The 44th Merwara Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1824, when the Sylhet Light Infantry was raised. This first 44th eventually became the 44th Gurkhas and later

8th Gurkha Rifles The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...

. The Mhairwara Local Battalion became a civil unit in 1861, but returned to a military role as the Mhairwara Battalion in 1871. It became the 44th Merwara Infantry in 1903, after the

Kitchener reforms The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

of the Indian Army. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the regiment was part of the 12th Indian Division and took part in the Battle of Shaiba, the

Battle of Khafajiya A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and the

Battle of Nasiriya A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in the Mesopotamia Campaign. Further reforms of the army were undertaken after World War I and nine single battalion regiments were disbanded. Being one of the nine, the 44th Merwara Infantry were disbanded on 20 June 1921.

Previous names

*The Mhairwara Local Battalion - 1822 *14th (Mhairwara) Local Battalion - 1823 *9th (Mhairwara) Local Battalion - 1826 *The Mhairwara Battalion - 1843 *The Ajmer and Mhairwara Police Corps - 1861 *The Mhairwara Battalion - 1871 *44th Merwara Infantry - 1903''Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919'', p. 1199

References

* * *''Quarterly Indian Army List January 1919''. Army Headquarters India. Calcutta, 1919. British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1824 Bengal Presidency Military units and formations disestablished in 1921 1824 establishments in British India {{Mil-unit-stub