MADRAS REGIMENT

      The Madras Regiment soldiers with their drummers in this picture.  The Madras Regiment has a history of more than 200 years.The British East India Company who started their trading post in Madras in the year 1639 were a mere commercial entity in the intial 100 years.  They were more concentrating on the trade with the natives and exports to England.  But the loss of Fort St.George to French Army in 1746 changed their attitude.They then began to have an army of their own to protect their commercial interests in the face of fiery competition from the French,Dutch and Danish companies.  The credit for starting the Madras Army should go to Major Stringer Lawrence who in August 1758 started recruiting soldiers and by December of that year there were two battalions of 8 companies each. Those serving in the Northern parts of Presidency were called Sircar battalion and in the south were called Carnatic battalion. The regiment in its 250 years of its existence has seen action in Carnatic campaigns, Mysore wars, Maratha wars

World wars, J & K action of 1948 and Indo Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. It is one of the most decorated regiment.