Beret badge, 17th Dogra Regiment, 1922-1947

White metal badge, one of two, with the regimental number, '17', above a scroll bearing the title, 'Dogras', surmounted by a King's Crown.

The 17th Dogra Regiment and its predecessor units were recruited entirely of Dogra Rajputs - high caste Hindus descended from the original Aryan invaders of India. They inhabited the foothills of the Himalayas between the Jhelum and Sutlej rivers in the Punjab. They had a long tradition of soldiering and fought for the British from the 1860s onwards. This included service in Malaya and Burma during World War Two. In 1947 the Dogra Regiment was allocated to India after independence and partition.

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.