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{{Short description|Indian Army unit}}
{{more footnotes|date=March 2013}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Madras Engineer Group
| image =
| image_size = 200px
| caption =
| dates = 1780–present
| country = {{flag|British India}}
 {{flag|India}}
| allegiance =
| branch = {{army|British India}}
 {{army|India}}
| type = [[Combat Engineers]]
| role = Combat support
| size =
| command_structure =
| garrison = [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]]
| garrison_label =
| nickname =
| patron =
| motto = ''Sarvatra!'' (Everywhere)
| colors =
| colors_label =
| march =
| mascot =
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| battles = [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]] [[First World War]] [[Second World War]] [[Burma Campaign]] [[Sino-Indian War]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Indo-Pak War-1947]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Indo-Pak War-1965]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Indo-Pak War-1971]] [[Kargil War]]
| anniversaries =
| decorations =
| battle_honours = See [[#Battle honours |Battle honours]] list
| disbanded =

| commander1 = Lt Gen AK Ramesh
| commander1_label = Colonel Comdt of Madras Sappers
| commander2 =
| commander2_label =
| commander3 =
| commander3_label =
| notable_commanders =

| identification_symbol = 
| identification_symbol_label =
}}
[[File:The War in the Far East- the Burma Campaign 1941-1945 IND4549.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Madras Sappers at the gates of [[Fort Dufferin, Burma|Fort Dufferin]], [[Mandalay]], [[Burma]], March 1945.]]

'''Madras Engineer Group''' ('''MEG'''), informally known as the '''Madras Sappers''', is an engineer group of the [[Indian Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] of the [[Indian Army]]. The Madras Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile [[Madras Army|Madras Presidency army]] of the [[British Raj]]. This regiment has its HQ in [[Bengaluru]]. The Madras Sappers are the oldest of the three groups of the Corps of Engineers.

The Madras Sappers were the only regiment of the [[Madras Army|Madras Presidency Army]] to survive unscathed the extensive reorganisations that took place between 1862 and 1928.<ref name="Mason">{{cite book|first=Philip|last=Mason|pages=345 & 349|title=A Matter of Honour|year=1986|isbn=0-333-41837-9}}</ref> The ''thambis'', as the troops of the Madras Sappers are popularly known, with their hallmark [[Shako]]s have distinguished themselves in many battlefields around the world for more than 200 years.

The [[Bangalore torpedo]], a mine-clearing explosive device, was invented in the Centre at Bengaluru in the early years of the Twentieth Century.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Duffy|first1=Michael|title=www.firstworldwar.com|url=http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/bangaloretorpedo.htm|work=Bangalore Torpedo|access-date=2021-01-18|last2=Duffy|first2= Michael}}</ref>

==Timeline==
* 1780 – Created ''Madras Pioneers'' from two company of Pioneers (On 30 September 1780 at Madras Patnam)
* 1831 – Renamed Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners
* 1834 – Relocated HQ to [[Bengaluru]], where it remains today
* 1876 – Receive prefix ''Queens's Own''
* 1903 – 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners, Renamed as part of the [[Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum|Kitchener Reforms]]

==History==
The second half of the eighteenth century found the [[East India Company]] involved in the politics of India and in conflict with the French and a number of native states, amongst whom [[Mysore]], the [[Marathas]] and the remnants of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] empire were prominent. The newly raised army of the [[Madras Presidency]] was deficient of [[sappers|combat pioneers]] who were raised as 'ad hoc' companies and disbanded after the conflicts. The [[First Anglo-Mysore War]] highlighted this deficiency and led to the raising of two companies of the [[Madras Pioneers]] on 30 September 1780 at [[Fort St George]]. These men are the forefathers of the Madras Engineer Group of today and the [[Indian Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] of the Indian Army.

The [[Madras Pioneers]] formed an integral part of the armed forces. Their principal job in active warfare was to dig 'saps' or 'trenches' which permitted [[cannon]] to be brought in range of enemy [[fortifications]] and to dig 'mines' which would explode creating a breach in the fort walls. As a result, Sappers and Miners was born. In addition, the sappers used to lead the way to the breach for the 'forlorn hope' and infantry to follow. They also built roads, bridges, fortifications, wells, and water supplies, and fought as infantry when needed.

