84th Punjabis
Encyclopedia
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 (Training) Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
in 1922. In 1943, it was converted into the 1st Punjab Regimental Centre. In 1947, the 1st Punjab Regiment
was allocated to the Pakistan Army
. In 1956, the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regimental Centres where amalgamated to form the Punjab
Regimental Centre.
of the British East India Company
, which was largely responsible for the British conquest of south and central India
. It was raised at Vellore
on August 1794, as the 34th Madras Battalion. The regiment's first action was during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
near Mallavelly on 27 March 1799. On 4 May, it fought in the Battle of Seringapatam
, where Tipu Sultan
made his last stand. The regiment's next major action was in the Second Maratha War, where it fought in the Battle of Assaye
on 3 September 1803, under General Arthur Wellesley
, the future Duke of Wellington. The regiment's performance was much appreciated during the day's fierce fighting, where it suffered 228 casualties. As a reward, it was permitted to display the word "Assaye" with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments. In 1810, it took part in the expeditions to Bourbon Island and Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean
. It was again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817-19, which decisively broke the Maratha power in India. 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 84th Punjabis. During the first three years of the First World War, the 84th Punjabis remained deployed on the North West Frontier of India. In March 1917, they were dispatched to Mesopotamia
, where it operated on the Euphrates
Line. By now, the Turkish Army in Mesopotamia had been largely defeated and the regiment did not see any significant fighting. In November 1918, it moved to Salonika
in Greece
and then six weeks later to the Russian Transcaucasia in support of the White Russian forces fighting the Bolshevik
s. After spending 1919-20 in Turkey
as part of the Allied occupation forces, it returned home in October 1920.
, 66th
, 76th
and 82nd Punjabis
, and the 1st Brahmans
to form the 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. The battalion was redesignated as 10th Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment and became the Training Battalion of the regiment, based at Jhelum
. During the Second World War, 10/1st Punjab was converted into the 1st Punjab Regimental Centre. In 1947, the 1st Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army, and in 1956, it was merged with the 14th
, 15th
and 16th Punjab Regiment
s to form one large Punjab Regiment
. The 1st Punjab Regimental Centre was merged with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regimental Centres to form the Punjab Regimental Centre. It is based at Mardan
.
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 by Captain Donald Macdonald at Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
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 (Training) 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 1943, it was converted into the 1st Punjab Regimental Centre. In 1947, the 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....
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...
. In 1956, the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regimental Centres where amalgamated to form the Punjab
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...
Regimental Centre.
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 Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
on August 1794, as the 34th Madras Battalion. The regiment's first action was during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company under the Earl of Mornington....
near Mallavelly on 27 March 1799. On 4 May, it fought in the Battle of Seringapatam
Battle of Seringapatam
The Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
, where Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
made his last stand. The regiment's next major action was in the Second Maratha War, where it 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...
on 3 September 1803, 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. The regiment's performance was much appreciated during the day's fierce fighting, where it suffered 228 casualties. As a reward, it was permitted to display the word "Assaye" with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments. In 1810, it took part in the expeditions to Bourbon Island and Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It was again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817-19, which decisively broke the Maratha power in India. In the latter part of the 19th century, the regiment did not see much action, although it saw active service in Burma.
84th Punjabis
In 1902, the regiment, now designated as the 24th 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 84th Punjabis. During the first three years of the First World War, the 84th Punjabis remained deployed on the North West Frontier of India. In March 1917, they were dispatched to 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 :...
, where it operated on the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
Line. By now, the Turkish Army in Mesopotamia had been largely defeated and the regiment did not see any significant fighting. In November 1918, it moved to Salonika
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and then six weeks later to the Russian Transcaucasia in support of the White Russian forces fighting the Bolshevik
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
s. After spending 1919-20 in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as part of the Allied occupation forces, it returned home in October 1920.
Subsequent History
After the First World War, the 84th Punjabis were grouped with the 62nd62nd Punjabis
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...
, 66th
66th 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...
and 82nd Punjabis
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 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 10th Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment and became the Training Battalion of the regiment, based at Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
. During the Second World War, 10/1st Punjab was converted into the 1st Punjab Regimental Centre. In 1947, the 1st Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army, and in 1956, it 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...
. The 1st Punjab Regimental Centre was merged with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regimental Centres to form the Punjab Regimental Centre. It is based at Mardan
Mardan
Mardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
.
Genealogy
- 1794 34th Battalion of Madras Native Infantry
- 1797 2nd Battalion 12th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
- 1824 24th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry
- 1885 24th Regiment of Madras Infantry
- 1901 24th Madras Infantry
- 1903 84th Punjabis
- 1922 10th (Training) Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment
- 1942 10/1st Punjab Regimental Training Centre
- 1943 1st Punjab Regimental Centre
- 1956 Punjab Regimental Centre
Further reading
- Qureshi, Maj MI. (1958). The First Punjabis: History of the First Punjab Regiment 1759-1956. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
- 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.