This article covers the history of the President’s Body Guard. PBG is the oldest surviving mounted unit and the senior most regiment of the Indian Army.

President’s Body Guard (PBG) is the oldest surviving mounted unit and the senior most regiment of the Indian Army. PBG was raised by Governor Warren Hastings in Sep, 1773. Hastings handpicked 50 troopers from the ‘Moghal Horse’, which was raised in 1760 by local sirdars, Sirdars Mirza Shahbaz Khan & Sirdar Khan Tar Beg.

In the same year, Raja Cheyt Singh of Benaras provided another 50 troopers that took the strength of the unit to 100. The first commander of the unit was Capt. Sweeny Toone, an officer of the Honourable East Indian Company(HEIC), who had Lt. Samuel Black as his subaltern . The establishment of the unit was as follows: -

• 1 Captain
• 1 Lieutenant
• 4 Sergeants
• 6 Daffadars
• 100 troopers
• 2 Trumpeters
• 1 Ferrier

GGBG was the only Corps of cavalry in the Bengal presidency till 1777 when two Regiments of Cavalry were transferred to the HEIC by Nawab of Oudh. Both the regiments were raised in 1776.

Titles

President’s Body Guard’s title kept on changing with the passage of time: -

• 1773-1780 The Governor’s* Troops of Moghals. Other titles in use were Troops of Body Guard, Governor’s Troops of Bodyguards, Troops of Horse guards, Troops of Black Cavalry, Body Troop.
• 1784 Governor General’s Body guards (GGBG)
• 1859 His Excellency the Viceroy’s Body Guards**
• 1944 44th Divisional Reconnaissance Squadron (GGBG)
• 1946 Governor General’s Bodyguard
• 1947 After independence, the unit got split between Governor General’s Body Guard, India & Governor General’s Body Guard, Pakistan.
• 1950 The President’s Body Guard, India. In Pakistan the title remained GGBG till 1956.

Strength & Ethnic Composition

Strength of the regiment varied throughout its history. Minimum strength of the unit was 50 when it was raised in 1773 but the precise maximum strength of the unit is not known. President of India’s website claims a number of 1929 just before the First Sikh war but some historians believe the number to be 469. As per the book “Historical Records of the Governor General’s Body Guards” published in 1910, maximum strength of the unit was 529 all ranks on 12th Feb, 1844 just before the first Sikh War. In addition to 529 all ranks, orders were also issued to attach two Rissalahs of Irregular Cavalry, taking the strength of the unit to 730 all ranks.

Ethnic composition of the unit also kept on changing. It started with muslims (Moghals) from Awadh (Eastern U.P.) when it was raised in 1773. By 1800, Hindus (Rajput & Brahmins) were allowed to join GGBG along with Muslims but the area of the recruitment remained the same, Awadh & Bihar. In 1800, the recruitment pool was changed from Bengal Presidency to Madras Presidency & GGBG was reconstituted with troopers from Madras cavalry & for next 60 years, South Indian Castes formed bulk of the unit. After the Great Mutiny of 1857, center of recruitment of Indian Army was shifted from Awadh & south India to North India. GGBG was no exception & Sikhs were enlisted for the first time in Aug, 1883 & Punjabi Muslims in Oct, 1887. Recruitment of Brahmins & Rajputs ceased in 1895. After that, the recruitment was fixed at 50% Sikhs (Malwa & Majha) & 50% Muslims (Hindustani & Punjabi). Currently Jat, Sikhs & Rajputs are taken in equal number primarily from the states of Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan. Minimum height necessary to be enlisted is 6 feet. Before independence the average height of the troopers was 6 feet 3 inches. Because of the personality & appearance of the men, popular acronym of GGBG was ‘God’s Gift to Beautiful Girls’.

Battle Honours

Java, Ava Maharajpore, Moodkee, Ferozshah, Aliwal, Sabroan.

Operational History

PBG first saw action in 1773-74 when it was deployed against Sanyasis – a band that ravaged the countryside in the guise of mendicants. Its next campaign was against Rohillas in April 1774 in the battle of St. George where Rohillas were defeated completely. The unit was also present during the 3rd Mysore War (1790-92) against Tipu Sultan. During this campaign, it successfully thwarted an assassination attempt on the life of Governor General Lord Cornwallis. In 1801, a detachment consisted of 1 Native officer & 26 other ranks went to Egypt to ride the horses of experimental horse artillery. It marched for 120 miles in the desert in the height of summer. All their horses died & they had to place the guns on camels. They never saw action in Egypt as Alexandria had capitulated by the time, they arrived there.

But all these campaigns did not bring any Battle Honour to GGBG. They earned their first Battle Honour ‘Java’ in 1811 during the conquest of the island. At present PBG has the unique distinction of being the only surviving unit to carry this honour. In 1824, a detachment volunteered to sail over kaala paani (Black War, at that time, Hindu soldiers would refrain from sailing over sea for the fear of losing their caste) to take part in the first Burmese War and earned their second Battle Honour ‘Ava’. Body Guards received their third Battle Honour ‘Maharajpore’ for the battle of Maharajpore in 1843 when British intervened in the battle for the succession that erupted in Gwalior after the death of Maharaja Scindia.

PBG fought all the main battles of the First Sikh War & earned four Battle honours. During the 1857 mutiny, Lord Canning himself asked the officers and other ranks to serve without arms as a precautionary measures, which they did in good faith and later, they escorted Lord Canning to the grand Darbar at Allahabad where on 1st Nov, 1858, it was proclaimed that India will be governed by the Crown and title of Viceroy was conferred on the Governor General.

During the WW1, Lord Harding offered the Body Guards as Divisional Cavalry for the Meerut Division, which was going to France. But it was decided that the best use of the Body Guards would be working as trainers for raw remounts of cavalry & artillery. Thus for the entire period of the WW1, GGBG worked as remount training center. However, a detachment of the unit was sent to France as a reinforcement of 3rd Skinner’s Horse. During the World War 2, for a brief period of time, GGBG served as 44th Division Reconnaissance Squadron.

Independence came with partition of the nation & armed forces were also divided in 2:1 ratio between India & Pakistan. GGBG was no exception, so Muslim elements of the unit went to Pakistan & Sikhs and Rajput elements stayed with India. The title of the Body Guard remained GGBG till 26th January, 1950 when India became Republic & GGBG became President’s Body Guard. The first commandant of the regiment was Lt. Col. Thakur Govind Singh and his adjutant was Shibzada Yakub Singh, who decided to join Pakistan Army. After the division of other assets of the regiment, when it came to gold plated buggey of the Viceroy, both India & Pakistan wanted it. To decide the fate of the buggey, Col. Singh & Sahibzada Yakub Singh tossed a coin & India got the buggey.

After the independence, PBG saw action in all the major wars. It rendered yeoman service in the capitol & helped reinstating confidence in general public. In 1962 Indo-China war, PBG armoured cars were the first one to be airlifted to Chusul. It participated in Op. Ablaze in 1965 indo-Pak war. The regiment served in Siachin glacier where it has been serving till date. A detachment of the regiment was a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces to Sri Lanka during 1988-89 & Indian contingents to UN Peace Keeping Forces to Somalia, Angola & Sierra Leon.