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.
By 1903, the total strength of the Indian Army was 240,000 men. They served in 39 cavalry regiments, 135 infantry battalions (including 17 Gurkha), a joint cavalry-infantry unit the Corps of Guides, three sapper regiments and 12 mountain artillery batteries. 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. The Princely states had 22,613 men in 20 cavalry regiments and 14 infantry battalions. The Auxiliary force could field another 40,000 men in 11 regiments of horse and 42 volunteer infantry battalions. Also available were the Frontier Militia and the Military Police, which could field 34,000 men between them.
Cavalry
Bodyguard troops
Governor-General's Bodyguard
Governor's Bodyguard, Madras
Governor's Bodyguard, Bombay
Former Bengal Regiments
1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) 3rd Skinner's Horse 4th Lancers - (4th Cavalry in 1904) 5th Cavalry 6th Prince of Wales's Cavalry - (6th King Edward's Own Cavalry in 1906) 7th Lancers - (7th Hariana Lancers in 1904) 8th Lancers - (8th Cavalry in 1904) 9th Hodson's Horse 10th Duke of Cambridge's Own Lancers (Hodson's Horse) 11th Prince of Wales's Own Lancers - (11th Prince of Wales's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) in 1904) 12th Cavalry 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse) 14th Murray's Jat Lancers 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) 16th Cavalry 17th Cavalry 18th Tiwana Lancers 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse)
Former Punjab Regiments
21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) - (21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse) in 1904) 22nd Cavalry (Frontier Force) - (22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) in 1904) 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force) 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
Former Madras regiments
26th Light Cavalry
27th Light Cavalry
28th Light Cavalry
Former Hyderabad regiments
20th Deccan Horse
29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) 30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse)
Former Bombay regiments
31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers
32nd Lancers
33rd Queen's Own Light Cavalry
34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse
35th Scinde Horse
36th Jacob's Horse
37th Lancers (Baluch Horse)
Former Local Corps
38th Central India Horse
39th central horse
Cavalry and Infantry
Queen's Own Corps of Guides
Infantry
Former Thiyyar Regiments
Thiyyar Regiment
Former Bengal Regiments
1st Brahmans
2nd (Queen's Own) Regiment of Rajput Light Infantry
3rd Brahmans
4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs
5th Light Infantry
6th Jat Light Infantry
7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs
8th Rajputs
9th Bhopal Infantry - former Local Corps
10th Jats
11th Rajputs
12th Pioneers (The Kelat-i-Ghilzie Regiment) 13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment) 14th Ferozepore Sikhs 15th Ludhiana Sikhs 16th Rajputs (The Lucknow Regiment) 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) 18th Infantry 19th Punjabis 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjabis - (20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) in 1904) 21st Punjabis 22nd Punjabis 23rd Sikh Pioneers