This article is on the short-lived 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry and will help you to research those who served with this Regiment. I have also written a series of guides to help you research those who served in the Indian Army during the First World War:
The 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry in the First World War
Lineage: The 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry was formed at Bikaner, a city in what was then Bikaner State, now part of Rajasthan on 9 July 1918 and was disbanded in April 1919. Despite its title, no second battalion of the Regiment was raised.
Class Composition of Battalion in 1919: 2 Companies of Sikhs, 1 Company of Muslims from the Patiala State and 1 Company of Hindu Jats.
The 141st Bikaner Infantry was a short-lived Indian infantry battalion formed at Bikaner on 9 July 1918. The Regiment was raised following an offer by Maharajah of Bikaner Ganga Singh to form a Regiment recruited from what was then the Bikaner State. The Regiment’s first commanding officer was Acting Lieutenant-Colonel George Tristram Vander Gucht who was appointed from the 3rd Skinner’s Horse on 20 July 1918. The 141st Bikaner Infantry had not reached full establishment when the Armistice came into effect on 11 November 1918 and recruiting was stopped. After Armistice, the soldiers of the Regiment began to be demobilized, though in December 1918, the unit was still shown as being “Under formation”. In April 1919, the Regiment was disbanded while it was still stationed at Bikaner.
Below is an excerpt taken from the April 1919 Indian Army List which recorded the remaining British officers serving with the Regiment. Four of the nine officers are from the Indian Army Reserve of Officers (I.A.R.O.) which is typical of war-raised infantry battalions. The Indian Army List is one of the few sources of information about the Regiment and the British and Indian officers who served with it.
War Diaries for the 1st Battalion 41st Bikaner Infantry
Unfortunately, there are no war diaries for the 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry.
Further Sources for the 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry
The 1st Battalion 141st Bikaner Infantry is a difficult regiment to research due to its short history. For information regarding the British and Indian officers who served with the Regiment, the Indian Army List should be consulted.