Sailing expedition to mark The Guards’ golden jubilee

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 22: An eight-member sailing expedition traversing the coast from Bombay to Orissa will be undertaken by the Brigade of ...

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 22: An eight-member sailing expedition traversing the coast from Bombay to Orissa will be undertaken by the Brigade of The Guards to commemorate its Golden Jubilee. The expedition, the first of its kind, will be led by Capt Gautam Dutta.

Stating this while briefing media persons here today, Colonel of the Brigade of The Guards, Lt Gen H. R. S. Mann said that final approval from the Navy, which would provide support on sea, was awaited.

With eight Theatre Honours, 19 Battle Honours and 207 gallantry awards, including two Param Vir Chakras, two Ashok Chakras and five Victoria Crosses under its belt, the Brigade of The Guards is celebrating its Golden Jubilee from March 24 to 27 at its Regimental Centre, in Kamptee, near Nagpur. As a part of the commemoration, Lt Gen Mann said, a hostel for children of guardsmen killed in action is being set up at Kamptee while rehabilitation programmes for war widows are also being launched.

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As part of Golden Jubilee celebrations, a Bikaner-to-Ahmedabad desert safari on camels, three cycle expeditions covering all recruiting areas and two mountain expeditions were also conducted.

Four retired Army commanders and about 15 former general officers, along with a host of serving as well as retired Guards officers, are expected to attend the celebrations.

Raised by the then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian forces, Gen K. M. Cariappa, it has the unique distinction of having the President as its Colonel-in-Chief and the Army Chief as its honorary Colonel. Unlike other regiments, intake into the Guards is not based on regional or caste basis.

Three of the Army’s oldest and most distinguished battalions — 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment, 1st Battalion of the Indian Grenadiers Regiment and 1st Battalion of the 6th Rajputana Rifles were converted as Guards battalions in 1949. Later, they were joined by the 1st Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment. With 15 more battalions raised since 1960, The Guards today comprise 11 mechanised battalions, four infantry battalions, three reconnaissance and support battalions and one missile battalion in addition to two Territorial Army battalions.

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Since Independence, Guards battalions have seen action on Indo-China border, Gaza and Angola with the UN forces in addition to Indo-Pak wars and counter-insurgency operations. Though the Brigade of The Guards is only 50 years old, its constituent battalions go back as far as 225 years and between them share 93 Battle Honours earned around the globe.