The 14th Punjab Regiment was a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

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 ...

from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

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, and amalgamated with the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, 15th and

16th Punjab Regiment The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamate ...

s in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment.Rizvi, Brig SHA. (1984). ''Veteran Campaigners – A History of the Punjab Regiment 1759-1981''. Lahore: Wajidalis.

Early history

The 14th Punjab Regiment was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of the 19th,

20th 20 (twenty; Roman numeral XX) is the natural number following 19 and preceding 21. A group of twenty units may also be referred to as a score. In mathematics *20 is a pronic number. *20 is a tetrahedral number as 1, 4, 10, 20. *20 is the ba ...

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. In mathematics 21 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7, and a defici ...

, 22nd and 24th Punjabis, and the 40th Pathans. All six battalions were formed during the upheaval of the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

in 1857-58. The first five were raised by John Lawrence in the Punjab, while the 40th Pathans were raised as the Shahjehanpur Levy. The 20th and 22nd Punjabis served in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire#Britain's imperial ...

in 1860-62, while the 21st Punjabis participated in the Abyssinian Campaign of 1867-68. All battalions saw extensive service on the North West Frontier of India and took part in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. The 20th Punjabis served in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

during the

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

of 1882. After the war, they were designated as the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

's Own, when the duke became their honorary colonel. In 1900, they returned to China along with the 24th Punjabis to suppress the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an Xenophobia, anti-foreign, anti-colonialism, anti-colonial, and Persecution of Christians#China, anti-Christian uprising in China ...

. The 40th Pathans, who were for some time an exclusively Pathan unit, were sent to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

in 1904 as reinforcements for the Younghusband Expedition.

First World War

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the battalions of the 14th Punjab Regiment served in all the major theatres of war. The 19th Punjabis, while serving in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

had the unique distinction of being actively engaged against the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

in 1918 during the hard-fought actions at

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

Kaka Kaka may refer to: People Nickname or given name Sports * Carlos Augusto dos Santos da Silva (born 1987), Brazil-born Italy international futsal player * Kaká (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite * Kaká (footballe ...

and Dushak in the

Russian Turkestan Russian Turkestan (russian: Русский Туркестан, Russkiy Turkestan) was the western part of Turkestan within the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories, and was administered as a Krai or Governor-Generalship. It comprised the ...

. The 40th Pathans greatly distinguished themselves in the fighting against the Germans in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mo ...

, while the rest of the battalions served in the Middle East. *

19th Punjabis The 19th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 7th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 19th Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment i.e. 1/14 Punjab Regi ...

- India, Persia,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. *2/19th Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India,

20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry

20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) The 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Pu ...

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

, Egypt, Palestine. *

21st Punjabis The 21st Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 21st Punjabis in 1903 and became 10th (Training) Battalion of 14th Punjab Regiment in 1 ...

- India, Egypt, Palestine, Russia. *2/21st Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India. * 22nd Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Persia. *2/22nd Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

. *24th Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Russia,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. * 40th Pathans - Hong Kong, France, German East Africa, India. *2/40th Pathans - Raised in 1918. India. All war-raised battalions were disbanded after the war. In 1919, the 22nd Punjabis and 40th Pathans took part in the Third Afghan War. In 1921-22, a major reorganization was undertaken in the British Indian Army leading to the formation of large infantry groups of four to six battalions. Among these was the 14th Punjab Regiment. The line-up of battalions for the 14th Punjabis was: *1st Battalion -

*2nd Battalion -

*3rd Battalion - 22nd Punjabis *4th Battalion - 24th Punjabis *5th Battalion - 40th Pathans *10th (Training) Battalion -

*11th (Territorial) Battalion - 1st (Territorial) Battalion

26th Punjabis The 26th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 18th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 26th Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, i ...

. The class composition of the new regiment was Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The new regimental badge was a five-pointed star denoting the five rivers of the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, with the number "14" in the center, surmounted by a crown with a scroll below, which read "Punjab Regiment". The uniform of the 14th Punjab Regiment was scarlet with green facings. Ferozepur in the Punjab was chosen as the permanent station for the Training Battalion. In 1923 the 1st Battalion was among the first Indian Army units selected for Indianisation of its officer corps.

Second World War

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 ...

, the 14th Punjab Regiment raised nine new battalions. Most of them were engaged in the bitter fighting against the Japanese in the Far East. The regiment had the misfortune of having four of its battalions being captured by the Japanese at Singapore and Hong Kong. 19th Punjabis (5 Punjab) (Afridi, Sikh, Bangash, Swati, Yusufzai, PM) 1910

19th Punjabis (5 Punjab) (Afridi, Sikh, Bangash, Swati, Yusufzai, PM) 1910

*1st Battalion - Malaya. Captured at Singapore in February 1942. Re-raised 1946. *2nd Battalion -

. Captured in December 1941. Re-raised 1946. *3rd Battalion -

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 peopl ...

