The Grenadiers The Grenadiers are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army , formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre - independence Indian Army , when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers . It has distinguished itself during the two world war s and also since the Independence of India . The regiment has won many battle honour s and gallantry award s , with three Param Vir Chakra awardees in three different conflicts . Early history . The oldest grenadier regiment of the armies in the Commonwealth belongs to the Indian Army . The concept of ' Grenadiers ' evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat . The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army . The history of the Indian Grenadiers is linked to the troops recruited for the Army of the Bombay Presidency . The very first mention of a grenadier company hails back to 1684 , when a little army of English troops , which had taken possession of the island of Bombay and comprising three companies of Europeans and local Christians , had a grenadier company , but nothing was heard about this unit subsequently . In 1710 , the Bombay Army consisted of five companies of " Europeans , topasses ( Indian christians ) , and coffrees ( Kaffirs or African slaves ) " of which the first company was a European grenadier company . This company was merged into the Bombay European Regiment , which was later disbanded . In 1757 , Robert Clive had raised the 1st Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry of which two companies were grenadier companies , however , no regiments of grenadiers were formed from the Bengal Army until a battalion was formed in 1779 . In 1759 , as a response to French manoeuvring in South India , the strength of the Bombay Army was enhanced , and the first company of sepoy grenadiers was raised with the best of Bombay sepoys " paying a regard to those having families on the island " . It had only native officers and all sepoys wore red coats faced with blue . Later on , an adjutant was appointed to the corps . Later the Bombay Army comprised a number of sepoy battalions , each having one or two grenadier companies . These were clubbed together as a composite battalion comprising the grenadier companies of the Bombay sepoy battalions , and they won the famous battle of Talegaon in 1778 . So impressive was the performance of this composite battalion that the Bombay Presidency ordered the permanent raising of a grenadier battalion which duly took place on 12 March 1779 , thirty - six years before the first time that a British battalion was given the honour of calling itself " grenadiers " . The Governor General of Bombay made an Order dated 12 November 1779 , according to which the grenadier companies of the following regiments combined to form the very first Grenadier Regiment in the world , namely " The Grenadier Battalion , First Regiment of Infantry " : Battle honours . Battle Honour ( Pre Independence ) . Prior to Indian independence , the Regiment had won many battle honours as part of the British Indian Army . These battle honours include : Battle Honour ( Post Independence ) . Since 1947 , the Regiment has won the following battle honours as part of the Indian Army : Decorations . The Grenadiers have the unique and distinct honour of having the most number of Param Vir Chakra s , India ' s highest medal for gallantry , among all the Indian Army ' s Infantry Regiments . . Of note also , is the fact that prior to independence , British officers serving with The Grenadiers won four Victoria Cross es . Members of the Regiment have also received a number of other decorations prior to independence , including the Indian Order of Merit .