Pakistan: The Punjab Regiment to 1957
v.1.0
September 1, 2002
#6-1
Babur
Mahmood
Pakistan’s
Infantry battalions have a long and distinguished history of valor, unbroken in
some instances for more than two centuries. Some of the great traditions and
legends of military lore- adopted universally by fighting men
everywhere were born in predecessors of Pakistan’s infantry regiments.
The pioneers of the famed Frontier Force gave to the world the uniform that put
the word ‘Khaki’ into the universal lexicon. The belt that officers in many
armed forces still wear immortalizes the name of one of their officers, Sam
Browne. The humble regimental water carrier, Jumma, was the real life model for
the Rudyard Kipling’s magnificent hero Gunga Din.
In Calcutta in 1898, Capt Bertie Clay invented the dum-dum bullet: the only
means to counter the heroic Afridi rebels of the north-west, who were as
disdainful of conventional weapons and death as they were dedicated to Islam.
The Army ‘s most senior fighting arm is the Punjab Regiment. In fact, two
battalions of the Punjab Regiment are the senior most in the sub-continent.
Three other were also raised in the 18th century, and most
have a history extending back more than a century.
The two senior infantry regiments of the British Indian Army bore the territorial title of the area from which the majority of India's soldiers came. Nonetheless, the constituent battalions of both the 1st and 2nd Punjab Regiments began life in the old Madras Army and all the eighteenth and nineteenth century battle-honors were gained by the Coast sepoys who had marched and fought under Lake and Wellesley.
However, with the apparent need to remove Madras units from the order of battle
and to reinstate them as Punjab regiments, the 2nd, 6th, 16th, 22nd and 24th Madras Infantry
were all well on their way to conversion when the official changes of title
became effective in 1903. Northerners had already replaced most of the native
officers. In 1903, the old Madras regiments, by adding sixty to their numbers,
became the 62nd, 66th, 76th, 82nd and 84th Punjabis. Twenty years later, the
1st Punjab Regiment came into being, made up of the 62nd Punjabis (1st Bn),
66th Punjabis (2nd Bn), 76th Punjabis (3rd Bn), 1st Brahmans (4th Bn) - an exception as a Bengal regiment -
82nd Punjabis - (5th Bn) and the 84th Punjabis (10th Bn). An important change
was that these previously individual regiments - mostly one-battalion
regiments - became battalions of a
large regiment. Thus, the old 62nd became the 1st Bn 1st Punjab Regiment,
colloquially referred to as First First Punjab and so on.
Actually, the Punjab
first came into existence in 1818 as the ‘The Bhopal Contingent ‘ composed of
600 horses and 400 men. It changed shape six year later when the cavalry was
reduced to 300, and the infantry increased to 674 with the addition of twenty
gunners. The ancient matchlocks were replaced with modern muskets and force saw
its first action in the same year, when the local Raj, Chain Singh of Narsingh
Garah, confronted the battalion at the junction of the Siwan and Lotia rivers.
In the battle that followed, Chain Singh and forty of his soldiers died.
It look
its name as the 22nd Regiment of the Punjab Infantry on 9 June 1857, with 800
men organized into ten companies, and on 11 October marched to Jullundur to
relieve the 21st Punjab Infantry. Thereafter the 22nd served with distinction throughout the sub-continent,
earning in Dec 1882, the accolade from Sir Donald Stewart, the C-in-C, That it
was a fine regiment as I have seen in this country.
At the turn of the century, it underwent more reorganization and ushered in the
20th century with four companies of Punjabi Muslims, two
companies of Pathans and two of Jat Sikhs. The regiment was rearmed two year
later with new Lee Enfield rifles, replacing the old Henrys that had done many
years stout service. The same year detachment sent to England to form one of
the honor guards at the coronation of King Edward VII.
The Punjab served with distinction in both world wars, taking part in several
campaigns in the European theatre in France during 1914 and 1915, suffering a
total 708 casualties before being transferred to Mesopotamia. It was here, in
action on the south banks of the river Tigris, that the regiment distinguished
itself by winning its first ever Victoria Cross.
Other Punjabis also served in Aden, Palestine and East Africa. The 30th Regiment distinguishing themselves in the relentless
struggle against the hit-and-run guerillas led by Col Paul Von Lettow-Worbek,
whose harassment of the British forces was one of the most brilliant campaigns
in the military history. The sustained efforts of the Punjabis in the most
difficult environment and climate earned the acclaim for their display of
tenacity and endurance under the severest tropical conditions .
