105th Regiment of Foot (Madras Light Infantry)


The 105th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1766. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 51st Regiment of Foot to form the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

History

Early history

The regiment as first raised by the Honourable East India Company as the 2nd Madras Europeans, when it was formed from the 1st Madras Europeans in 1766. It served in India until it was disbanded in 1799. It was re-raised as the 2nd Battalion, The Madras European Regiment in 1822 but disbanded again in 1830.

The Victorian era

The regiment was re-raised as the 2nd Madras Regiment in 1839 and re-designated the 2nd Madras Light Infantry in 1842. It was deployed to Burma in 1853 during the Second Anglo-Burmese War and then saw action in India in 1857 during the Indian Rebellion. After the Crown took control of the Presidency armies in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion, the regiment became the 2nd Madras Light Infantry in November 1859. It was then renumbered as the 105th Regiment of Foot on transfer to the British Army in September 1862. It embarked for England in 1874.
As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 105th was linked with the 51st Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 8 at Pontefract Barracks in the West Riding of Yorkshire. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 51st Regiment of Foot to form the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were:
;2nd Madras Regiment
;105th Regiment of Foot