The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry large 23mm brass button.

 The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was formed in 1922 when the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments.  It brought together six older Bombay Army units under one regimental banner, based at Belgaum.

• Its battalions carried real pedigree: the 1st Battalion descended from the 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry, tracing back through the 3rd (Light) Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry to 1796, making it the oldest light infantry regiment in the British Indian Army.

• The 5th Battalion (ex-117th Mahrattas) held a rare distinction: it was made a “Royal” battalion for its conspicuously distinctive service during the Mesopotamia campaign, particularly in the events surrounding the enemy’s capitulation after the 146-day siege of Kut-el-Amara  — a battalion-level “Royal” honour was almost unheard of in the Indian Army.

Second World War service

• The 1st Battalion served in North Africa and Italy; Sepoy Namdev Jadhav was awarded the Victoria Cross in Italy in 1945.

• The 2nd Battalion served in Eritrea and North Africa until June 1942, when it bore the brunt of the German assault on Tobruk, taking heavy casualties before the garrison’s survivors went into captivity.

• The 4th Battalion served on the India-Burma border, notably in the defence of Imphal, joined later by the 6th Battalion in the same sector.

• Other battalions fought across Italy, Iraq/Persia, North Africa, Burma, and Java,  and the regiment raised roughly 30 battalions in total during the war.