Performance of Punjabi regiments in the FIRST WORLD WAR
19th Punjabis -
India, Persia, Russia
2/19th Punjabis (raised in 1917) - India, Egypt
20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjabis (a title awarded after service in
Egypt in 1882) - Mesopotamia, Egypt.
22nd Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Persia
2/22nd Punjabis (raised in 1917) - India, Hong Kong
24th Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Russia, Greece
40th Pathans - Hong Kong, France, German East Africa, India
2/40th Pathans (raised in 1918) - India
21st Punjabis - India, Egypt, Palestine, Russia
2/21st Punjabis (raised in 1917) - India
Following
the return of Indian troops after the war, all the war-raised battalions were
disbanded:
25th Punjabis,
26th Punjabis,
27th Punjabis,
28th Punjabis,
29th Punjabis,
30th Punjabis - India, German East Africa, Egypt
2/30th Punjabis (raised in 1917) -India, Egypt
3/30th Punjabis (raised in 1918) India
4/30th Punjabis (raised in 1918) India
31st Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Russia
33rd Punjabis - India, Egypt, France, Aden, German East Africa
2/33rd Punjabis (raised in 1917) India
9th Bhopal Infantry - India, France, Egypt, Mesopotamia
2/9th Bhopal Infantry (The Delhi Regiment) (raised in 1917) - India,
Mesopotamia
3/9th Bhopal Infantry (raised in 1917) - India, Mesopotamia
4/9th Bhopal Infantry (raised in 1918) - India
9th Bhopal - usually referred to as the Bo-Peeps – were in Flanders in
October 1914. In the late afternoon of a cold, wet, late autumn day, the
Bhopals went to the aid of the remnants of a British battalion near Neuve
Chapelle. Still in cotton-drill, they had their first encounter with trenches
and barbed wire and stayed, locked in battle for three days without food. Their
losses were eleven officers and 262 men. Three days later, at Festubert, they
lost a further 200. Remaining in France until May 1915, they then went on to
Mesopotamia where a sepoy, Chattar Singh, earned a Victoria Cross. On return to
India, there remained only fifteen of the original who had sailed for France in
1914.
The Bhopals did not have linked battalions so that they suffered immediate
problems when they sustained the heavy casualties of Flanders in 1914 and 1915.
Unknown officers were posted in and whole platoons of reinforcements arrived,
made up of differing tribal origins. Notwithstanding, the Bo-Peeps' reputation
stood high but they constituted a potent argument in favor of the reforms
planned for after the war.
The badge chosen for the 1st Punjab Regiment was basically the Star of India
with, superimposed upon it, the Elephant over a tablet 'Assaye', an honor
gained by the 1st Bn (62nd Punjabis as the 2nd Madras Native Infantry) and the
10th Bn (84th Punjabis as the 24th Madras Native Infantry): below, a China
Dragon gained by both the 1st and 2nd Bn (66th Punjabis as the 6th Madras
Native Infantry), all surmounted by a crown.
46th Punjabis - India, Egypt
62nd Punjabis - India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Aden. Among the Regiment's
officers was a Captain C J E Auchinleck, later Field Marshal Sir Claude and Colonel-in-Chief
of 1st Punjab Regiment.
66th Punjabis - Burma, Mesopotamia. Captured at Kut-al-Amara and spent
the rest of the war in Turkish captivity.
2/66th Punjabis (raised in 1918) - India.
76th Punjabis - India, Egypt, Mesopotamia. Captured at Kut-al-Amara and
spent the rest of the war in Turkish captivity.
2/76th Punjabis (raised in 1917) - India.
1st Brahmans - India, Aden.
2/1st Brahmans (raised in 1917) - India, Persian Gulf.
82nd Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia.
84th Punjabis - India, Persian Gulf, Mesopotamia, Russia.
Following the return home of Indian troops after the war, all the war-raised
battalions were disbanded.
