The 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry was an infantry battalion of the British East India Company, which existed from the year 1903 to 1922. It was a part of the Madras Native Infantry under the Army of the Madras province, before the commencement of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Madras Army was the armed forces of Madras Presidency and one of the 3 major Presidency Armies in British India. It was founded with the purpose of protecting the commercial interests of the British East India Company. The British Presidency Armies belonged to the British East India Company until the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
Later in the year 1903, the three separate presidency armies were amalgamated to form the British Indian Army. The army unit was also incorporated as a part of the Madras Command. The 30th Madras Native Infantry was also known as the 90th Punjabis regiment and the 2nd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment.
History of 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry
The military unit was formed by Captain TK Crewe as the Masulipatam Battalion Madras Native Infantry at Masulipatam in the year 1799. It was also known as Crewe`s Battalion or Crewe Ki Paltan. In the following year, the unit was renamed the 2nd Battalion 15th Regiment in 1800 and was again re-designated as the 30th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry in 1824. The regiment mainly consisted of Muslims, Telugus and Tamils of South India. The regiment fought in the Third Anglo Maratha War from 1817 to 1819 and was stationed in Burma in 1824. There the unit took part in the First Anglo Burmese War.
In 1852, the 30th Madras Native Infantry was again dispatched to Burma and fought in the Second Anglo Burmese War. During the Great Revolt in India in 1857, the military battalion served in Central India. The troops of the regiment also took part in the Second Anglo Afghan War from 1878 to 1880 and the Third Anglo Burmese War from the year 1885 to 1887. The 90th Punjabis regiment was restructured with Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims, Brahmins and Rajputs in 1892 and was permanently stationed in Burma. The unit was re-designated as the 30th Regiment (5th Burma Battalion) of Madras Infantry. Later in the year 1901, the title of the unit was changed again to 30th Burma Infantry.
After the reforms assigned by Lord Kitchener in the various regiments of the British Indian Army in the year 1903, almost all of the units of Madras Army added 60 to their numbers and the regiment was re-designated as the 90th Punjabis. It represented the new class composition of the regiment. The Burma Battalions were removed from Burma in 1910 and the regiment was posted at Nasirabad in British India in the year 1911. The military remained in India during the First World War. Later the regiment participated in the Mesopotamia Campaign during the War in January 1915. It served as a part of the 12th Infantry Brigade.
Through out the war, the 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry functioned with 15th Indian Division on the Euphrates Line. They provided valuable military service in the military action of As Sahilan, the Battle of Nasiriyah, the conquest of Khan Baghdadi and the Second Battle of Ramadi. The regiment formed a 2nd battalion in the year 1918 that served in the Third Afghan War. It also participated in the military operation in Waziristan from 1920 to 1921. The 2nd Battalion of 90th Punjabis was dissolved in the year 1922.
Following World War I, the regiment was merged with the 91st Punjabis, 92nd Punjabis, 93rd Burma Infantry and the 2 battalions of 89th Punjabis in order to raise the 8th Punjab Regiment in the year 1922. The 90th Punjabis was appointed as the 2nd Battalion of the newly developed regiment. After the nation achieved independence and the partition of India, the 8th Punjab Regiment was allocated to the newly formed Army of independent Pakistan in the year 1947.
Designations of 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry
The 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry held many titles through out its service during the restructuring of the British Indian Army, like most of the other military regiments. These are listed as follows -
* Masulipatam Battalion Madras Native Infantry in 1799
* 2nd Battalion 15th Regiment Madras Native Infantry in 1800
* 30th Regiment Madras Native Infantry in 1824
* 30th Regiment Madras Infantry in 1885
* 30th Regiment (5th Burma Battalion) Madras Infantry in 1892
* 30th Burma Infantry in 1901
* 90th Punjabis in 1903
* 1st Battalion 90th Punjabis or 1/90th Punjabis in 1918
* 2nd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment or 2/8th Punjab in 1922
* 2nd Battalion The Baluch Regiment or 2 Baluch in 1956
