The 108th Regiment of Foot (Madras Infantry) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

. However, it was raised initially as part of the

Madras Army The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government ...

, by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

(EIC) in 1766. In the aftermath of the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

(1857), the British government took control of the

Presidency Armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presiden ...

and the 108th became als known by the name 3rd Madras Infantry. Finally, under the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation wa ...

of 1881, the regiment was amalgamated with the

27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1689. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 188 ...

, to form the

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

History

East India Company

The regiment as first raised by the

as the 3rd Madras European Regiment, when it was formed from the 1st Madras Europeans in 1766. It served in India until 1774, when it was absorbed by the 1st and 2nd Madras Europeans in 1774. Re-raised as a separate regiment in 1777, the 108th was disbanded in 1796. The regiment was re-raised as the 3rd Madras (European) Regiment in 1854, and then saw action in India in 1857 during the

British Army

After the Crown took control of the

Presidency armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presiden ...

in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion, the regiment became the 3rd Madras Infantry in November 1859. It was then renumbered as the 108th Regiment of Foot (Madras Infantry) on transfer to the

in September 1862. It embarked for England in 1876. As part of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 108th was linked with the

, and assigned to district no. 64 at

St Lucia Barracks, Omagh St Lucia Barracks, Omagh is a former military base in Omagh, Northern Ireland. History The War Office leased the site from the Archdale family on 10 April 1875 for sixty pounds per annum. The lease was made for 999 years or until the War Off ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the 108th amalgamated with the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot to form the

Battle Honours

Battle honours of the regiment were: * Central India

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: *1862–1868: Lt-Gen. Sir

George Cornish Whitlock Lieutenant-General Sir George Cornish Whitlock (1798–1868) was a British Madras Army officer, who commanded the Madras Column (also called the Saugor and Nerbudda field force) during the Indian Mutiny. Life Whitlock was baptised on 3 August 180 ...

, KCB *1868: Lt-Gen. Arthur Cunliffe van Notten Pole *1868–1875: Gen.

William Anson McCleverty General William Anson McCleverty (11 February 1806 – 6 October 1897) was a British soldier who served as the Commander-in-chief of the Madras Army from 1867 to 1871. Early life Born the son of Major-General Robert McCleverty, McCleverty was c ...

*1875–1880: Gen.

John Hamilton Elphinstone Dalyrmple John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, CB *1880–1881: Gen. Sir Edward Harris Greathed, KCB

References

External links

* Includes chronological index of titles. {{Regiments of Foot Military units and formations established in 1854 Honourable East India Company regiments Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 1854 establishments in India