67th Punjabis, 1st battalion. See action in third war of Afghanistan
67 th Punjabis, 2nd battalion. Afghanistan 1919
69th Punjabis, Afghanistan 1919
72nd Punjabis, third Afghan war 1919
74th Punjabis, and
87th Punjabis, to form 1st Bn, 2nd Punjab Regiment
89th Punjabis - India, Aden, Egypt, Gallipoli, France, Mesopotamia, Greece,
Russia.
2/89th Punjabis (raised in 1917) - India, Mesopotamia 90th Punjabis - India,
Mesopotamia
2/90th Punjabis (raised in 1918) - India
91st Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Egypt
2/91st Punjabis (raised in 1918) - India, Egypt
92nd Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Egypt
93rd Burma Infantry - India, Egypt, France, Mesopotamia, Burma
Following the return of Indian troops after the war, all the second battalions
were disbanded with the exception of the 2/89th Punjabis.
After the first World
War in 1923 re-organization of the different Punjabi regiments took place. All
of the remaining battalions and regiments were of Punjabis were organized into
six Punjab Regiments before that they were known as Punjabi regiments.
The new regiments were raised as
1st Punjab, 2 Punjab, 8 Punjab, 14 Punjab, 15 Punjab and 16 Punjab.
The new structure
for 1 Punjab was to be as follows:
1st Battalion - 62nd Punjabis
2nd Battalion - 66th Punjabis
3rd Battalion - 76th Punjabis
4th Battalion - 1st Brahmans
5th Battalion - 82nd Punjabis
10th Battalion - 84th Punjabis
By this
reorganization and re designation, the battalions of the Regiment regained
their correct seniority in the British Indian Infantry, an issue disregarded in
1903.
In
February 1923, eight units were selected for Indianisation and the 2nd Bn 1st
Punjab Regiment was one of these. The experiment was not universally either
popular or successful but several of 2/1 Punjab's young Indian officers
ultimately reached general officer rank.
In addition to the six regular battalions, the 11th Bn, formed in 1921 was also based at Jhelum. It was originally the 1st (Territorial) Bn 62nd Punjabis but the title was changed in 1922 to the 11/1st Punjab Regiment with no reference to its Territorial status. Only Punjabi Muslims were enlisted in the 11/1st.
All the regular battalions saw service on the Frontier during the between-wars
years and the 4/1st spent a couple of years in China from 1927 in defense of
British interests threatened by the Nationalist campaign against the
Republicans. In December 1931, after 156 years of honorable existence, the
4/1st - the old 1st Brahmans - was disbanded as a result of retrenchment of the
Indian Army. In the Great Mutiny of 1857 it was the only regiment of the old
Bengal Line which remained loyal. In 1925 and again in 1928, attempts were made
to transfer this battalion with its heavy loading of Garhwali Brahmans to the
18th Royal Garhwal Rifles but the prospective recipients of this windfall
battalion declined to accept.
.
2 Punjab
It traces its origins to 1761 when the first battalion was raised at
Trichinopoly. The first four battalions of what later became the 2nd Punjab
Regiment and finally the Punjab Regiment, were raised during the hostilities in
the Carnatic in south India between 1761 and 1776. The numbers and titles of
the battalions changed during the successive reorganizations of the Madras
Presidency Army and later of the British Indian Army during the 18th, 19th and
20th Centuries. The names changed from Coast Sepoys to Carnatic Battalions to
Madras Native Infantry to The Punjab Regiment.
The
Regimental Centre was first raised at Loralai and was shifted to Multan in
1922,
2nd Punjab Regiment
formed by union:
1st Battalion, formed by redesignation of 67th Punjabis
2nd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 69th Punjabis
3rd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 72nd Punjabis
4thBattalion, formed by redesignation of 74th Punjabis
5th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 87th Punjabis
10th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 2nd Bn, 67th Punjabis
8 Punjab
The 8th Punjab Regiment was another of those which owed its origins to the
old Madras Army. The 29th Madras Infantry was mustered out on 15 Oct 1893 and
was reconstituted the next day at Meiktila in Central Burma as the 29th (7th
Burma Bn) Madras Infantry, made up of Punjabis and Sikhs. Similarly, the 30th
Madras Infantry became the 30th (5th Burma Bn) Madras Infantry, the 31st became
the 31st (6th Burma Bn) Madras Infantry, the 32nd became the 32nd (4th Burma
Bn) Madras Infantry and the 33rd the 33rd (3rd Burma Bn) Madras Infantry. In
1901, all these titles were simplified by removal of all mention of Madras and
the five regiments were styled 29th Burma Infantry, 30th Burma Infantry, 31st
Burma Light Infantry, 32nd Burma Infantry and 33rd Burma Infantry. These Burma
battalions were to police the troublesome new territories acquired in the Third
Burma War. In 1903, when all Madras regiments had sixty added to their numbers,
the 29th and 30th became 89th and 90th Punjabis, the 31st became the 91st
Punjabis (Light Infantry), the 32nd became the 92nd Punjabis whilst the 33rd
only performed a half-change, entering the new Line as the 93rd Burma Infantry.
