The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

, and after 1947, Pakistan Army

Pakistan Army

The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...

. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.

History

The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' origins lie in the five regiments of infantry raised in 1849 by Colonel Henry Lawrence

Henry Montgomery Lawrence

Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.-Career:Lawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at Matara, Ceylon...

, the agent (and brother) of the Governor-General of the Punjab frontier region (John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence

John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence

John Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, GCB, GCSI, PC , known as Sir John Lawrence, Bt., between 1858 and 1869, was an Englishman who became a prominent British Imperial statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869.-Early life:Lawrence came from Richmond, North Yorkshire...

) from veterans of disbanded opposition forces after the Second Anglo-Sikh War

Second Anglo-Sikh War

The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...

. The regiments were named the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Punjab Infantry Regiments and became part of the Transfrontier Brigade (re-named in 1851 the Punjab Irregular Force

Punjab Irregular Force

The Punjab Irregular Force was created in 1851, to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British armies of the 3 Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay or Madras, but was under the control of the British chief magistrate of...

, known as Piffers). A sixth regiment was added in 1865 on re-designation of the Scinde Rifle Corps, which had originally been raised as the Scinde Camel Corps in 1843. In 1882 the 3rd Punjab Infantry Regiment was disbanded.

In the 1903 Kitchener

Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener

Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...

 reorganisation of the Indian Army the regiments were redesignated and were afforded the status of Rifle Regiments:

• 1st Punjab Infantry Regiment became 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  The 55th Coke's Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
  
  
• 2nd Punjab Infantry Regiment became 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force)
  56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force)
  The 56th Punjabi Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles in 1906 and became 2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
  
  .
• 4th Punjab Infantry Regiment became 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  The 4th Punjab Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed on 18 April 1849 by Captain GG Denniss at Lahore as part of the Transfrontier Brigade, which became the Punjab Irregular Force in 1851. The regiment was designated as the 57th Wilde's Rifles in 1903, and...
  
  .
• 5th Punjab Infantry Regiment became 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)
  The 58th Vaughan's Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles in 1903 and became 5th Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
  
  
• 6th Punjab Infantry Regiment became 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)
  59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)
  The 59 Scinde Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army.The regiment is one of the most reputed outfits of British Indian Army. It was raised in 1843, as the Scinde Camel Corps. In 1856, it was incorporated into the Punjab Irregular Force...
  
  . In 1921 the regiment became 59th Royal Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force)

In In the 1922 reorganisation of the British Indian Army the five regiments became the five regular battalions of the newly formed 13th Frontier Force Rifles. The battalion numbering omitted a 3rd battalion so that the numbering reflected that of the original antecedent Punjab Infantry Regiments.

In 1945 the regiment was renamed the The Frontier Force Rifles when all the regiments of the British Indian Army dropped their prenomial numbers. On independence and the partition of India

Partition of India

The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 the regiment was allocated to Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. In 1956, The Frontier Force Rifles, The Pathan Regiment and the Frontier Force Regiment

12th Frontier Force Regiment

The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was part of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945 the prenomial "12th" was dropped when the British...

 were amalgamated to form the new Frontier Force Regiment

Frontier Force Regiment

For Pakistan's Border Guard see: Frontier CorpsThe Frontier Force Regiment is one of six Infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. At present, the regiment consists of 67 battalions and has its regimental depot at Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For that reason Abbottabad is also known as Home of...

.

Battle Honours

Delhi 1857, Lucknow, Peiwar Kotal, Charasiah, Kabul 1879, Afghanistan 1878-80, Tirah, Punjab Frontier, China 1900, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Festubert 1914, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres 1915, St. Julien, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, France and Flanders 1914-15, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915-17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1917-18, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916-18, Persia 1918-19, Aden, East Africa 1916-18, NW Frontier India 1917, Baluchistan 1918, Afghanistan 1919, Gash Delta, Barentu, Keren, Ad Teclesan, Amba Alagi, Abyssinia 1940-41, Deir ez Zor, Raqaa, Syria 1941, Gazala, Sidi Rezegh 1942, Gambut, Mersa Matruh, North Africa 1940-43, The Trigno, Tufillo, The Sangro, Impossible Bridge, Villa Grande, Cassino II, Gustav Line, Pignataro, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Monte Grande, The Senio, Bologna, Monte Sole, Italy 1943-45, North Malaya, Kota Bharu, Johore, Gemas, The Muar, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941-42, Pegu 1942, Taukkyan, Monywa 1942, Shwegyin, North Arakan, Point 551, Mayu Tunnels, Maungdaw, Ngakyedauk Pass, Imphal, Litan, Arakan Beaches, Myebon, Ramree, Mandalay, Myinmu, Meiktila, Nyaungu Bridgehead, Capture of Meiktila, Defence of Meiktila, Taungtha, Myingyan, The Irawaddy, Yenaungyaung 1945, Magwe, Rangoon Road, Pegu 1945, Sittang 1945, Burma 1942-45, Kashmir 1948.

Further reading

• Condon, Brig WEH. (1953). The Frontier Force Rifles. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• Young, Brig WHH. (1945). Regimental History of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles. Rawalpindi: The Frontier Exchange Press.
• Wylly, Col HC. (1930). The History of Coke's Rifles. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• History of the 2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles. (1933). Bury St Edmunds: Groom and Son.
• History of the 4th Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles (Wilde’s). (1930). London: Butler and Tanner.
• The Historical Record of the 5th Punjab Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force. (1887). Lahore: Punjab Government Press.
• Wylly, Col HC. (1929). History of the 5th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 1849-1926. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• History of the 59th Rifles FF, Regimental History of the 6th Royal Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles (Scinde), 1843-1923. (1926). Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• Lindsey, Capt DM. (1935). Regimental History of the 6th Royal Battalion (Scinde), 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 1843-1934. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• Bunbury, NL St P. (1951). Regimental History of the 6th Royal Battalion (Scinde), 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 1934-1947. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• North, REFG. (1934). The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press.
• Hayauddin, Maj Gen M. (1950). One Hundred Glorious Years: A History of the Punjab Frontier Force, 1849-1949. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press.
• Dey, RSBN. (1905). A Brief Account of the Late Punjab Frontier Force, From its Organization in 1849 to its Re-distribution on 31st March 1903. Calcutta.
• Attiqur Rahman, Lt Gen M. (1980). The Wardens of the Marches – A History of the Piffers 1947-71. Lahore: Wajidalis.
• Khan, Maj Muhammad Nawaz. (1996). The Glorious Piffers 1843-1995. Abbottabad: The Frontier Force Regimental Centre.
• Gaylor, John. (1991). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 978-0946771981
• Barthorp, M, and Burn, J. (1979). Indian Infantry Regiments 1860-1914. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-0-85045-307-2
• Sumner, Ian. (2001). The Indian Army 1914-1947. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-196-6

External links

• Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth: 13th Frontier Force Rifles