62nd Punjabis
Encyclopedia
The 62nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army
. It was raised in 1759 as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys, and formed part of the Madras Army
. It was designated as the 62nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army
, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion The Punjab Regiment
. It is the senior-most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army
of the British East India Company
, which was largely responsible for the British conquest of south and central India
. It was raised at Madras in September 1759, as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys from existing companies of sepoys that had been raised a year earlier. The men were mostly enlisted from South India and consisted of Muslims and Hindus. The regiment was actively engaged in the wars against the French, Mysore
and the Marathas. Their first major engagement was the decisive Battle of Wandiwash
in 1860, which ended French colonial ambitions in India. This was followed by forty years of constant warfare against the Sultans of Mysore
, and then the Marathas chieftains. In the Second Maratha War of 1803-05, the regiment fought in the Battle of Assaye
under General Arthur Wellesley
, the future Duke of Wellington. Its performance at Assaye was much appreciated and it was permitted to display the word "Assaye" with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments. It was again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817-19, which decisively broke the Maratha power in India. In 1840, the The regiment took part in the First Anglo-Chinese War, where it again performed well and as a reward, was authorized to bear a golden dragon wearing the imperial crown upon its regimental colours. In the latter part of the 19th century, the regiment did not see much action, although it saw active service in Burma.
s and Rajput
s. Next year, as a result of the reforms
brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener
, all Madras units had 60 added to their numbers, and the regiment's designation was changed to 62nd Punjabis. During the First World War, the 62nd Punjabis were sent to Egypt
as part of the 10th Indian Division
to protect the Suez Canal
. The regiment played a major role in repulsing the Turkish offensive
of 1915. After operating in the British colony of Aden
later that year, they arrived in Mesopotamia
on 31 December 1915. Here, they were engaged in fierce fighting on the Tigris
Front, as the British made desperate efforts to raise the Siege of Kut al Amara
, and later, during the British advance northwards. The regiment took part in the Battles of Hanna
, Dujaila Redoubt and the Hai Salient. After serving on the Persian frontier for the rest of the war, the regiment returned to India in 1920. It suffered a total of 840 casualties during the war. Captain Claude Auchinleck
, later Field Marshal and the last Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army, served with the 62nd Punjabis in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
, 76th
, 82nd
and 84th Punjabis
, and the 1st Brahmans
to form the 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. The battalion was redesignated as 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment. During the Second World War, 1/1st Punjab initially served in Iraq
and then moved to North Africa
in November 1941 to join the 5th Indian Division, only to take part in the British withdrawal following Rommel
's offensive in January 1942. The battalion was converted into motorized infantry and deployed at Ruweisat Ridge
, where in July, it took part in halting Rommel's final offensive in North Africa at El Alamein
by the Eighth Army
led by General Claude Auchinleck. It then participated in the British counter-attack
in October, which turned the tide of war in North Africa. In October 1943, 1/1st Punjab arrived in Burma
, where it fought in the Second Arakan Campaign
and took part in the Reconquest of Burma. It fought in the Battles of Kohima
, Tiddim Road and numerous actions in the Irrawaddy
Basin until the final Allied victory in August 1945. It then served in the Dutch East Indies
as part of the Allied occupation forces. In 1947, 1/1st Punjab was allocated to Pakistan Army. During the 1948 Kashmir
War with India
, it served at Chakothi. In 1956, the 1st Punjab Regiment was merged with the 14th
, 15th
and 16th Punjab Regiment
s to form one large Punjab Regiment
, and 1/1st Punjab was redesignated as 1 Punjab. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, the battalion fought in the Battle of Chawinda
, while in the 1971 war, it served in the Rajasthan
Sector.
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...
. It was raised in 1759 as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys, and formed part of the Madras Army
Madras Army
The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of the British India within the British Empire.The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three...
. It was designated as the 62nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
1st Punjab Regiment
The 1st Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment....
in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the 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...
, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion The Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...
. It is the senior-most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army
Early History
The regiment had its antecedents in the old Madras ArmyMadras Army
The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of the British India within the British Empire.The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three...
of the British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, which was largely responsible for the British conquest of south and central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was raised at Madras in September 1759, as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys from existing companies of sepoys that had been raised a year earlier. The men were mostly enlisted from South India and consisted of Muslims and Hindus. The regiment was actively engaged in the wars against the French, Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
and the Marathas. Their first major engagement was the decisive Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...
in 1860, which ended French colonial ambitions in India. This was followed by forty years of constant warfare against the Sultans of Mysore
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency...
, and then the Marathas chieftains. In the Second Maratha War of 1803-05, the regiment fought in the Battle of Assaye
Battle of Assaye
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company...
under General Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley may refer to:*Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman*Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington , British soldier and nobleman...
, the future Duke of Wellington. Its performance at Assaye was much appreciated and it was permitted to display the word "Assaye" with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments. It was again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817-19, which decisively broke the Maratha power in India. In 1840, the The regiment took part in the First Anglo-Chinese War, where it again performed well and as a reward, was authorized to bear a golden dragon wearing the imperial crown upon its regimental colours. In the latter part of the 19th century, the regiment did not see much action, although it saw active service in Burma.
62nd Punjabis
In 1902, the regiment, now designated as the 2nd Madras Infantry, was reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims, SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s and Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s. Next year, as a result of the reforms
Kitchener Reforms
The Kitchener Reforms of the Indian Army began in 1903 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, completed the unification of the three armies of the former Presidencies , and also the Punjab Frontier Force, the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces, into one...
brought about in the Indian Army by Lord 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...