It may be said that it was the Afghan Campaign of 1878-80 which set the seal on
the future of the Madras soldier. The 30th Madras Native Infantry served in the
Khyber Pass but suffered so much from extremes of cold that it put into doubt
the suitability of the Southern soldier for service in what was clearly to be a
recurring trouble spot.
The badge chosen for the 8th Punjab Regiment on its creation in 1923 was
probably one of the most interesting and heraldically appealing. In the light
of the former history of the constituent regiments, it was appropriate that the
new regiment should adopt the Chinthe, the mythical lion-dragon, the guardian
of Buddhist pagodas, above the numerical '8' and the title scroll.
8th Punjab regiment was formed by union of the following :
89th Punjabis became 1st Bn
90th Punjabis became 2nd Bn
91st Punjabis (Light Infantry) became 3rd Bn
92nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Punjabis became 4th Bn (Prince of Wales's
Own)
93rd Burma Infantry became 5th Bn (Burma)
2/89th Punjabis became 10th Bn
The 92nd had been made 'Prince of
Wales's Own' in 1921 for their services during the war. The 5th Bn of the new
regiment was nominated in the early 1930s as one of the battalions chosen for
Indianization.
There was no Territorial battalion
raised for the 8th Punjab Regiment.
14th Punjab Regiment
The 14th Punjab Regiment, created in 1922, was made up of
infantry regiments born of the years of the first Independence War 1857. The
six in question were, in 1903, the 19th, 20th, 22nd and 24th Punjabis, the 40th
Pathans and the 21st Punjabis. John Lawrence’s Punjab Administration had raised
all the Punjabis whilst the 40th Pathans began life as the Shahjehanpur Levy in
1858. Despite service in Mutiny operations, the new regiment's first
battle-honours were won by the 20th and 22nd Punjabis in China in 1860. The
40th Pathans were the only Pathan regiment and the combination of its number
and the reputed proclivities of the Pathan resulted in the inevitable nickname
of the Forty Thieves; equally inevitable was the unenviable label of Ali Baba
for their colonel. Their first active service was in the expedition to Tibet in
1903-04 by which time its exclusive character had been diluted by the Punjabi
Musalmans and Dogras brought in by the linked-battalion system in 1901.
When the 14th Punjab Regiment was
created in 1922, their new badge was a five-pointed star, representative of the
five rivers of the Punjab, with the numeral '14' in the centre, a crown above
and a scroll below, reading 'Punjab Regiment'.
The battalions of the new regiment were listed as follows
1st Battalion, formed by
redesignation of 19th Punjabis
2nd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 20th Punjabis
3rd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 22nd Punjabis
4th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 24th Punjabis
5th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 40th Pathans
10th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 21st Punjabis
To these was added the Territorial
battalion, the 11th, based in Delhi, originally raised early in 1922 as the 1st
(Territorial) Bn, 26th Punjabis.
In 1923, the 1st Bn was among the
first units selected for Indianisation. By this process, all future King's
Commissioned Officers posted to the battalion would be Indians trained at
Sandhurst. By 1938, all officers below field-rank (captains and subalterns)
were Indian.
It may well be that the 5/14th
Punjab can lay claim to have erected the first 1914-18 war memorial within the
British Empire. A huge stone .303 inch rifle-cartridge stands at Attock,
overlooking the Indus River and this was dedicated in April 1919.
In August 1935, the Sikh Company
of the 5th Bn was sent to Addis Ababa to guard the British Legation during the
Italian campaign in Ethiopia. The British Minister's cavalry escort from the
8th Light Cavalry was made up of Sikhs and it was felt that a composite Sikh
body would create the right impression. They remained there on detachment for
fourteen months.
