38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

The 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry unit was a former infantry regiment under the British Army in India. The regiment was a part of the armed forces of Bengal Presidency till the year 1895. The Bengal Army was one of the Presidency Armies in British India and was based in the province of Bengal in east India. The 38th (Agra) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was also designated as the 38th Dogras unit. The unit was also a part of the Bengal Command.

History of 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The battalion was founded in the year 1858 as the Agra Levy by the Honourable British East India Company after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. The troops of the armed unit took part in a number of battles and conquests, such as the Siege of Malakand in the year 1897. In the year 1905, the 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry participated in the Rawalpindi Parade in order to accolade the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to British India.

The British Empire in India restructured all the regiments of the Indian army after the First World War. The various single battalion infantry regiments were amalgamated to form multi battalion regiments of 4 to 6 battalions. The 38th Dogras regiment was re-designated as the 2nd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment in the year 1922.

Development of 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The nation achieved independence on 15th August 1947 from the rule of British Indian administration. The country was divided into the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan by the Partition of India. The 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was allocated to the modern Indian Army.

Designations of 38th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The regiment, initially known as the Agra Levy regiment of the British Indian Army, occupied numerous designations through out its service during the various regrouping and renumbering of the army. These are listed as follows -
* Agra Levy in 1858
* 38th (Agra) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1864
* 38th (Dogra) Regiment, Bengal Infantry in 1890
* 38th Dogra Infantry - 1901
* 2nd Battalion 17th Dogra Regiment in 1922
* Assigned to modern Indian Army in 1947