The 43rd Erinpura Regiment was a regiment of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. It originated in the three infantry companies of

Meena Meena () is a tribe from northern and western India which is sometimes considered a sub-group of the Bhil community. It used to be claimed they speak Mina language, a Spurious languages, spurious language. Its name is also transliterated as ' ...

Bhil Bhil or Bheel refer to the various Indigenous peoples, indigenous groups inhabiting western India, including parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and are also found in distant places such as Bengal and Tripura. Though they now speak the Bhili ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

of the Jodhpur Legion that stayed loyal to the British when the Legion revolted in 1857. (The Bhil companies had been raised in 1841.) They were incorporated in 1860 as the Erinpoorah (or Erinpura) Irregular Force by a Lt-Col J F W Hall. This force was composed of a squadron of cavalry, mainly Sikhs, numbering, 164 of all ranks, and eight companies of infantry, numbering 719. The British mostly enlisted Bhils and

Minas Minas or MINAS may refer to: People with the given name Minas * Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563) * Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309) * Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250) * Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler * Minas Avetisyan (192 ...

in the infantry to provide employment to people of the local tribes and thus ween them away from their lawless habits.''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', (1908–1931), v. 12, p. 27.
/ref> From end 1870 to 1881 the commandant was in political charge of the

Sirohi district Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The town of Sirohi is the district headquarters. Abu Road is the largest city in Sirohi District in terms of area and population. As of 2011 it is the third least populous di ...

and on several occasions he sent out detachments to support the police in patrolling disturbed areas and arresting

dacoits Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word डाकू (ḍākū); "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with the meaning "a robber belonging to an armed ...

. In 1895 the strength of the cavalry squadron was reduced from 164 to 100 of all ranks. In 1897 the force, which had till then been under the Foreign Department of the Government of India, was placed under the Commander-in-Chief. After the

Kitchener reforms The Indian Army was the force of British India, until national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have ...

of the Indian Army in 1903, it was renamed the 43rd (Erinpura) Regiment. The regiment was made up of four double companies of infantry recruited from Rajputana Hindus and Muslims. The regimental depot was at

Erinpura Erinpura is a village in the Rajasthan state of India. It is located in the Sheoganj Tehsil of the Sirohi district. It is located near the Jawai Bandh station; the Jawai Bandh station was earlier known as Erinpura Road. Erinpura is also a cent ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

throughout its history from 1860–1921. On the outbreak of World War I the 43rd was serving as part of the 5th (Mhow) Division. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the regiment served in the

15th Indian Division The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second W ...

during the

Mesopotamia Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

. The first or regular battalion was employed mainly in escort duties and guarding line of communication, although it was present at the Second Battle of Ramada in September 1917. A second battalion was raised in 1917. As a war-time unit lacking experienced personnel it was employed mainly for guard and other security purposes in Bombay, before being disbanded in 1920. After World War I the Indian government reformed the army again moving from single-battalion infantry units to multi-battalion regiments. As part of this reorganisation nine infantry regiments were disbanded. The 43rd Erinpura Regiment was one of these and was disbanded in October 1921.Sumner p.15

References

Sources

* * British Indian Army infantry regiments Honourable East India Company regiments Military units and formations established in 1860 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Bengal Presidency {{India-mil-unit-stub