Collar badge, 85th Burma Rifles, 1918-1922

Silver badge, one of a pair, in the form of Hanuman above a scroll bearing the unit's title. Lord Hanuman, a devotee of Lord Rama, and commander of a monkey army, is a revered figure in Hindu mythology.

The 85th Burma Rifles was raised during World War One (1914-1918). The battalion was formed in Mandalay in July 1917 and was quickly deployed overseas. The unit, totalling over a thousand officers and men, including Burmans, Gurkhas and Karens, was sent to Mesopotamia and remained there until 1920. In 1922 the 85th Burma Rifles became the 3rd Battalion 20th Burma Rifles.

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.