| Bombay Engineer Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1780–present |
| Country |  India |
| Branch | Corps of Engineers ofIndian Army |
| Type | Combat Engineers |
| Role | Combat support |
| Garrison/HQ | Khadki,Pune |
| Motto(s) | Sarvatra! |
| Engagements | SeeBattle honours list |
| Battle honours | SeeBattle honours list |
TheBombay Engineer Group, or theBombay Sappers as they are informally known, are aregiment of theCorps of Engineers of theIndian Army.[1] The Bombay Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhileBombay Presidencyarmy of theBritish Raj. The group has its centre inKhadki,Pune inMaharashtrastate. The Bombay Sappers have gone on to win many honours and awards, both in battle and in peacetime, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, both before and afterIndependence. Thegallantry awards won include the BritishVictoria Cross and the FrenchLegion of Honour before independence, as well as theParam Vir Chakra andAshok Chakra as part of IndependentIndia. The Group has also made its mark in peacetime activities such as sport, adventure, disaster relief, aid to civil authority and prestigious construction projects.
_1910.jpg)
The Bombay Sappers draw their origins back to the late 18th century when the British had become a new force in the politics ofIndia which then consisted of a large number of kingdoms and fiefdoms; the principal ones being theMaratha confederacy,Mysore,Hyderabad andBerar, with British presidencies atBombay,Madras andBengal in addition to their factories atSurat. The British engaged in conflict withTipu Sultan and later the Marathas, which along with diplomatic measures resulted in British overlordship over large parts of India.
The earliest instance of recruitment of native sappers was the formation of a company ofPioneer Lascars, comprising 100 men, in 1777 byMajor Lawrence Nilson, the first Chief Engineer of theBombay Presidency.[2] Over the next few years, these newly born Lascars saw action mostly in skirmishes with the Marathas. Soon after being recognised as a Pioneer Corps in 1781,[3] they participated in 1782–84 expedition to the Malabar coast againstTipu Sultan's forces in theSecond Mysore War and also saw action in theThird Mysore War, when they served atCalicut and at the first siege ofSeringapatam.[4]
In 1797, the Bombay Pioneer Corps was organised afresh with four companies of 100 men each, under Captain-Lieutenant Bryce Moncrieff (Bo.E.) into which the Pioneer Lascars were wholly absorbed.[4] The Bombay Pioneers rendered sterling service in road construction and survey of theMalabar andKanara for some years, in the midst of which they participated with merit in theFourth Mysore War (1799), participating in the defense of Manatana,Battle of Seedaseer and the siege and capture of Seringapatam. The Bombay Pioneers next saw service in 1803 during theSecond Maratha War underSir Arthur Wellesley, later theDuke of Wellington, excelling atGawilgarh and rendering sterling service in the many campaigns by maintaining lines of communication and helping the heavy cannons reach the battlefield.
The successful defeat of Maratha ambitions South of theVindhyas was followed by stringent economisation in 1807 which found the Bombay Pioneers reduced to only one company,[5] till, in 1812, the inescapable demands of a vibrant and growing Presidency led to the Corps being increased to a strength of four companies, Numbers 1 to 4.[6] Soon after during the Third Maratha War (1818–1820), the four companies paid a vital role in the capture of the erstwhile Peshwa's territories by the reduction of as many as 33 forts in the Konkan, Khandesh and Deccan.[7] Impending operations in Central India led to the Corps being expanded to six companies in 1819 and to eight companies in 1822 when they were officially recognised as a battalion.[8]
Besides the Bombay Pioneers, a separate company of Engineer Lascars had been raised in 1820 and designated as 'Sappers and Miners Company'.[9] This field company was the first Bombay Sapper unit to proceed abroad when in 1821 it sailed for operations against pirates on theArabian coast and earned for itself the firstbattle honour of the Corps,Beni Boo Alli. In 1826, a second company was raised and the 'Sappers & Miners' made into theEngineer Corps in 1829.[10]
Earlier, in 1803, a pontoon train had been raised by the British at Bombay to help with the crossing of the rivers of the Deccan in monsoon. This proved unable to keep up with the swift movement of infantry and cavalry characteristic of Sir Arthur Wellesley's manoeuvres, but later proved to be useful for operations inGujarat.[11] This too was merged with the Engineer Corps.
