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The 2nd Bombay Grenadiers, as they will be better remembered, have as long a history as the 1st. The Sphinx on the badge represents their involvement in the war in Egypt (1801) where they were under the command of Sir David Baird along with the 13th (later the 113th), fighting the French Revolutionary Army. In 1818 they fought in the Mahratta Wars, distinguishing themselves at the battle of Corygaum (Koregaum or Koregaon) near Poona. Under the command of British officers, 850 men of the 2nd put to flight the Peshwa's cavalry which numbered 25,000, losing a third of it's strength. Most of the men were lost in a desperate fight to recapture a gun, led by their adjutant Lt. Thomas Pattinson who rushed into the enemy clubbing at them with a musket.
For 20 years or so the 2nd were the 2nd battalion of the 1st Bombay Native Infantry until 1824 when they became a regiment in their own right. In 1840 they were in the First Afghan War, where Lt. Walpole Clarke who had made a name for himself with feats of bravery, died fighting Baluchi tribesmen whilst leading a doomed foraging expedition of 200 men with camels.
Another part of the badge has the Prince of Wales's feathers. The regiment became The Prince of Wales's Own in 1876 and remained under royal patronage until Partition in 1947.
In 1897 and in 1914 the regiment comprised 2 companies of Western Rajputana Jats, 2 of Bagri Jats and Jats from Eastern Rajputana, 2 of Rajputana Gujars and 2 of Punjabi Muslims. In 1914 they were stationed at Muscat, Oman and their WW1 service was in Muscat, Mesopotamia, Aden and India. A second battalion was formed in 1917 that served in Egypt and India.
Between the Wars, they were briefly in Afghanistan and then Hong Kong where they were officially re-styled King Edward's Own. They became 2nd battalion 4th Bombay Grenadiers in1922 and were stationed at Ajmer. In WW2 they were in India, Burma, Malaya and Dutch East Indies.
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