The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery unit of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. It was raised in 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. It became the 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) in 1903. In 1947, it was transferred to the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

, where it exists as the 3rd Peshawar Battery (Frontier Force) of The First (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (Frontier Force).

History

The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery was raised at

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

by Captain T Broughman in January 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. Initially, it was manned by European gunners of the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion Bengal Artillery but in 1854, Europeans were replaced with Indian gunners. One of the first officers of the unit was Lieutenant FS Roberts, later Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar. The battery was equipped with four 3-pounder guns and four 4.5-inch

howitzers The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

. In 1858, it became part of the Punjab Irregular Force (Piffer). The Punjab Irregular Force, later designated as the Punjab Frontier Force, earned legendary fame for its exploits on the Northwest Frontier of India. The Peshawar Battery saw extensive service on the Frontier and took part in numerous operations including the Umbeyla Campaign of 1863 and the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai ...

of 1878-80. In 1871-72, it took part in the Lushai Expedition.Graham, Brig Gen CAL. (1957). ''The History of the Indian Mountain Artillery''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery fought with distinction in the

Mesopotamian Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

, where it took part in the capture of Basra and the Battle of Shaiba. In 1916, it was engaged on the Tigris Front, as the British made desperate efforts to raise the Siege of Kut al Amara; fighting in the Battles of Sheikh Sa'ad, the Wadi, Hanna and Dujaila Redoubt. On returning to India, it operated against Mahsuds in 1917 and against Marri and Khetran tribes in 1918. After the war, it again saw service on the Northwest Frontier during the Third Afghan War in 1919 and in

Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...

during 1919-24. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it fought in the

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

and then served in Malaya and

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

in 1946. In 1944, it became an exclusively Punjabi Muslim unit. In 1947, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army, where it became part of the 1 Mountain Regiment, Royal Pakistan Artillery. The battery fought in the Kashmir War of 1948. In 1957, it was equipped with 105 mm Self Propelled Field guns and the 1st Mountain Regiment was re-designated as the 1 (SP) Field Regiment, Artillery. The regiment fought with great gallantry in the Battle of Chawinda during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the regiment served in the Zafarwal Sector. In 1980, it was re-equipped with medium guns. The battery is affiliated with the Frontier Force Regiment.

Battle honours

Afghanistan 1878-79, Basra, Shaiba, Tigris 1916, Mesopotamia 1914-16, North West Frontier, India 1917, Baluchistan 1918, Afghanistan 1919.

Genealogy

*1853 - Peshawar Mountain Train *1858 - Peshawar Mountain Train, Punjab Irregular Force *1862 - Peshawar Mountain Train Battery, Punjab Irregular Force *1865 - Peshawar Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1876 - No. 3 Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1879 - No. 3 Peshawar Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1890 - No. 3 (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1901 - Peshawar Mountain Battery *1903 - 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) *1920 - 23rd Peshawar Pack Battery (Frontier Force) *1921 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery *1922 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery (Frontier Force) (How)Howitzer *1924 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1927 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1928 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1939 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Indian Artillery *1942 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Indian Artillery *1945 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Royal Indian Artillery *1947 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Royal Pakistan Artillery *1956 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Artillery *1957 - 3 Peshawar (SP) Field Battery, Artillery (FF) *1980 - 3 Peshawar (SP) Medium Battery, Artillery (FF)

References

{{reflist Pakistan Army Artillery Regiment Military units and formations of India in World War I Royal Indian Artillery batteries Military units and formations established in 1853