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At the time of Indias Independence there were some 560 PrincelyStates of which 58 maintained armed forces to a standard fit foruse in the defence of India if needed. These States chose to jointhe Imperial Service Troops (IST) scheme, established in the late1880s and which lasted until 1920; and then the Indian State Forces(ISF) scheme which took over in 1920 and continued through to 1947.A number of other States maintained local forces outside of the twoschemes and these are not included here except for a few entries inthe last chapter. The contribution made by the IST/ISF troops wasimportant and of great value in the First and Second World Wars,which were covered by the two schemes. They also played a part inearlier campaigns on the North West Frontier and, uniquely, in theThird China War of 1900. These were special arrangements becauseall the States had separate treaties (sanads) with the Governmentof Imperial India and these recognized their status in charge oftheir own internal affairs and their own revenue. These treatieslaid no legal obligation to provide troops to serve outside theirown State. Thus the IST/ISF schemes created a back-up, at minimumcost, for the Defence of India. The chapters covering the Statesare set out in alphabetical order. Each covers the background oftheir antecedent forces where this is known. They also cover theSubsidiary and Contingent Forces provided by the States. Each entryshows the descendant units (where such exist) in the Armies ofIndia and Pakistan. There is also much information on battle andcampaign honours, honours and awards won by members of theseForces, as well as notes on uniforms and insignia. This work willbecome the primary source of reference for the future. Despite theimmense amount of research undertaken by the authors there is stillwork to be done, however, as there are frequent not known or notlisted entries, a number of anomalies noted, and unidentified itemsof insignia illustrated. The authors hope that the publication oftheir work will stimulate the recovery of yet more information.
ISBN - 9788173048883
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Pages : 1081
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