Cap badge, Machine Gun Battalion, 11th Sikhs, 1942-1947

White metal badge with the unit title, 'M.G.' over 'Sikhs', within a quoit surmounted by a King's Crown, with a crescent below.

Quoits, or chakram, are a traditional edged weapon from the Indian subcontinent, particularly associated with Sikh fighters.

The Indian Army was reformed following World War One (1914-1918) with single battalion regiments being amalgamated into multi-battalion units. The 11th Sikhs was formed in 1922 from an amalgamation of six Sikh Regiments. The 1st Battalion was formed from the 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs; 2nd Battalion from the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs; 3rd Battalion from the 45th Rattray's Sikhs; 4th Battalion from the 36th Sikhs; 5th Battalion from the 47th Sikhs. A 10th training battalion was formed from the 35th Sikhs. After Partition the 11th Sikh Regiment became the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army.

The Machine Gun Battalion was formed at Nowshera in 1942 during World War Two (1939-1945). As part of the 7th Indian Infantry Division the unit served in Arakan. It was briefly converted to a support battalion but returned to the machine gun role in 1944. It served with the 19th Indian Infantry Division in Burma.

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.