The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945, the prenominal "12th" was dropped when the British Indian Army dispensed with prenominal numbering of its regiments. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

in 1947, it was formed into the

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF (Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as the ...

, part of the army of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

History

Early history

The 12th Frontier Force Regiment's origins lie in the four infantry regiments of the Frontier Brigade authorised in 1846 and raised by

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Henry Lawrence, the agent (and brother) of the Governor-General of the Punjab frontier region ( John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence), from veterans of disbanded opposition forces after the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession o ...

. The 1st Sikhs were raised by Captain J. S. Hodgson at Hoshiarpur, the 2nd Sikhs by Captain J.W.V. Stephen at Kangra, the 3rd Sikhs by Captain F. Winter at Ferozpur and the 4th Sikhs by Captain C. MacKenzie at Ludhiana. Even at the start the Sikhs, although in the majority, were not in the preponderance, the unit names referring to their origins in the disbanded Sikh Army rather than their racial mix.Condon (1962), p. 3 The nuclei of the regiments consisted of a few men from the regular Native Infantry regiments of the line and police officers. The Governor-General issued a regulation in September 1847 which included the discontinuation of the term "Frontier Brigade" and renamed the four regiments the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Regiments of Sikh Local Infantry. At the same time, Lawrence also ordered irregular force of mixed

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

and

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

: the Corps of Guides to be raised at Mardan by Lieutenant Harry D. Lumsden. In 1851 the four Sikh regiments and the Corps of Guides became part of the Punjab Irregular Force. Men of these regiments (or their successors) are to this day known as ''Piffers''. The four Sikh regiments also went through a number of minor name changes over the next 45 or so years: in 1857 they became "Regiment of Sikh Infantry, Punjab Irregular Force" and in 1865 "Regiment of Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force" (reflecting the change in name of the PIF to Punjab Frontier Force). In 1901, they became "Sikh Infantry". In 1876, the Corps of Guides became one of the first regiments in the Indian Army to be conferred royal status as Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides. In 1903, the reorganisation of the British Indian Army caused the four Sikh regiments to be re-designated as follows: 51st, 52nd, 53rd and 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force) while the Corps of Guides infantry became Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) Infantry, and was renamed again in 1911 as Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) Lumsden's Infantry.

Formation of 12th Frontier Force Regiment

In the 1922 reorganisation of the British Indian Army, the four Sikh regiments became the first four battalions of the newly constituted 12th Frontier Force Regiment. The two infantry battalions of the Corps of Guides became its 5th and 10th (training) battalions. At the same time the first battalion became the 1st battalion (Prince of Wales' Own Sikhs) whilst the 3rd battalion was made the 3rd Royal Battalion (Sikhs) in 1935. The Corps of Guides, being the senior unit, were entitled to have become the 1st battalion but agreed to allow the four Sikh battalions to retain their historical 1 to 4 numbering although in a later incarnation the precedence was restored in the 1957 reorganisation of the Pakistan Army when the Guides battalion became the 2nd battalion of the new regiment, following the Scinde Rifles battalion from the Frontier Force Rifles regiment. The location of the training battalion, later to grow into the Regimental Centre, was first at Mardan but moved to Sialkot in 1929. The new structure of the regiment by 1939 was therefore as follows: * Regimental Centre, in Mardan * 1st Battalion – ''former

51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battalio ...

'' * 2nd Battalion – ''former

52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) The 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion ...

'' * 3rd Battalion – ''former

53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) The 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1847 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion ...

'' * 4th Battalion – ''former 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)'' * 5th Battalion – ''former 1st Battalion, Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Infantry'' * 10th (Training) Battalion – ''former 2nd Battalion, Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Infantry'' * 11th (Territorial) Battalion – ''formed in 1921, disbanded in 1941, part of the

Indian Territorial Force The Indian Territorial Force (ITF) was a part-time, paid volunteer military organisation within the British Indian Army, with recruits from British India. Its units were made up of European officers and Indian other ranks. It was formed in 1920, al ...

Second World War

During the Second World War the regiment's battalions (expanded in number by seven war-formed units) saw service in East Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, Italy, India, Malaya and Burma. The Regiment's casualties in the war totalled 1,444 dead and 3,503 wounded.Condon (1962), p. 586.

Regular battalions

* ''1/12th (Prince of Wales's Own Sikhs) Frontier Force Regiment'' In 1939, the 1/12th Frontier Force Rifles were part of the

Bannu Brigade The Bannu Brigade was formed after the 1903 reforms of the British Indian Army by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier. In 1914 at the start ...

based in

Bannu Bannu ( ps, بنو, translit=banū ; ur, , translit=bannū̃, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tr ...

