101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers)
Encyclopedia
The 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) was a regiment
of the British Army
from 1862 to 1881 but with a previous history in the Bengal Army
going back to 1652.
s - and when this was split in 1765, it became the 1st Bengal European Regiment.
In 1846 it became the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers, also referred to in contemporary official papers, with inverted word ordering, as 1st European Bengal Fusiliers.
It retained this title until British India was transferred to the Crown after the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The "European" was then dropped and replaced by Royal, the title becoming in 1861 1st Royal Bengal Fusiliers. The regiment was then transferred to the British Army and renumbered as the 101st Regiment of Foot at the same time retaining the Royal Bengal name.
In 1881 it was combined with the 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers)
to form part of the new Royal Munster Fusiliers
.
Major George Ogle Jacob was mortally wounded at Delhi on 14th September 1857 aged 38, having been wounded in the morning and died in camp at 10 pm. He was the son of Surgeon George Jacob (Bengal Medical Service) and had joined the Bengal Army in 1837 serving in Afghanistan (1838) and Sutlej (1845). His grave at Rajpura Cemetery, Delhi states: "Sacred to the memory of Major George Ogle Jacob, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, who whilst commanding his Regiment fell mortally wounded at the storming of Delhi, on the 14th September 1857, aged 38 years. This monument is erected by his family."
, Condore, Buxar, Rohilcund 1741, Sholinghur, Guzerat, Deig, Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839
, Afghanistan
1839, Ferozeshah
, Sobraon
, Pegu, Delhi 1857
, Lucknow
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
from 1862 to 1881 but with a previous history in the Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
going back to 1652.
History
The regiment was formed as part of the Honourable East India Company's army firstly as a Guard of Honour in 1652. By 1756 it was the Bengal European Regiment - 'European' indicating it was composed of white soldiers, not Indian sepoySepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s - and when this was split in 1765, it became the 1st Bengal European Regiment.
In 1846 it became the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers, also referred to in contemporary official papers, with inverted word ordering, as 1st European Bengal Fusiliers.
It retained this title until British India was transferred to the Crown after the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The "European" was then dropped and replaced by Royal, the title becoming in 1861 1st Royal Bengal Fusiliers. The regiment was then transferred to the British Army and renumbered as the 101st Regiment of Foot at the same time retaining the Royal Bengal name.
In 1881 it was combined with the 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers)
104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers)
The 104th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1862 to 1881, when it was amalgamated into The Royal Munster Fusiliers....
to form part of the new Royal Munster Fusiliers
Royal Munster Fusiliers
The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
.
Indian Mutiny
On the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny the order to march on Delhi was given from Simla, and reached the regiment at Dugshai via Major George Ogle Jacob on 13 May 1857, who had ridden down with it, upon which the regiment marched down from its rest station at Dugshai, due to reach Umballa that evening. A depiction of the march was made by George F. Atkinson of the Engineers, see illustration.Major George Ogle Jacob was mortally wounded at Delhi on 14th September 1857 aged 38, having been wounded in the morning and died in camp at 10 pm. He was the son of Surgeon George Jacob (Bengal Medical Service) and had joined the Bengal Army in 1837 serving in Afghanistan (1838) and Sutlej (1845). His grave at Rajpura Cemetery, Delhi states: "Sacred to the memory of Major George Ogle Jacob, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, who whilst commanding his Regiment fell mortally wounded at the storming of Delhi, on the 14th September 1857, aged 38 years. This monument is erected by his family."
Battle honours
PlasseyBattle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
, Condore, Buxar, Rohilcund 1741, Sholinghur, Guzerat, Deig, Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839
Battle of Ghazni
The Battle of Ghazni took place in city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on July 23, 1839 during the First Anglo-Afghan War.-Prelude:...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
1839, Ferozeshah
Ferozeshah
Ferozeshah can refer to* Ferozeshah Kotla, a stadium in Delhi* Ferozshah Tughluq, a sultan of Delhi.* A village in Punjab , notable for the Battle of Ferozeshah.See also:* Ferozeshah Mehta Gardens...
, Sobraon
Sobraon
Sobraon is a village in Punjab, India. It is famous for being the site of the Battle of Sobraon, the village is located at 31°10'39N 74°51'10E with an altitude of 192 metres .-References:...
, Pegu, Delhi 1857
Siege of Delhi
The Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.The rebellion against the authority of the British East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which...
, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....