The 48th Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the

British Indian Army 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 ...

. They could trace their origins to 1901, when they were raised as the 48th (Pioneers) Bengal Infantry. They were the last raised Bengal Infantry unit before the reorganization of the Indian Army in 1903. Compared to various other regiments, the 48th Pioneers were religiously diverse. During World War I the regiment was part of

6th (Poona) Division The 6th (Poona) Division was a division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army. World War I The 6th (Poona) Division served in the Mesopotamian campaign. Led by Major General Barre ...

and was captured in its entirety at the

Siege of Kut The siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000 strong British Army garrison in the town of Kut, south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. In 1915, its population ...

, on 29 April 1916. A 2/48th Pioneers was reformed in Mesopotamia in May 1916, renumbered 48th Pioneers in June, and attached to

15th Indian Division The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second ...

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1921, the 48th Pioneers now became the 4th Battalion,

2nd Bombay Pioneers The 2nd Bombay Pioneers was a regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1922, when the infantry of the Indian Army moved from single battalion to multi battalion regiments. They were renamed The Corps of Bombay Pioneers in 192 ...

. This became the Corps of Bombay Pioneers in 1929, which was subsequently disbanded in 1933.

References

* * British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1901 Military units and formations disestablished in 1921 Bengal Presidency {{India-mil-stub