15th Punjab Regiment
15Punjab was formed in
1922/23 by union of six units in raised during first war of independence of the
sub-continent peoples in 1857. Raised as Lahore, Peshwar,
Rawalpindi, Ferozpur and Jallundur Punjab Regiments. Then
regularized as 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Punjab regiment in late
1857. In 1861 these units were converted as 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Regiments of Bengal Native Infantry. Renamed in 1864 as
Punjab Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry and their numbers were changed to 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th Punjab Regiments of Bengal Infantry. In 1903 these units
were renamed as 25th Punjabis and so on in British Indian Army.
15 Punjab
was formed as follows:
1st
Battalion, formed
by redesignationof 25th Punjabis
2nd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 26th Punjabis
3rd Battalion, formed by redesignation of 27th Punjabis
4thBattalion, formed by redesignation of 28th Punjabis
10th Battalion, formed by redesignation of 29th Punjabis
16 Punjab Regiment
The 16th
Punjab Regiment, was raised in 1922, was the last one to be made up of
Lawrence's Punjab levies and, like the 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments, although
its constituent elements were raised for service in the Independence War 1857,
they did not receive honors for that campaign.
The 22nd
Punjab Infantry began life in Ludhiana in 1857 and was regularized in 1861 as
the 30th Punjab Infantry. The 31st Punjab Infantry was also raised in 1857, in
Ferozepore, being known as Bloomfield's Sikhs, a name derived from Captain C G
Bloomfield, their first Commandant. In 1878, the 31st served in Malta and
Cyprus, both new stations for Indian troops.
The
Allahabad Levy was formed from men of more lowly social strata desirous of
showing their loyalty to authority at a time when many of their social
superiors were less scrupulous. In 1861, they became the 33rd Punjab Infantry
and, a few years later, recruitment of the menial classes ceased and, by 1890,
the regiment was entirely Punjabi Muslims in its composition.
The
Bhopal Battalion was made up of the loyal remnants of the disaffected Bhopal,
Gwalior and Malwa contingents raised for local service in Central India. They
remained localized until the Second Afghan War when they were to man the North-West
Frontier. In 1903, they were brought into the Line as the 9th Bhopal Infantry.
Raised in 1900, was the old 46th Punjab
Infantry who were later to become the 10th Bn 16th Punjab Regiment
Between the wars the PR added to
its laurels as an efficient peace-keeping force by the hour,day,week and the
month, not only in India but also on the turbulent North-West Frontier and in
Phalestine.
The badge
chosen for the new 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922 also incorporated the Sikh
quoit and the Muslim crescent with a Maltese cross, a crown above and a title
scroll below.
The battalions of the new Regiment became:
1st Bn (the old 30th Punjabis)
2nd Bn (the old 31st Punjabis)
3rd Bn (the old 33rd Punjabis)
4th Bn (the old 9th Bhopal Infantry)
10th Bn (the old 46th Punjabis).
No
Territorial battalion was raised for the 16th Punjab Regiment.
Despite the changes in title in 1922, most officers
continued to claim allegiance to, say, the 33rd Punjabis for years afterwards
and it took the Second World War to establish the 1922 titles in the minds of
the older Indian Army off
Between the both World Wars Organizations of Regiments took place in the
British Indian Army. These regiments took part in Second World War in these
theatres and sectors.
SECOND WORLD WAR
1st Battalion -
India, Egypt, Iraq, Burma, Singapore, Dutch East Indies.
2nd Battalion - India, Burma. This battalion received more gallantry awards
than any other Indian Army battalion during the war. The list comprised:
VC 1 DSO 4 MC 22 IOM 6 MM 23 GM 1 IDSM 12
3rd Battalion - India, Egypt, Italy. In June 1946, the battalion was nominated
for training in a parachute role to join 2nd Indian Airborne Division: training
was completed by the end of the year but, early in 1947, 3rd (Para) Bn 1st
Punjab Regiment became engaged in operations in aid of the civil power, a
situation which all soldiers hate and, in July, was detailed to join the Punjab
Boundary Force, formed to keep the peace on the new East-West Punjab border.
5th Battalion - India, Burma, Japan. This battalion was posted after the end of
the war to 268 Indian Infantry Brigade which went to Japan as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force.
6th Battalion - raised in Benares in August 1940. Captured in Singapore by the
Japanese in February 1942.