India and took part in operations in the Ahmedzai Salient in February and March 1940 while under command of the Jhelum Brigade.Condon (1962), p. 301. In the autumn of 1940 the battalion transferred to the Delhi Cantonment and on 15 May 1941, the battalion was transferred to the 17th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the

8th Indian Infantry Division The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 8th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare. The 8th Indian Infantry Division was formed as an infantry division in M ...

which was being raised in Bombay, and with which it remained for the rest of the war. The 1/12th served in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

before it was sent to fight in the Italian Campaign on 24 September 1943. * ''2/12th (2nd Sikhs) Frontier Force Regiment'' The 2/12th FFR, also part of the Bannu Brigade, before being sent to Malaya in April 1941 where it became part of the

22nd Indian Infantry Brigade The 22nd Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1940, at Baleli in India using assets from the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry D ...

. This battalion fought a successful, but doomed, defence of the eastern coast of Malaya, during the

Battle of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...

, before it was forced to surrender with the rest of the Allied forces in Singapore on 15 February 1942. The commanding officer of the 2/12th FFR, Lt.Col.

Arthur Edward Cumming Brigadier Arthur Edward Cumming VC OBE MC (18 June 1896 – 10 April 1971) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwea ...

, received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

during this campaign. * ''3/12th (Royal) Frontier Force Regiment'' The 3/12th FFR was part of the

5th Indian Infantry Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three diff ...

during the East African and Western Desert Campaigns. The 3/12th FFR was all but destroyed at El Adem on 15 June 1942. It was reformed in Egypt before transferring to the

4th Indian Infantry Division The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World W ...

. * ''4/12th (Sikhs) Frontier Force Regiment'' The 4/12th FFR served throughout the war in the Burma Campaign. * ''5/12th (Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides) Frontier Force Regiment'' The 5/12th FFR served throughout the Second World War as part of the

6th Indian Infantry Division The 6th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, created on 1 March 1941 in Secunderabad. On 11 September 1941 it was shipped to the Iraq and later Iran. During 1942 and 1943 it was part of the Tenth ...

on garrison duties in

Later history

In 1945, the regiment was renamed the Frontier Force Regiment, dropping the numerical designation "12", and on the

in 1947, it was allocated to

. In 1957, the Frontier Force Rifles and The

Pathan Regiment The Pathan Regiment was an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army now merged into Frontier Force Regiment. It was raised after the independence of Pakistan on November 1, 1948 from the strength of 12th Frontier Force Regiment and 13th Frontier Force R ...

(which had been formed after independence from the 14th battalion Frontier Force Regiment and the 14th and 15th battalions Frontier Force Rifles) were amalgamated with it to form a new

Battle honours

* Mooltan, Goojerat, Punjaub, Pegu, Delhi 1857, * Ali Masjid, Kabul 1879, * Ahmed Khel, Kandahar 1880, * Afghanistan 1878–80, * Chitral, Malakand, Punjab Frontier, Tirah, Pekin 1900, * Somaliland 1901–04, * Suez Canal, Egypt 1915, * Megiddo, Sharon, Nablus, Palestine 1918, * Aden, Tigris 1916, * Kut-al-Amara 1917, * Baghdad, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1915–18, * NW Frontier, India 1914, 1915, 1916–17, * Afghanistan 1919, * Gallabat, Tehamiyam Wells, Agordat, Barentu, Keren, Amba Alagi, Abyssinia 1940–41, * Gazala, Bir Hacheim, El Adem, North Africa 1940–43, * Landing in Sicily, Sicily 1943, * Landing at Reggio, The Sangro, Mozzagrogna, Romagnoli, The Moro, Impossible Bridge, Cassino II, Pignataro, Advance to Florence, Campriano, Gothic Line, Coriano, Montebello-Scorticata, The Senio, Santerno Crossing, Italy 1943–45, * Athens, Greece 1944–45, * North Malaya, Kota Bharu, Central Malaya, Kuantan, Machang, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941–42, * Moulmein, Sittang 1942, 1945, * Pegu 1942, 1945, * Taukkyan, Shwegyin, North Arakan, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Ngakyedauk Pass, Imphal, Tamu Road, Shenam Pass, Bishenpur, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Arakan Beaches, Ramree, Taungup, Mandalay, Myinmu, Fort Dufferin, Kyaukse 1945, * Meiktila, Nyaungu Bridgehead, Capture of Meiktila, Defence of Meiktila, The Irrawaddy, Rangoon Road, Pyawbwe, Toungoo, Burma 1942–45