The 79th Carnatic Infantry was an infantry 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 ...

. They could trace their origins to 1777, when the 20th Carnatic Battalion was raised from sub-units of the 1st, 3rd, 8th and 16th Carnatic Battalions.

History

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 British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations manda ...

, the regiment took part in the Battle of Carnatic, the Battle of Sholinghur, the Battle of Seringapatam during the

Second Anglo-Mysore War The Second Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company from 1780 to 1784. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the conflict between Britain against the French and Dutch in t ...

and the Indian Mutiny. In 1903, under a general policy to move the focus for recruitment from Madras to the " martial races" of North-West India, the establishment of the 79th Carnatic Infantry was reduced to 600 officers and men. The intention was to convert this and other Carnatic units which still retained their traditional recruiting basis, to garrison troops. However the influx of recruits from southern India on the outbreak of World War I enabled the 79th Carnatic Infantry not only to be brought up to full strength, but to provide a complete company for the newly raised 1/156th Infantry. By 1914 the regiment was linked ("grouped") with the 75th Carnatic Infantry and the 86th Carnatic Infantry, with a shared recruitment and training centre at

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

. During World War I the 79th Carnatic Infantry was assigned to Mesopotamia for service against the Ottoman Turks. Initially the regiment performed

lines of communication A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicat ...

and garrison functions but it saw active service in Kurdistan after November 1918. After World War I the Indian government restructured the army, moving from single battalion infantry regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The 79th Carnatic Infantry now became the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Madras Regiment. At Independence this regiment became part of the new Indian Army. In May 1950 the 3rd Battalion was disbanded but in March 1962 it was re-raised, still with its old connection to the 79th Carnatic Infantry.

Victoria Cross

Captain Herbert Mackworth Clogstoun 19th Madras Native Infantry,

was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place on 15 January 1859:

Previous names

*20th Carnatic Battalion - 1777 *20th Madras Battalion - 1784 *2nd Battalion, 7th Madras Native Infantry - 1796 *19th Madras Native Infantry - 1824 *19th Madras Infantry - 1885 *79th Carnatic Infantry - 1903

Uniform and insignia

As the 19th Madras Native Infantry under the East India Company, the regiment wore red coats with French grey facings. Similar sky blue facings were replaced by yellow in 1882. Prior to 1914 the full dress of the 73rd Carnatic Infantry included a khaki turban and the scarlet "zouave" jacket peculiar to Madras infantry regiments, with white facings. No regimental badge is recorded as being worn by the regiment before World War I but as part of the 3rd Madras Regiment it wore a star surmounted by a crown. This was replaced by a shield with crossed swords and scroll in 1946.

References

Sources

* *{{cite book, last=Sumner, first=Ian, title=The Indian Army 1914-1947, year=2001, publisher=Osprey Publishing, isbn=1-84176-196-6 British Indian Army infantry regiments Military history of the Madras Presidency Military units and formations established in 1777