7th Battalion - raised in Jhelum in April 1941. India, Andamans, Singapore.
When Major Budh Singh MC took over command in March 1947, the 7th became the
first battalion in the Regiment to have all Indian officers.
8th Battalion - raised in Jhelum in April 1941. In December that year, it was
converted to a light anti-aircraft role and its officers mindful of their
origins, were permitted to wear a small brass Elephant badge on their khaki
helmets. Initially, the 6th (1st Punjab) LAA Regt, they suffered a further
change in January 1945 when they began conversion to an airborne role as the
28th (Punjab) Para LAA Regt.
9th Battalion - in September 1939, the Territorial battalion the 11th, was
mobilised and took over railway protection duties from the 2/1st. In June
1941, the 11/1st was disembodied and the 9/1st came into being. In February
1943, after a year on the Frontier, a request was received from the Royal
Indian Navy for volunteers to transfer and as seven hundred signified their
willingness, the battalion was transferred despite the fact that only very few
of the men had ever seen the sea. The only other such transfer was of the
15/13th Frontier Force Rifles, also once a pre-war 11th Bn.
11th Battalion - the pre-war Territorial battalion was converted to active
status in June 1941 and redesignated the 9/1st.
14th Battalion - raised in Jhelum in January 1942. India. Disbanded in July
1947.
15th Battalion - raised in Jhelum in July 1942. India. Disbanded in April,
1946.
16th Battalion - raised originally as the 25th Garrison Bn in August 1941, it
became a training battalion and, in August 1943 was redesignated the 16/1st.
Disbanded in March 1946.
25th Garrison Battalion - raised in Jhelum in August 1942. India. Redesignated
the 16/1st in August 1943.
26th Garrison Battalion - raised in Jhelum in March 1942. India.
Disbanded in 1943.
8 Punjab
1st Battalion - India, Malaya. Captured on Singapore Island in February
1942.
Reformed in 1946 by redesignation of 9/8 Punjab.
2nd Battalion - India, Burma.
3rd Battalion - India, Persia, Egypt, Italy.
4th Battalion - India, Iraq, Iran.
5th Battalion - India, Burma, Malaya, Dutch East Indies.
6th Battalion (Machine Gun) - raised in August 1940. India, Burma, Malaya,
Dutch East Indies.
7th Battalion - raised in August 1940. India, Malaya. Captured on Singapore
Island in February 1942.
8th Battalion - raised in May 1941. India, Burma.
9th Battalion - raised in May 1941. Joined 6/15 Punjab and 6/16 Punjab in 39
Indian Infantry Brigade, the only all-Punjab brigade in the Indian Army.
India, Ceylon, Cyprus. Redesignated 1/8 Punjab in 1946.
14th Battalion - redesignated 9th (Punjab) HAA Regt Indian Artillery in June
1942.
15th Battalion - Raised in January 1942. India. Became a training battalion for
VCOs and NCOs.
16th Battalion - Raised in August 1943. India.
25th Garrison Battalion - raised in April 1941. India.
26th Garrison Battalion - raised in March 1942. India.
The Regiment's pipes and drums went to London in 1946 to march in the Victory
parade, their claim being that they were the best in the Indian Army.
14
Punjab
1st Battalion -
India, Malaya. Captured in Singapore in February 1942 by the Japanese.
2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge's) - India, Hong Kong. Captured in Hong Kong
in December 1941 by the Japanese. Reconstituted in April 1946 by amalgamation
with the 8th Bn.
3rd Battalion - India, Egypt, Aden, Italian East Africa, Burma.
4th Battalion - India, Burma, Siam.
5th Battalion (Pathans) - India, Malaya. Captured in Singapore in February 1942
by the Japanese. After the war, the survivors were posted to the 1st Bn.
The 5th was not reconstituted before Partition.
6th Battalion - raised in Baroda in October 1940. India, Singapore. Captured in
Singapore in February 1942 by the Japanese.
7th Battalion - raised in Kakul in March 1941. India, Burma. Disbanded in May
1946.
8th Battalion - raised in Jhansi in April 1941. India, Ceylon, Burma, French
Indo-China. Disbanded in July 1947.
