In 1783, the regiment formed part of the Mangalore garrison, which the Tipu Sultan's Mysore Army besieged.

The garrison held out for nine months before negotiating a settlement which permitted it safe passage back to British territory.

The regiment was extensively employed during the First Anglo-Sikh War and was present at the decisive Battle of Sobraon in February 1846.

It was not until March 1880 that the battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Horace Anderson, entered Afghanistan as an element of a British-Indian column intent on quelling a revolt by Ayub Khan, the ruler of Herat, who sought to depose the British-backed Amir of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan.

At the Battle of Maiwand, on 27 July 1880, the Bombay Grenadiers and its column, under Brigadier George Burrows were attacked by an Afghan force of up to 25,000 men.

The battery of the Royal Horse Artillery subsequently withdrew and the Grenadiers, as well as the rest of the Indian forces, fled towards the 66th Foot, the sole British infantry regiment present.

The Grenadiers commanding officer (CO) was severely wounded during the battle and his life was saved by Risaldar Dhonkhul Singh of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry.

In 1901 the Regiment deployed to the British territory of Aden (now part of the Yemen), also having its name changed to the 1st Grenadier Bombay Infantry.

Elements of the Regiment saw service during operations in 1902–05 to quell an uprising by Dervishes, led by their sultan Diiriye Guure.

[2] During operations in Somaliland, Captain George Murray Rolland won the Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions at Daratoleh on 22 April 1903.

There, the British encountered a formidable opponent in the form of Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck.

This was a German victory, that saw the British and Indian forces, including the 101st, sustain significant casualties that compelled them to retreat back to their ships.

Soon after the war, the regiment deployed to British Somaliland, where operations against Hassan and his followers had resumed.