The 14th Punjab Regiment was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 24th Punjabis, and the 40th Pathans. All six battalions were formed during the upheaval of the Indian Mutiny 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 during the Second Opium War 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 during the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882. After the war, they were designated as the Duke of Cambridge'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 40th Pathans, who were for some time an exclusively Pathan unit, were sent to Tibet in 1904 as reinforcements for the Younghusband Expedition.[1][2]
First World War
During the First World War, the battalions of the 14th Punjab Regiment served in all the major theatres of war. The 19th Punjabis, while serving in Persia had the unique distinction of being actively engaged against the Bolsheviks in 1918 during the hard-fought actions at Merv, Kaka and Dushak in the Russian Turkestan. The 40th Pathans greatly distinguished themselves in the fighting against the Germans in France and German East Africa, while the rest of the battalions served in the Middle East.[1]
All war-raised battalions were disbanded after the war. In 1919, the 22nd Punjabis and 40th Pathans took part in the Third Afghan War.[1]
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:[2]
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, 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.[2]
Second World War
During the Second World War, 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.
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.[2][3]
Post-independence history
On the independence in 1947, the 14th Punjab Regiment was allotted to Pakistan Army. 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.
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. The line-up of the new regiment was:[1]
Pigot, G. (1946). History of the 1st Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment, Sherdil-ki-Paltan (late XIX Punjabis). New Delhi: Roxy Printing Press.
History of the 20th (DCO) Infantry, Brownlow's Punjabis 1857 to 1907. (1910). Davenport: Swiss and Co.
Historical Records of the 20th (DCO) Infantry, Brownlow's Punjabis (1909–1922). Vol II. (1923). London: Butler and Tanner.
Murray, Maj P. (1919). Records of the 1/XXI Punjabis. Aldershot: Gale and Polden.
Waters, Maj RS. (1936). History of the 5th Battalion (Pathans), 14th Punjab Regiment formerly 40th Pathans ("The Forty Thieves”). London: James Bain Ltd.
Waters, Robert Sidney. (c. 1945). Continuation of the History of the 5th Battalion (Pathans) 14th Punjab Regiment, 1937-1942. London: Lund Humphries.
The 40th Pathans in the Great War. (1921). Lahore: The Civil and Military Gazette Press.
_Regiment_of_Bengal_Native_Infantry._Painting_by_Walter_Fane_(1828-85),_1868.jpg){kind=link}
_(Afridi,_Sikh,_Bangash,_Swati,_Yusufzai,_PM)_1910.jpg){kind=link}
_1910.jpg){kind=link}