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the S ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. *4th Battalion - Burma,

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. *5th Battalion - Malaya. Captured at Singapore in February 1942. Re-raised 1952. *6th Battalion - Raised in 1940. Singapore. Captured in February 1942. *7th Battalion - Raised in 1941. Burma. Disbanded 1946. *8th Battalion - Raised in 1941. India. Re-designated as 2/14th Punjab in 1946. *9th Battalion - Raised in 1941.

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, Burma,

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

. Disbanded 1947. *10th (Training) Battalion - Converted into the 14th Punjab Regimental Training Centre in 1943. *11th (Territorial) Battalion - Mobilized in 1939. Transferred to the 9th Jat Regiment, becoming the 9/9th Jat in 1941. *12th (Territorial) Battalion - Raised in 1939. Transferred to the 9th Jat Regiment, becoming the 14/9th Jat in 1941. *14th Battalion - Raised in 1942. India. Disbanded 1945. *15th Battalion - Re-designation of the Machine Gun Battalion. Converted into a training unit in 1942. India. Disbanded 1946. *16th Battalion - Raised as the 25th Garrison Battalion in 1942. On conversion to active status, served in India. Disbanded 1944. *25th Garrison Battalion - Raised in 1942. On conversion to active status, became the 16th Battalion. India. *26th Garrison Battalion - Raised in 1942. Converted to active status in January 1945 but not renumbered. India, Cocos Islands. Disbanded 1945. *Machine-Gun Battalion - Raised in January 1942. Redesignated as 15/14th Punjab in July 1942. India.

Post-independence history

On the

in 1947, the 14th Punjab Regiment was allotted to

. At the time, the active battalions were 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Jats, Jatsikhs, and Dogras were transferred to the Indian Army and the regiment's new class composition was fixed as Punjabis and Pathans. The 5th Battalion (Pathans) was re-raised in 1952. In 1948, the 2nd and 4th Battalions fought in the war with India in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. In 1956, a major reorganization was undertaken in the Pakistan Army and larger infantry groups were created by amalgamating the existing infantry regiments. As a result, the 14th Punjab Regiment was amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments to form one large Punjab Regiment. The four regimental centres were also merged and the combined centre moved to

Mardan Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...

. The line-up of the new regiment was: 22nd Punjabis (7 Punjab) 1910

*1 Punjab - 1/1st Punjab *2 Punjab - 2/1st Punjab *3 Punjab - 3/1st Punjab *4 Punjab - 5/1st Punjab *5 Punjab - 1/14th Punjab *6 Punjab - 2/14th Punjab (Duke of Cambridge's Own) *7 Punjab - 3/14th Punjab *8 Punjab - 4/14th Punjab *9 Punjab - 1/15th Punjab *10 Punjab - 2/15th Punjab *11 Punjab - 3/15th Punjab *12 Punjab - 4/15th Punjab *13 Punjab - 1/16th Punjab *14 Punjab - 2/16th Punjab *15 Punjab - 3/16th Punjab *16 Punjab - 5/14th Punjab (Pathans) *17 Punjab - 4/16th Punjab (Bhopal) *18 Punjab - 7/1st Punjab *19 Punjab - 7/16th Punjab *20 Punjab - 14/1st Punjab

Battle honours

Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, China 1860-62, Abyssinia, Ali Masjid, Ahmad Khel, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882, Malakand, Punjab Frontier, Pekin 1900, China 1900, Ypres 1915, St Julien, Aubers, France and Flanders 1915, Macedonia 1918, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915, Megiddo, Sharon, Nablus, Palestine 1918, Basra, Shaiba, Kut al Amara 1915, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1914-18, Merv, Persia 1915-19, NW Frontier, India 1915, ’17, Narungombe, East Africa 1916-18, Afghanistan 1919, Agordat, Keren, Wolchefit, Abyssinia 1940-41, Defence of Alamein Line, Alam el Halfa, North Africa 1940-43, Jitra, Kampar, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941-42, Hong Kong, South East Asia 1941-42, The Yu, North Arakan, Buthidaung, Razabil, Maungdaw, Ngakyedauk Pass, Imphal, Shenam Pass, Nungshigum, Bishenpur, Kanglatongbi, Kohima, Jessami, Naga Village, Mao Songsang, Monywa 1945, Kyaukse 1945, Nyaungu Bridgehead, Letse, Magwe, Rangoon Road, Pegu 1945, Sittang 1945, Burma 1942-45, Kashmir 1948.Rodger, Alexander. (2003). ''Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991''. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press.

Early history

First World War

Second World War

Post-independence history

Battle honours

See also

References

Further reading