| 5th Light Infantry | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1803–1922 |
| Country | Indian Empire |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry (Indian) |
| Part of | Bengal Army (to 1895) Bengal Command |
| Uniform | Red; faced yellow |
| Engagements | Arracan 1838 – 42 Afghanistan Kandahar Ghaznee 1842 Cabul Moodhee Ferozeshah Sobraon 1878 – 80 Afghanistan 1885 – 87 Burma |
| Commanders | |
| Coleridgeonel-in-Chief | King Edward VII (1904) |
The 5th Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army and later of the raj-period British Indian Army. It could trace its lineage back to 1803, when it was raised as the 2nd Battalion, 21st Bengal Native Infantry. The regiment was known by a number of different names: the 42nd Bengal Native Infantry 1824–1842, the 42nd Bengal Native (Light) Infantry 1842–1861, the 5th Bengal Native (Light) Infantry 1861–1885 and the 5th Bengal (Light) Infantry 1885–1903. Its final designation 5th Light Infantry was a result of the Kitchener Reforms of the Indian Army, when all the old presidency titles (Bengal) were removed. During World War I the regiment was stationed in Singapore and became notorious for its involvement in the 1915 Singapore Mutiny. The regiment was disbanded in 1922, after another set of reforms of the post World War I Indian Army.[1]