British East Africa 1896 is a

Battle Honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

awarded to the 24th (Baluchistan) (Duchess of Connaught's Own) Regiment of Bombay Infantry; an

infantry battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

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 ...

, which participated in the 1896 expedition to

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Britai ...

to suppress a local rebellion.

Expedition to British East Africa 1896

In 1895, a claimant to the chieftainship of

Takaungu Takaungu is a historic Swahili town located on the Kenyan Coast between Mombasa and Malindi, in Kilifi County. It is 10 kilometres south of the town of Kilifi, in the Kikambala division. Takaungu is located at the Creek in Kilifi North Constitu ...

in British East African Protectorate rebelled against British authority. This led to widespread disturbances in the districts of

Wanga The Wanga kingdom is a Bantu kingdom within Kenya, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the Luhya people (Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja in west to Naivasha in the East African Rift. The Wanga ki ...

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and

Malindi Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Sabaki River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. The population of Malindi was 119,859 as of the 2019 census. It is the largest urban centre ...

(in modern

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

). In March 1896, the 24th (Baluchistan) (Duchess of Connaught's Own) Regiment of Bombay Infantry (now 6th Battalion The

Baloch Regiment The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab Regiment, 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the 10th Baluch Regiment, Baluch Regiment. Since then, furt ...

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

) under the command of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Alfred Astley Pearson was ordered to Mombasa to restore order. The rebellion was soon brought under control by occupation of food centres and relentless pursuit of insurgents by battalion columns. In July 1896, the 24th Baluchistan Infantry returned to

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

. For its services in the campaign, the battalion was awarded the Battle Honour of 'British East Africa 1896' in 1901. The Battle Honour is unique to this unit. In 1922, when the Regimental Group System was adopted by the British Indian Army, the battalion was redesignated as the 1st Battalion (Duchess of Connaught's Own)

10th Baluch Regiment The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After Partition of India, independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab Regiment, 8th Punja ...

, and the Battle Honour was extended to all the battalions of 10th Baluch Regiment.Cook, HCB. (1987). ''The Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies 1662–1982''. London: Leo Cooper. p. 106.

References

{{Reflist Battle honours of the British Army Battle honours of the Indian Army East Africa Protectorate Awards established in 1896 1896 establishments in Kenya 1890s establishments in British India 19th-century military history of the United Kingdom

Expedition to British East Africa 1896

See also

References