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Raising of the Regiment 1812
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The British Resident at the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad was Henry Russell from 1810 to 1820, appointed by the East India Company. In 1812 he was given permission to raise troops on the Nizam’s behalf. He raised two battalions, and then went on to reform the troops in Berar into four battalions. They were chiefly Hindus, recruited from Oudh, and the area that was later known as Uttar Pradesh. In a report to the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army in 1817, Russell claimed: ‘In fact they belong to the Nizam’s Army in name only; they consider themselves as Company’s troops and, for all practical purposes, they are as much so as those in our immediate establishment.’
The Indian soldiers were commanded by British officers, as were two more battalions belonging to Muhammad Salabat Khan, Subadar of Berar. These were added to Russell’s six battalions, and in 1826 were re-numbered so that the two battalions of Russell’s Brigade became the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the Nizam’s Infantry. These titles remained until Kitchener’s reorganisation in 1903 when they became the 94th and 95th Russell’s Infantry.
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Battle of Mahidpoor 21 Dec 1817
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The battle of Mahidpoor was fought during the Third Maratha War. The Holkars in the Maratha Confederacy were confronted by regiments in the East India Company which included the Russell Brigade and the Berar Infantry. The British force, led by Sir Thomas Hislop, faced a line of 63 of the Holkars’ cannons. The battle was going against the British until Gafur Khan deserted the Holkars and removed his force from the field of battle. The Marathas suffered a major defeat with the loss of this battle. The battle honour MAHIDPOOR was granted to the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Russell’s Brigade, who between them lost 12 men killed and 61 injured, including one officer.
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Siege of Nowah 1819
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The Hatkars, also known as Bargi Dhangars from the Deccan, under the leadership of Novsaji Naik, took control of strongholds in Nanded and Berar which were under the protection of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Hatkar Rebellion had been going on for 20 years and the Nizam asked the East India Company to assist his troops in re-taking the captured strongholds. Russell’s Brigade and the Berar Infantry were part of a force of 4,000 Company troops that besieged Nowah, situated in the Hadganv Taluk of the Nanded district. Novsaji and a force of 500 Arabs defended the mud fort for 23 days, from the 8th to the 31st January 1819. Most of the Arabs were killed or badly wounded. The Company troops lost only 24 killed and 180 wounded, of which six were British officers. The battle honour NOWAH was granted to the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Russell’s Brigade, and the 1st Berar Infantry. The 1st Russell’s lost 12 men killed and 58 wounded, including one officer. The 2nd Russell’s lost 3 killed and 56 wounded, including 2 officers. And the 1st Berar Infantry lost 6 killed and 44 wounded, including one officer.
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The Indian Mutiny 1857-8
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In 1853 the Nizam, because of financial considerations, transferred the Hyderabad Contingent over to the East India Company. They were reduced to six battalions so that Russell’s and the Berar Infantry remained intact. When the Indian Mutiny broke out the Contingent remained loyal to the Company and helped suppress the mutineers. After the Mutiny the Company troops were transferred to the Crown. The battalions in the Contingent were made up of Hindus and Muslims mixed together. Class companies were established in other loyal regiments, but not in the Hyderabad Contingent. In 1879 it was laid down that they could recruit only 25 per cent of their number from North India, but in 1894, because of difficulty in recruiting they were allowed to recruit 50 per cent from there. The ratio of Hindus to Muslims was set at 60 percent Hindu to 40 per cent Muslim. In 1897 they finally adopted the class company system like the other regiments so that the 1st Infantry (94th) consisted of 37.5 per cent Rajputs, 25 per cent Jats, and 37.5 per cent Deccan Muslims.
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