The Commander-in-Chief of India, Lord Kitchener carried out a reform of the British Indian Army in 1903. These reforms were intended to improve the Army, which had been formed from the separate Bengal, Bombay and Madras presidency armies in 1895 to be replaced by the Bengal, Bombay, Madras and Punjab commands. The localisation of regiments was abolished, and in future every regiment was to have the opportunity of experiencing service on the Frontier. A new method of numbering and designating regiments was introduced. The renumbering went as follows:
- Bengal regiments retained their existing numbers.
- Punjab regiments, less the 5th Gurkhas, were numbered consecutively, adding 50, so that, for example, the 4th Sikh Infantry and the 1st Punjab Infantry became 54th and 55th.
- The Guides remained unnumbered.
- Madras regiments added 60 and, since over the years a number of them had been increasingly recruited in the Punjab, this was recognised in their titles, the 30th Madras, for example, becoming the 90th Punjabis.
- The Hyderabad Contingent regiments were brought into the Line as 94th to 99th.
- The Bombay regiments added 100, so that the 1st Bombay Grenadiers became the 101st Grenadiers, and so on.[1]
By 1903, the total strength of the Indian Army was 240,000 men.[2] They served in 39 cavalry regiments, 135 infantry battalions (including 17 Gurkha),[2] a joint cavalry-infantry unit the Corps of Guides, three sapper regiments and 12 mountain artillery batteries.[3] In addition to the regular Indian Army, the armies of the Princely states, and regiments of the Auxiliary force (European volunteers) could also be called on to assist in an emergency.[3] The Princely states had 22,613 men in 20 cavalry regiments and 14 infantry battalions.[4] The Auxiliary force could field another 40,000 men in 11 regiments of horse and 42 volunteer infantry battalions.[2] Also available were the Frontier Militia and the Military Police, which could field 34,000 men between them.[2]