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Napier Rifles.
- British India

Napier Rifles

My limited edition soldier depicts the legendary 125th Napier Rifles c.1905 -a regiment associated with one of Britains most famous military Surnames - dressed in a green frock tunic.

Part of the British India's Bombay Army, the 125th Napier Rifles were given their name after General Napier's (later Lord Napier of Magdala) famous march from Zula to Magdala in the Burma War of 1891. They became a rifle regiment in 1889, and were recruited largely from Moslems from the warlike tribes of the Punjab.

Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala 1810-1890 was born in Ceylon joining the Bengal Engineers at the age of 18 and served with distinction throughout the Sikh Wars.

He later served in the North West Frontier District and saw action in Peshawar and Afganistan. He served during the Indian Mutiny, helping to mop up the final resistance before commanding a division during the war with China.

He achieved his greatest fame as Field Marshal, leading the punative expedition to Abyssinia in 1867 which rescued several captured Britush diplomats and roundly defeated the Abyssinian forces.

He received a parlimentary pension, was made Grand Commander of the Order of the Bath, a freeman of the City of London and given a peerage, Baron Napier of Magdala. He later became Commander in Chief of the Indian Army.

British Raj Colonial Soldier Collection

Click here for details of the hand carved wooden British Raj Soldiers.

Wooden Soldier Regimental Histories

All of my wooden soldiers are made in strictly limited editions, click here for a regimental history of each soldier.