Since this group was constituted by the [[Madras Presidency]], and formed part of the Madras Army, they were called the [[Madras Sappers]]. Likewise in 1803 and again in 1824, the [[Bengal Sappers]] and [[Bombay Sappers]] were formed in the other presidencies.

The Madras Sappers recruited and trained ''small tough and wiry men'' from [[South India]]. These engineer troops fought in numerous campaigns in India at [[Sholinghur]], [[Srirangapatna]], [[Assaye]] (along with Major General [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]], later [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]]), and also in [[Egypt]], China, [[Burma]] and other places abroad.

The Madras Sappers moved into [[Bengaluru]] in 1834, when they were involved in a major part of the construction activities of the Civilian and Military buildings in Bengaluru. Their association with Bengaluru, where the center is located, continues to this day.

The motto of the Madras Sappers is that common to all three regiments of the Corps of Engineers, '''Sarvatra''' (''Sanskrit:Everywhere'') the Indian equivalent to 'Ubique', the motto of the [[Royal Engineers]].

==Battle honours==

===Pre-World War I===

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Second Anglo-Mysore War|Carnatic (1781–82)]]
*[[Sholinghur (Battle honour)|Sholinghur (1781–82)]]
*[[Third Anglo-Mysore War|Mysore (1792)]]
*[[Battle of Seringapatam|Seringapatam (1799)]]
*[[French invasion of Egypt and Syria|Egypt (1801)]]
*[[Assaye (Battle honour)|Assaye (1803)]]
*[[Invasion of Java (1811)|Java (1811)]]
*[[Third Anglo-Maratha War|Nagpur (1819)]]
*[[Battle of Mahidpur|Mehidpur (1819)]]
*[[Inwa|Ava (1825)]]
*[[First Anglo-Chinese War|China (1840)]]
*[[Battle of Miani|Meanee (1843)]]
*[[Battle of Hyderabad|Hyderabad (1843)]]
*[[Second Anglo-Burmese War|Pegu (1852)]]
*[[Persia 1856-57 (Battle honour)|Persia (1856–57)]]
*[[Central India Campaign (1858)|Central India (1858)]]
*[[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Lucknow (1858)]]
*[[Taku Forts|Taku Forts (1860)]]
*[[Second Opium War|Pekin (1860)]]
*[[Abyssinia (battle honour)|Abyssinia (1868)]]
*[[Second Anglo-Afghan War|Afghanistan (1878–80)]]
*[[1882 Anglo-Egyptian War|Egypt (1882)]]
*[[Battle of Tel el-Kebir|Tel-el-Kebir (1882)]]
*[[Siege of Khartoum|Suakin (1885)]]
*[[Battle of Tofrek|Tofrek (1885)]]
*[[Third Anglo-Burmese War|Burma (1885–87)]]
*[[Malakand Agency|Chitral (1895)]]
*[[Malakand Agency|Malakand (1897)]]
*[[Tirah Campaign|Tirah (1897–98)]]
*[[Federally Administered Tribal Areas#"Hit and Run" Policy and war with tribes (1897-98)|Punjab Frontier (1897–98)]]
*[[Boxer Rebellion|Boxer Rebellion (1900)]]
{{div col end}}

===World War I===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Western Front (World War I)|France & Flanders (1914–15)]]
*[[First Suez Offensive|Suez Canal (1915–17)]]
*[[Egyptian Expeditionary Force|Egypt (1915–17)]]
*[[First Battle of Gaza (1917)|Gaza (1917)]]
*[[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Megiddo (1917)]]
*[[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Sharon (1918)]]
*[[Sinai and Palestine Campaign|Palestine (1918)]]
*[[Fall of Baghdad (1917)|Baghdad (1915–18)]]
*[[Mesopotamian Campaign|Mesopotamia (1915–18)]]
*[[Battle of Wadi (1916)|Tigris (1916)]]
*[[Siege of Kut-al-Amara|Kut-el-Amara (1917)]]
*[[India (1917)]]
*Persia (1918)
*N.W. Frontier (1914–15)
*[[East African Campaign (World War I)|East Africa (1918)]]
{{div col end}}

