1 Field Regiment (Meiktila) is part of the

Regiment of Artillery Regiment of Artillery may refer to: * Regiment of Artillery (Pakistan) * Regiment of Artillery (India) The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of t ...

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

. It is the first

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

unit with Indian officers.

Formation

Following, the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 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 ...

, 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. 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. The regiment was raised with four horse drawn batteries on 15 January 1935 as ‘A’ Field Brigade, Indian Artillery at

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel GA Rickards (later Colonel / honorary Major General). The use of the letter ‘A’ distinguished it from

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

field brigades, which used ''numbers'' instead of ''letters''. The newly raised unit took the place of 14 Field Brigade RA, which proceeded to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. At the time of raising, the unit had three

King's Commissioned Indian Officer A King's commissioned Indian officer (KCIO) was an Indian officer of the British Indian Army who held a full King's commission after training in the United Kingdom, either at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst for infantry officers, Woolwich for ...

s - 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 A viceroy's commissioned officer (VCO) was a senior Indian member of the British Indian Army. VCOs were senior in rank to warrant officers in the British Army, and held a commission issued by the viceroy. Also known as "Indian officers" or "native ...

. Muhammad Buksh was subsequently awarded the Additional Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. ‘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 The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

respectively.

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 Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian mi ...

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.

Name changes

The regiment has undergone the following changes in its designation - *‘A’ Field Brigade, Indian Artillery *‘A’ Field Regiment, Indian Artillery *1st Indian Field Regiment, Indian Artillery *1st Indian Field Regiment,

RIA A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

*1st Indian Field Regiment (Self Propelled), RIA *1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled) *1 Medium Regiment (Self Propelled) *1 Medium Regiment *1 Field Regiment

Equipment and batteries

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

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s and the 4th

Ranghar Ranghar are a community of Muslim Rajputs in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; and in Sindh ( Muhajirs) and Punjab in Pakistan. History and origin The Ranghar were classified as an "agricultura ...

s. The unit was converted into a single class regiment in April 1946 with

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.

Operations (pre independence)

;

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

The regiment was sent to Burma in February 1942 from

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. It became part of the 17 Infantry Division during the

Burma campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

. From February 1942, the two 8 -gun batteries provided commendable artillery support during the withdrawal of the division. 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 Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

Scindia forces fought in Burma under the same division. Allied Third Burma Campaign Apri 1-May 1945

Meiktila Meiktila (; ) is a city in central Burma on the banks of Meiktila Lake in the Mandalay Region at the junctions of the Bagan- Taunggyi, Yangon- Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home to Myanm ...

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 The 48th Infantry Brigade, was raised as the 48 Indian Infantry Brigade, in October 1941, at Secunderabad, India. After an initial tenure with 19th Indian Infantry Division, it was transferred to the 17th Indian Infantry Division. In World ...

, which had to attack the city from the north, towards south. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel DWD Nicholl, 1 Indian Field Regiment was placed in direct support of the charging brigade. The

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

started on 28 February 1945 and lasted for four days. The fall of Meiktila was a turning point in the battle for Burma. In the advance to

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

, 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. 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- *Honour title- Meiktila : For the laudable contribution to the capture of the strategic city of Meiktila. *

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

- 4 (Major AW Litchfield, Captain Avtar Singh, Subedar Sukh Singh, Captain Ranbir Bakshi) * Indian Distinguished Service Medal - 1 *

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

- 21 *Force Commander's Certificate- 1 * Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)- 2 *

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

- 3 *Certificate of gallantry- 3

Operations (post independence)

;

Operation Polo The Annexation of Hyderabad (code-named Operation Polo) was a military operation launched in September 1948 that resulted in the annexation of the princely state of Hyderabad by India, which was dubbed a "police action". At the time of part ...

The regiment was despatched immediately after

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

to the

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

for internal security duties and was part of ''Smash Force'' under

1 Armoured Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 During the war, the regiment equipped with self-propelled Sextons supported 2 (Independent) Armoured Division (the corps reserve of 11 Corps). From 6 September 1965, the unit was in support of 4 Mountain Division in the Battle of Asal Uttar. The regiment won the following gallantry awards during the war- *

Sena Medal The Sena Medal () is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for ...

- 1 *Mentioned in Despatches- 4 *COAS Commendation Card- 2 ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The 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. ;

Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and i ...

The 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. ;Operation Rakshak II The regiment was deployed for counter terrorism operation between April and August 1992. ;

Operation Meghdoot Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces operation to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Executed on the morning of 13 April 1984, it marks the highest battlefield in the world. This operation preempted Pa ...

1 Medium Regiment was deployed in

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

in 2015. Lance Havildar Ganga Singh was mentioned in despatches.

Other achievements

*Major SS Sekhon and Major KS Chauhan proved their mettle in various National and Himalayan car rallies. They were awarded with the

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM, ) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize ex ...

and COAS Commendation Card.

Notable officers

* General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam – 6th

Chief of the Army Staff Chief of the Army Staff or Chief of Army Staff, which is generally abbreviated as COAS, is a title commonly used for the appointment held by the most senior staff officer or the chief commander in several nations' armies. * Chief of Army Staff ( ...

(COAS) of the

from 1967 to 1969. * Lieutenant General PS Gyani – First Indian officer to be commissioned out of the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...

, in 1932. He was commissioned into A Field Brigade and later on became the first Indian officer to command an Indian field regiment, the 2 Indian Field Regiment. * Major General Ranbir Bakshi - Commanded the regiment, raised the Artillery Centre at

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

, commanded School of Artillery (1959-1961) and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla (1964-1966). He was also an outstanding swimmer and represented the country. * Major General AS Naravane – Colonel Commandant of Artillery. * Lieutenant General Jack Farj Rafael Jacob – Served in the unit and went on to raise 3 Field Regiment.

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.

Motto

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

Notes

References

{{reflist Military units and formations established in 1935 Artillery units and formations of British India Artillery regiments of the Indian Army after 1947 Indian World War II regiments