11th Battalion - this pre-war Territorial battalion was mobilised in September
1939. Subsequently, it was transferred to the 9th Jats, becoming the 9/9th Jat
Regiment in September 1941. This transfer arose because of the large number of
Jats in the battalion.
12th Battalion - raised in November 1939 as a second Territorial battalion but
it was transferred in September 1941 to become the 14/9th Jat Regiment, again
because of the large Jat element.
14th Battalion - raised in Ferozepore in January 1942. India. Disbanded in
October 1945.
15th Battalion - formed at Ferozepore in July 1942 by redesignation of the
Machine-Gun Battalion. Converted to a normal infantry role in August 1942 and
served as a jungle-training unit. India. Disbanded in April 1946.
16th Battalion - redesignation of the 25th Garrison Bn in July 1942 on
conversion to active status. India. Disbanded in July 1944.
25th Garrison Battalion - raised in Ferozepore in August 1941. On conversion to
active status in July 1942, it was redesignated the 16/14th.
26th Garrison Battalion - raised in Ferozepore in March 1942. Converted to
active status in January 1945 but not renumbered. India, Cocos Islands.
Disbanded late 1945.
Machine-Gun Battalion - raised in January 1942. Redesignated the 15/14th in
July 1942.
Towards
the end of the war, the Center experienced some difficulty in securing recruits.
14 Punjab, with four battalions in Japanese hands, three of them regular, had
acquired an unfortunate reputation.
16
Punjab
1st
Battalion - India, Burma, Dutch East Indies.
2nd Battalion - India, Malaya. Captured by the Japanese in February 1942.
Reconstituted in May 1946 by amalgamation with 5/16 Punjab.
3rd Battalion - India, Malaya, Singapore. Captured by the Japanese in February
1942. Reconstituted in May 1946 by amalgamation with 6/16 Punjab.
4th Battalion - India, Egypt, Italian East Africa, Italy, Palestine 5th
Battalion - raised in Lucknow in April 1941. Joined 9/8 Punjab and 6/15 Punjab
in 39 Indian Infantry Brigade, the only all-Punjab brigade in the Indian Army.
India, Ceylon. In January 1945 became Airborne as part of 14 Air-landing Brigade
of 44 Indian Airborne Division. Redesignated 3/16 Punjab in May 1946.
7th Battalion - raised in Sialkot in May 1941. India, Burma, Malaya. 9th
Battalion - formed by redesignation of the 25th Garrison Bn. India.
25th Garrison Battalion - raised in Sialkot in mid-1941. India. Redesigned 9/16
Punjab in May 1946.
7th Battalion - raised in Sialkot in May 1941. India, Burma, Malaya.
9th Battalion - formed by redesignation of the 25th Garrison Bn. India. 25th
Garrison Battalion raised in Sialkot in mid-1941. India. Redesignated
9/16 Punjab in October 1943 on conversion to active status.
26th Garrison Battalion - raised in Sialkot in March 1942. India. Disbanded May
1946.
Machine-Gun Battalion - raised in July 1942. In August 1942, transferred to the
Indian Artillery as the 16th Punjab A/TK Regt.
Despite the grievous loss of two of its regular battalions, Solah (Sixteen)
Punjab, as it was known, had a creditable war record.
In 1947 the British Government announced the Independence and partition of
the sub-continent between Pakistan and India. British Indian Army was
divided also. Battalions of the Punjab Regiments were also divided between
Pakistan and India. Out of six regiments, 1st Punjab, 8 Punjab,
14 Punjab, 15 Punjab and 16 Punjab were allotted to Pakistan Army and 2nd Punjab to Indian Army.
1st Punjab regimental center was located at Jehlum. In early
September 1947 Pakistani personnel arrived from 2nd Punjab regimental center Meerut and Indian personnel
(Sikhs) were dispatched to 11 Sikh RC and Rajputs to 6 Rajputana Rifle Center.
Class Composition before 1947
Pakistan1947
Punjabi Muslims 50%; Sikhs 25%; Rajputs 25%. Pathans replaced the Sikhs and
Rajputs.
1st Punjab Regiment had six battalions at the time: 1/1,
2/1, 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, 14/1.
8 Punjab Regimental
center was located in Lahore. It had 50% PMs, 25% Sikhs and 25% Gujars. The
Sikhs and Gujars were exchanged with PMs from 11 Sikhs and 7 Rajput RC. Later
composition was 50 Punjabi and 50 % Sindh and Balochistan.