In 1830 the Bombay Pioneers were reduced from eight to six companies and the pioneer companies merged into the Engineer Corps.[12] The Engineer Corps was reduced in strength yet again in 1834 as part of a general retrenchment to just one Sapper & Miner and three Pioneer companies.[12] Soon after in 1839, the Bombay Engineer companies took part in operations inAfghanistan, distinguishing themselves atGhuznee andKhelat.
In 1840, all the pioneer companies were converted into Sappers & Miners and the 'Engineer Corps' renamed as theBombay Sappers & Miners.[13] The Corps took part in many operations both in India and abroad, the longlist of battle and theatre honours earned giving an idea of the sterling service rendered by the Corps both in peace and war. In the 19th century and prior to World War I, the Bombay Sappers served inArabia,Persia,Abyssinia, China,Somaliland; in India fought in theMysore,Maratha andAnglo-Sikh Wars; fought in the aftermath of theMutiny inMhow,Jhansi,Saugor andKathiawar and many times over in thePunjab,North West Frontier Province andAfghanistan.
In the1903 reorganisation of the Indian Army, the Corps was renamed in the newly unified Indian Army as the3rd Sappers & Miners. A mistaken interpretation of the historic records led to the Bombay Sappers being considered as junior to the Madras and Bengal Sappers whereas they could trace an unbroken descent from before the Madras or Bengal Sappers were formed; the case for reversion being taken up a number of times unsuccessfully, presumably due to inadequate records of the services of the Corps in the late 18th century.
The Bombay Sappers expanded greatly during the 'Great War' to meet a large number of Indian engineer troops required by the Empire. The Bombay Sappers fought against the Germans and the Turks in Europe, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Aden, Persia, East Africa and also in Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the North West Frontier Province, winning as many as 29 battle and theatre honours. The very large losses of 20 and 21 Field Companies in Europe in 1914–15 led to theMalerkotla Sappers & Miners joining the Corps where they remained affiliated till 1945 when all state forces sapper companies were transferred to the Bengal Sappers ostensibly on grounds of administrative convenience.
In recognition of the prodigious contribution of the Bombay Sappers in World War I, the title 'Royal' was bestowed on the Corps in 1921 and they became the3rd Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners. The numeral3rd was removed in 1923 and the Corps became theRoyal Bombay Sappers and Miners and were so-called right until the end of World War II.
The Second World War once again saw a great wartime expansion and the Bombay Sappers fought the Germans, Italians and the Japanese inMalaya, Singapore,Burma, Abyssinia,Eritrea, North Africa, Syria,Italy andGreece.
After independence, the Group became part of theCorps of Engineers of theArmy of independent India. The Bombay Engineers is the only engineers who have a Parachute Field Company, that is 411 (Independent) Parachute Field Company of 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade situated inAgra.
The Bombay Sappers & Miners emerged from the amalgamation of two lineages, firstly, that of the Pioneer Lascars, raised in 1777, and secondly, the Sappers & Miners, raised in 1803 as a Pontoon Train.[1][14]
The list of battle and theatre honours of the Bombay Sappers are as follows:[Note 1]
European theatre | Palestine Persia, Aden, East Africa | Mesopotamia
India |
North Africa & Europe | South-East Asia |
Indo-Pak War (1947 – 48) | Indo-Pak War (1965) | Indo-Pak War (1971) | Kargil incursion |
The Group presently has the following class composition:[15]
The training centre, titled Bombay Engineer Group and Centre, is located inKhadki nearPune,Maharashtra.
Arms and services ofIndian Army | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat arms |
|  | ||||
| Support services |
| |||||