Seated left: Subadar-Major and Honorary Lieutenant Anthony Bahadur MC OBI IDSM, Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sappers and Miners. This corps was the oldest of the three Sappers and Miners units representing the three Presidencies, having been raised in 1780 as two companies of Madras Pioneers. Lieutenant Anthony was the second officer from this corps to represent India in the King’s Court. In 1912, Subadar Alexander was a King’s Indian Orderly. Anthony was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in Mesopotamia, at which time he was a subadar. ‘Jemadar Antoni’ was awarded the Indian Distinguished Service Medal, also in Mesopotamia. The Order of British India 2nd Class was conferred on him after WW1. His uniform conforms to the Royal Engineers pattern, apart from the blue turban. It was not until 1932 that the archaic title Sappers and Miners was dropped and the three corps were formed as The Corps of Indian Engineers.
Standing left: Subadar-Major Sangili Naidu, 1st Battalion (King George’s Own) 1st Madras Pioneers, formed in 1922 from the 61st KGO Pioneers. This was an ancient Madras regiment raised in 1758 as the 1st Battalion, Coast Sepoys, formed from independent companies. They mutinied in 1806 and were disbanded, but reformed 12 years later. They were the 1st Regiment of Madras Infantry (Pioneers) which, in the reorganisation of 1903 became the 61st Pioneers (Prince of Wales’s Own in 1906 and King George’s Own in 1910). In WW1 they served in India and German East Africa. In 1922 they were linked to the 64th and 81st Pioneers to form the 3 Battalions of the Corps of Madras Pioneers. The Subadar-Major wears a scarlet tunic with white facings. The badge on his turban has the Prince of Wales’s feathers on top of a circle.
Seated centre: Major V E W Simpson MC, 1st Battalion 20th Burma Rifles.
Seated right: Subadar-Major Lasang Gam, 3rd (Kachin) Battalion 20th Burma Rifles.
Standing right: Subadar Sau Tu IDSM, 1st Battalion 20th Burma Rifles.