2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers

This article is about the war-raised 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers and will help you research those who served with it during the First World War. I have written a separate article for the 1st Battalion 128th Pioneers and a series of guides to help you research those who served in the Indian Army during the war. To view the guides click on the links below:

The 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers in the First World War

Lineage: The 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers was formed at Arangaon (Maharashtra, India) on 26 February 1918 and disbanded on 28 August 1922. For a history of the Regiment’s lineage see my page on the 1st Battalion 128th Pioneers.

Class Composition of Battalion in April 1919: 4 Platoons of Pathans, 4 Platoons of Lobana and Saini Sikhs, 2 Platoons of Rajput Muslims, 2 Platoons of Dekhani Mahrattas and 4 Platoons of Heris.

The 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers was a short-lived Indian infantry battalion formed at Arangaon (Maharashtra, India) on 26 February 1918. The Battalion’s first commanding officer was Acting Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Wentworth Ashburner. In the January 1920 Indian Army List, the Battalion was stationed at Arangaon. The Battalion served in the Middle East from 1920 and while serving overseas the Battalion’s Depot was at Meerut (Uttar Pradesh, India) and subsequently Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh, India).

There are 15 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. One of them is 1076 Sepoy Suffed Khan who died of sickness on 1 May 1920 and is buried in the Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Istanbul. I have written a separate article on the Indian cremation memorial which can be found in the cemetery: Haidar Pasha Cemetery. The Battalion was disbanded on 28 August 1922.Grave of Suffed Khan 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers

Below is an excerpt from the July 1918 Indian Army List showing the British officers serving with the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers. Like other war-raised Indian infantry battalions, the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers British officers were typically inexperienced and either on probation, with a temporary commission (T.C.) or from the Indian Army Reserve of Officers (I.A.R.O.).
2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers

War Diaries of the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers

There are no war diaries for the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers.

Further Sources for the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers

For information regarding the British and Indian officers who served with the 2nd Battalion 128th Pioneers, the Indian Army List should be consulted. The only confidential report for the Battalion concerns its Depot for 1919-20: Confidential review reports on Indian Army units, depots, British officers, etc. for 1919-1920 IOR/L/MIL/7/17031. These confidential reports also contain the annual reports of the British officers serving with the Depot.

Guides to Researching a Soldier who Served in the Indian Army

Guides to Researching a Soldier who Served in the British Army