8 Punjab had seven battalions 1/8, 2/8, 3/8, 4/8, 5/8, 6/8 and 8/8.
14 Punjab RC was located at Ferozpur. It departed from Ferozpur on 5Dec 1947
and reched at Jehlum. The class composition was 50% PM, 25% Sikhs and 25%
Dogras. Sikhs departed to 11 Sikh RC at Ambala and Dogras to 2 Punjab RC at
Meerut. Composition in Pakistan army changed to 50% Punjabi and 50% Pathans.
14 Punjab had five battalions 1/14, 2/14, 3/14, 4/14, 5/14.
15 Punjab RC was located at Ambala. It completed its move to Sialkot by 19 August 1947. 15 Punjab consisted of
Punjabi Muslims, Pathans, Sikhs and Jats in equal (25%) proportion. Jats were
dispatched to 9 Jat Center at Barielly and Sikhs to 11 Sikhs Center 15 Punjab
was reconstituted with 75% PMs and 25% Pathans.
15 Punjab had four battalions 1/15, 2/15, 3/15, 4/15
16 Punjab was located at Ambala. In
June 1947 moved to Sialkot and then Kohat in 1952. 16 Punjab regiment had 50%
Punjabi Muslims, 25% Sikhs and 25 % Dogras. Sikhs and Dogras were replaced by
Muslims from 9 Jat, 11 Sikhs and 4 Indian Grenadiers. Later composition was 50%
equal PMs and Pathans. On transfer of power, the regular battalions were the
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th - all pre-war battalions - plus the 7th, universally known
as Sath Solah and probably rewarded for its notable service in Burma during the
war.
The Wilcox Committee Report on the future of the Indian Army after the war had
recommended the disbandment of the 16th Punjab Regiment but Partition overtook
almost everything and Solah Punjab passed to Pakistan to suffer extinction by
merger nine years later.
In 1956, 1st,14th , 15th and 16th Punjab regiments
were amalgamated into Punjab Regiment Center at Mardan.
Please find here under a part of
my last article please add this at the end of orbat of 1954.
Reorganization of Training Centers 1956
The situation of PA training centers were not proper in the beginning. There
are 11 centers are serving 55 Pakistani Battalions and four centers for 20 Azad
Jammu And Kashmir battalions.
The eleven centers were reduced to five.
The new grouping is as,
Grouping of Centers
1 Punjab, 14 Punjab, 15 Punjab and 16 Punjab merged into PUNJAB Regiment based
at Mardan,
while 8 Punjab was merged into Baloch Regiment. Their new arrangement was as,
PUNJAB REGIMENT
Old New
1 Punjab
1/1 Punjab 1 Punjab
2/1 Punjab 2 Punjab
3/1 Punjab 3 Punjab
5/1 Punjab 4 Punjab
7/1 Punjab 18 Punjab
14/1 Punjab 20 Punjab
14 Punjab Regiment
1/14 Punjab 5 Punjab
2/14 Punjab 6 Punjab
3/ 14 Punjab 7 Punjab
4/14 Punjab 8 Punjab
5/14 Punjab 16 Punjab
15 Punjab Regiment
1/15 Punjab 9 Punjab
2/15 Punjab 10 Punjab
3/15 Punjab 11 Punjab
4/15 Punjab 12 Punjab
16 Punjab Regiment
1/16 Punjab 13 Punjab
2/16 Punjab 14 Punjab
3/16 Punjab 15 Punjab
4/16 Punjab 17 Punjab
7/16 Punjab 19 Punjab
Baloch Regiment
8 Punjab Regiment
1/8 Punjab 1 Baloch
2/8 Punjab 2 Baloch
3/8 Punjab 3 Baloch
4/8 Baloch 4 Baloch
5/8 Baloch 5 Baloch
6/8 Baloch 13 Baloch
8/8 Baloch 17 Baloch
9/8 Baloch 18 Baloch
The 1st battalion 16 Punjab became the 13th battalion and celebrated its centenary on 4 june 1957, in
Pakistan. Its long history of valour did not end there. To the long line of
those who hold the British and French badges of courage- two VCs, Croix de
Guerre, DSO, MCs. In the Pakistan Army won four Nishan-e-Haider (highest
military Battle medal).