Vijayen Gyanen Shauryen

The symbol of any formation or establishment is its crest. It inspires and motivates all those who adorn it and finds a place of pride in the station, offices and institutions specific to it.  The Infantry School crest consists of a bayonet against a red background.  The bayonet is the ultimate weapon of the infantry. When an infantryman’s weapon fails to fire, runs out of ammunition or when close combat prohibits effective fire, the bayonet comes most handy. It is an offensive weapon, to be used aggressively. Bayonet charge by an infantryman, accompanied by his war cry, unnerves the enemy and causes him to momentarily freeze.

The bayonet owes its origin to the French town of Bayonne, located Southwest of France, bordering Spain. It dates back to 1640, when musketeers from that town charged their enemy with knives stuck at the muzzle end of their firearms. The charge was so successful that a French General ordered a number of round-handled swords, to be made specifically so that they would fit into the musket muzzles. This was the first ‘plug’ bayonet. However, with this type of bayonet, the musket could not be fired while the sword was in place. To overcome this problem, the ‘ring’ or socket bayonet that fitted around the muzzles was introduced in 1680. The Duke of Marlborough made great use of ring bayonets in the English Campaigns against the French. Thereafter, the bayonet became an inseparable part of an infantryman’s rifle. 

Rightly, the ‘Bayonet‘ is the symbol of the Infantry School. Furthermore, the red colour in the crest depicts blood and signifies the supreme sacrifice made by the infantrymen for the country.

The motto of The Infantry School is – ‘Vijayen Gyanen Shauryen’ which means ‘Victory through Learning and Courage’