===World War II===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Battle of Mersa Matruh|Mersa Matruh (1940–43)]]
*[[Battle of Ngakyedauk|Ngakyedauk Pass (1942–45)]]
*[[Battle of Imphal|Bishenpur (1942–45)]]
*[[Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay|Meiktila (1942–45)]]
*[[Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations|Tamu Road (1942–45)]]
*[[Battle of Monte Cassino|Cassino I (1943–45)]]
*[[East African Campaign (World War II)|Abyssinia (1940–41)]]
*[[North African Campaign|North Africa (1940–43)]]
*[[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq (1941)]]
*[[Syria-Lebanon Campaign order of battle|Syria (1941)]]
*[[Battle of Malaya|Malaya (1941–42)]]
*[[Burma Campaign|Burma (1942–45)]]
*[[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy (1943–45)]]
{{div col end}}

===Post Independence===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Zoji La (1948)]]
*[[Battle of Basantar|Basantar River (1971)]]
*[[Jammu & Kashmir (1947-48)]]
*[[Jammu & Kashmir (1965)]]
*[[Punjab (1965)]]
*[[Jammu & Kashmir (1971)]]
*[[Punjab (1971)]]
*[[East Pakistan (1971)]]
{{div col end}}

==Symbols==
[[File:MadrasSappersMiners-Lucknow.jpg|thumb|right|Madras Sappers & Miners at the [[Qaisar Bagh]] complex in Lucknow, c 1857]]
[[File:The Queen's Own Madras Sappers and Miners, Review Order.jpg|thumb|right|Madras Sappers review order by [[Richard Simkin]], 1896]]
[[File:WarMemorialBangalore.jpg|thumb|400x400px|War memorial on Brigade road, Bangalore]]
The battle symbols of MEG are a sphinx to commemorate the victory in Egypt in 1801, an elephant for the victory in Assaye in 1803, a dragon for China (1848), a bighorn sheep for Zoji La (1948), and a tank for Basantar (1971).{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

== Republic Day Parade ==
Madras Engineer Group have been actively participating in the annual [[Delhi Republic Day parade|Republic Day Parade]] of India. MEG have been awarded the Best Marching Contingent three times in 1991, 1997 and 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=157736 | title=Republic Day Parade – 2017 Awards announced | date=28 January 2017 | publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Defence | access-date=23 August 2019 }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Egypt_(Sphinx).jpg|Sphinx symbol depicting the campaign in [[Battle of Abukir (1801)|Egypt, 1801]].
Image:Assaye (Elephant).jpg|Elephant emblem depicting the [[Battle of Assaye]], 1803.
Image:China (Dragon).jpg|Dragon symbol depicting the campaign in China, during the [[First Opium War]], 1840.
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[Indian Army]]
* [[Indian Army Corps of Engineers]]
* [[Bengal Engineer Group]]
* [[Bombay Engineer Group]]
* [[Madras Sappers Military Band]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Book references==
*{{Citation
| last = Vibart
| first = Henry Meredith
| year = 1881
| title = The military history of the Madras engineers and pioneers
| publisher = W.H. Allen & co.
| publication-place = London
| url =https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo02viba
}}

==External links==
* https://web.archive.org/web/20091027133925/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/9460/remem.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20071108123617/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/southasia/art-eng-sig/sm-mad.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20090725060217/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part10.htm
* [http://sify.com/cities/bangalore/fullstory.php?id=13958631 Sify.com]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{cite web |title=INDIAN PIONEER BATTALIONS |url=http://www.reubique.com/indpion.htm |website=www.reubique.com |access-date=16 July 2021}}

{{Indian_Army_Arms_and_Services}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madras Engineer Group}}
[[Category:History of the Madras Engineer Group|*]]
[[Category:British Indian Army regiments]]
[[Category:Indian Army Corps of Engineers]]
[[Category:Indian World War I regiments]]
[[Category:Indian World War II regiments]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1780]]
[[Category:1780 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Burma in World War II|E]]
[[Category:Regiments of the Indian Army]]

Madras Engineer Group - Revision history

Shuvro at 00:17, 4 November 2025