, all Madras units had 60 added to their numbers, and the regiment's designation was changed to 62nd Punjabis. During the First World War, the 62nd Punjabis were sent to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
as part of the 10th Indian Division
10th Indian Division
The 10th Indian Division was a formation of the British Indian Army during World War I. It was the basis of Indian Expeditionary Force F which served in Egypt and was disbanded in March 1915....
to protect the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. The regiment played a major role in repulsing the Turkish offensive
First Suez Offensive
The First Suez Offensive took place between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I...
of 1915. After operating in the British colony of Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
later that year, they arrived in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
on 31 December 1915. Here, they were engaged in fierce fighting on the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
Front, as the British made desperate efforts to raise the Siege of Kut al Amara
Siege of Kut
The siege of Kut Al Amara , was the besieging of 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. Its known also as 1st Battle of Kut. In 1915, its population was around 6,500...
, and later, during the British advance northwards. The regiment took part in the Battles of Hanna
Battle of Hanna
The First Battle of Hanna was a World War I battle fought on the Mesopotamian front on 21 January 1916 between Ottoman Army and Anglo-Indian forces.-Prelude:...
, Dujaila Redoubt and the Hai Salient. After serving on the Persian frontier for the rest of the war, the regiment returned to India in 1920. It suffered a total of 840 casualties during the war. Captain Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
, later Field Marshal and the last Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army, served with the 62nd Punjabis in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Subsequent History
After the First World War, the 62nd Punjabis were grouped with the 66th66th Punjabis
The 66th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1761 as the 7th Battalion of Coast Sepoys. It was designated as the 66th Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922...
, 76th
76th Punjabis
The 76th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised by Captain Thomas Lane at Trichonopoly on 16 December 1776, as the 16th Carnatic Battalion. It was designated as the 76th Punjabis in 1903 and became the 3rd Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922...
, 82nd
82nd Punjabis
The 82nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1788, as the 29th Madras Battalion. It was designated as the 82nd Punjabis in 1903 and became the 5th Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922...
and 84th Punjabis
84th Punjabis
The 84th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised by Captain Donald Macdonald at Vellore on 12 August 1794, as the 34th Battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 84th Punjabis in 1903 and became the 10th Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922....
, and the 1st Brahmans
1st Brahmans
The 1st Brahmans was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised at Oudh by Captain T Naylor in 1776 for service in the army of Nawab Wazir of Oudh, and was known as the Nawab Wazir's Regiment. It was transferred to the East India Company in 1777. In 1922, it was designated as...
to form the 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. The battalion was redesignated as 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment. During the Second World War, 1/1st Punjab initially served in Iraq
Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...
and then moved to North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
in November 1941 to join the 5th Indian Division, only to take part in the British withdrawal following Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
's offensive in January 1942. The battalion was converted into motorized infantry and deployed at Ruweisat Ridge
Ruweisat Ridge
Ruweisat Ridge is a geographical feature in the Western Egyptian desert, mid way between the Mediterranean Sea and the Qattara Depression. It was a prominent part of the defence line in the First and Second Battle of El Alamein. During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the 4th Indian Infantry...
, where in July, it took part in halting Rommel's final offensive in North Africa at El Alamein
First Battle of El Alamein
The First Battle of El Alamein was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert...
by the Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
led by General Claude Auchinleck. It then participated in the British counter-attack
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
in October, which turned the tide of war in North Africa. In October 1943, 1/1st Punjab arrived in Burma
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
, where it fought in the Second Arakan Campaign
Burma Campaign 1944
The fighting in the Burma Campaign in 1944 was among the severest in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It took place along the borders between Burma and India, and Burma and China, and involved the British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces, against the forces of the Empire...
and took part in the Reconquest of Burma. It fought in the Battles of Kohima
Battle of Kohima
The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...
, Tiddim Road and numerous actions in the Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy may refer to:*Irrawaddy River, the main river of Burma*Irrawaddy Delta, a rice growing region of the country*Ayeyarwady Region, an administrative division of Burma*The Irrawaddy, a Burmese news publication based in Chiang Mai, Thailand...
Basin until the final Allied victory in August 1945. It then served in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
as part of the Allied occupation forces. In 1947, 1/1st Punjab was allocated to Pakistan Army. During the 1948 Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
War with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, it served at Chakothi. In 1956, the 1st Punjab Regiment was merged with the 14th
14th Punjab Regiment
The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment....
, 15th
15th Punjab Regiment
The 15th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
and 16th Punjab Regiment
16th Punjab Regiment
The 16th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
s to form one large Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...
, and 1/1st Punjab was redesignated as 1 Punjab. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, the battalion fought in the Battle of Chawinda
Battle of Chawinda
The Battle of Chawinda was a part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II....
, while in the 1971 war, it served in the Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
Sector.
Genealogy
- 1759 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys
- 1769 2nd Carnatic Battalion
- 1784 2nd Madras Battalion
- 1796 1st Battalion 2nd Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
- 1824 2nd Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
- 1885 2nd Regiment of Madras Infantry
- 1901 2nd Madras Infantry
- 1903 62nd Punjabis
- 1922 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
- 1956 1st Battalion The Punjab Regiment
Further Reading
- Qureshi, Maj MI. (1958). The First Punjabis: History of the First Punjab Regiment 1759-1956. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
- Rainey-Robinson, RM. (1904-09). History of the 2nd Madras Infantry (two volumes). Calcutta: Thacker & Spinks.
- Sanders, CW. (1937). History of the 1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment. Lahore: Civil and Military Press.
- Wilson, Lt Col WJ. (1882–88). History of the Madras Army. Madras: The Government Press.
- Phythian-Adams, Lt Col EG. (1943). Madras Infantry 1748-1943. Madras: The Government Press.
- Rizvi, Brig SHA. (1984). Veteran Campaigners – A History of the Punjab Regiment 1759-1981. Lahore: Wajidalis.