashmir Brigades, the latter of which is commanded by the officer shown in our picture, in Full Dress. They comprise one Bodyguard Cavalry regiment, two Mountain Batteries, seven active and one training battalions of Infantry and a Transport unit consisting of both pack and mechanized transport. Several of these units served with distinction on the North-West Frontier of India and overseas during the Great War. Jammu and Kashmir lie to the north of the Punjab and cover nearly 85,000 square miles. The population exceeds 3,500,000. The background shows a view of Srinagar.

	Card No.37 Mysore State Forces The State Forces maintained by the Maharaja of Mysore consist of one regiment of Lancers, one squadron of Mysore Horse and three Infantry battalions, only one of which, however, is a complete active unit. Both of the mounted units were raised from the ruins of the Army of Tippoo Sultan after the fall of Seringapatam. The Mysore Lancers, to which the officer shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs, served on the Suez Canal and in Palestine with the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade throughout the Great War. Mysore is one of the two largest States in Southern India, having an area of 30,000 square miles and a population of 6,500,000. The background shows the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade Memorial, New Delhi

	Card No.38 Nawanagar State Forces Nawanagar is one of the two largest of the Kathiawar States in Western India. It covers an area of four thousand square miles and has a population of 400,000. The Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar maintains as his State Forces a regiment of Lancers consisting of two squadrons and a company of Infantry. Both of these units are composed almost entirely of Rajputs, to which race he himself belongs. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a member of the headquarters Staff of the State Forces. The present ruler is a nephew of his predecessor, who was better known in this country as the great cricketer "Ranji." The background shows the Pratab Vilas Palace, Jamnagar.

	Card No.39 Tehri-Garwal State Forces The Tehri-Garhwal State Forces, of which our picture shows the Commandant, consist of half a Company of Sappers and Miners, two platoons of Pioneers and two platoons of Infantry. The last two units are of recent creation, but the Sappers and Miners did good work during the Great War in France and Iraq. Tehri-Garhwal is a Hindu State of 350,000 inhabitants covering over four thousand square miles in the foothills of the Himalayas to the north of the United Provinces. The Garhwalis, who inhabit the British Indian district of Garhwal as well as the State of Tehri-Garhwal, earned a reputation second to none in the Great War.

	Card No.40 Udaipur (Mewar) State Forces The officer shown in Full Dress in the picture belongs to the Mewar Bhopal Infantry. The Udaipur (Mewar) State Forces consist of one squadron of Lancers and two battalions of Infantry. The Maharaja of Udaipur rules over some thirteen thousand square miles of Rajputana with a population of more than a million-and-a-half, mostly Rajputs. Udaipur itself is a place of great beauty and historical interest, and is one of the chief centres of attraction for visitors to Northern India. The Tower of Victory, Chitorgar, appears in the background.

	Card No.41 The Burma Rifles The Burma Rifles are composed of three local classes, Chins, Kachins and Karens. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a Kachin, hailing from the Sino-Burmese border. Until the separation of Burma from India in April, 1937, this regiment formed part of the Indian Army, having been raised as the 70th Burma Rifles during the Great War. It consists of three active battalions and a training battalion which, with the Frontier Battalions of the Burma Military Police, make up the new Burma Defence Force.