The 121st Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

. The regiment traces their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the Marine Battalion.

The regiments first action was in the Anglo-Persian War

Anglo-Persian War

The Anglo-Persian War lasted between November 1, 1856 and April 4, 1857, and was fought between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Persia . In the war, the British opposed an attempt by Persia to reacquire the city of Herat...

, they returned to the Gulf when they were used in the punitive expedition in the Beni Boo Ali campaign in 1821, against the pirates in Eastern Arabia and the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. They were involved in a number of campaigns following this the conquest of Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

 including the Battle of Hyderabad

Battle of Hyderabad

The Battle of Hyderabad was fought in March 1843 between the British colonial empire and the Talpur Emirs of Sindh near Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. A small British force, led by Captain James Outram, who were attacked by the Balochis and forced to make a fort of the British residency, which they...

 in 1843. The Second Anglo-Sikh War

Second Anglo-Sikh War

The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...

 in 1848, the Second Anglo-Burmese War

Second Anglo-Burmese War

The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....

 in 1852 and the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia

1868 Expedition to Abyssinia

The British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...

. During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 the regiment served in the Mesopotamia Campaign and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign

Sinai and Palestine Campaign

The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...

s.

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1922, the 121st Pioneers became the 10th (Marine) Battalion, 2nd Bombay Pioneers

2nd Bombay Pioneers

The 2nd Bombay Pioneers were a regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1922, when the Indian army moved from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...

. The regiment was disbanded in 1932.

Predecessor names

• Marine Battalion - 1777
• 1st (Marine) Battalion, 11th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry - 1818
• 21st (Marine) Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry - 1824
• 21st Bombay Infantry (The Marine Battalion) - 1885
• 121st Pioneers