Trooper Sheikh Mahomed Jan, Governor General's Bodyguard, 1887 (c)

Photograph by Johnston and Hoffman, 22 Chowringhee Road, Calcutta, India, 1887 (c).

The contemporary caption describes Sheikh Mahomed Jan as 'Caste, Mahomedan (Shaikh)' and records his enlistment date as 1 August 1870, his height as 6 foot 2 inches, and weight, 16 stone 4 pounds. It gives a concise history of the soldier's unit and its current commanding officer is named as Captain C W Muir.

The Governor General's Bodyguard had its origin in the Governor's Troop of Mughals, a regiment formed in 1773 to serve Warren Hastings, the first Governor of India. The unit was renamed the Governor General's Bodyguard in 1784. After serving overseas, including deployments to Egypt and the Dutch East Indies during the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment saw action in India. It participated in the Gwalior campaign in 1843, the 1st Sikh War in 1845 and the Indian Mutiny of 1857. With the creation of the post of Viceroy of India in 1858, the regiment became the Viceroy's Bodyguard. In 1947, following mechanisation and conversion to an airborne unit during World War Two, the Governor General's Bodyguard was split between India and Pakistan.

From a series documenting the Collanderies Collection of Uniform, 1878-1890 (c).