This article is about the short-lived 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment 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 131st United Provinces Regiment:
The 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment in the First World War
Lineage: The 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment was formed at Bareilly on 2 July 1918 and disbanded in 1919.
Class Composition of Battalion in April 1919: 1 Company of Brahmans, 1 Company of Hillmen, 1 Company of Hindustani Muslims and 1 Company of Ahirs.
The 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment was formed at Bareilly, a city in the present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on 2 July 1918. The Battalion was formed of recruits from the Indian Imperial Police. It has left few records, did not serve overseas and is one of the hardest Indian units to research. The Battalion’s British officers were all Second Lieutenants, the majority were either Indian Army officers with temporary commissions or drawn from the Indian Army Reserve of Officers. The Commanding Officer was Acting Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Johnston Adams who was appointed on 2 July 1918, having only been commissioned on 21 June 1918. Adams was probably a police officer. The Battalion was stationed at Bareilly for the duration of its existence and was disbanded between June and July 1919.
The extract below was taken from the April 1919 Indian Army List and shows the majority of British officers serving with the unit at that time. The abbreviations recorded are I.A. Indian Army, I.A.R.O. Indian Army Reserve of Officers, T.C. Temporary Commission, Qr-Mr, Quartermaster.
War Diaries of the 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment
Unfortunately, there are no war diaries for the 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment. War diaries were written by an officer of a unit and recorded its activities and location.
Further Sources for the 2nd Battalion 131st United Provinces Regiment
For information regarding British and Indian officers who served the Battalion, the Indian Army List should be consulted. There are no confidential reports for the Battalion.