| 16th Punjab Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Regimental cap badge of the 16th | |
| Active | 1922–1956 |
| Country |
|
| Branch | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Regimental Centre | |
| Uniform colours | Scarlet,white |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | GeneralJames Travers(VC,CB) |
The16th Punjab Regiment was aninfantryregiment of theBritish Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon thePartition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raisedPakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this formin 1956, when it was amalgamated with the1st,14th and15th Punjab regiments to form thePunjab Regiment, an existing infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army.[1][2]
The 16th Punjab Regiment was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of the30th,31st,33rd and46th Punjabis, and9th Bhopal Infantry. Except for the 46th Punjabis, who were raised in 1900, the rest were raised during the upheaval of theIndian Mutiny in 1857-59. The 30th and 31st Punjabis were raised in 1857, as the 22nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry and Van Cortlandt's Levy respectively. The 33rd Punjabis were also raised in 1857, as the Allahabad Levy, while the 9th Bhopal Infantry was raised in 1859, as the Bhopal Levy from the remnants of loyal elements of the Bhopal Contingent.
The 30th and 31st Punjabis served in theBhutan War of 1864-66 and all the battalions saw service on theNorth West Frontier of India. The 30th and 31st Punjabis along with the 9th Bhopal took part in theSecond Afghan War of 1878-80, while the 33rd Punjabis served in theThird Anglo-Burmese War of 1885-87.[2]
The 30th Punjabis served with distinction in theGerman East Africa, while their 2nd Battalion served in thePalestine Campaign. The regiment raised a total of three new battalions during the war. Another regiment that raised three battalions was the 9th Bhopal Infantry, who were dispatched to the killing fields ofFrance andFlanders in 1914. The regiment suffered heavy losses at the Battles ofNeuve Chapelle,Festubert,Givenchy and theSecond Ypres. In 1915, they arrived inMesopotamia, where SepoyChatta Singh was awarded theVictoria Cross for exceptional valour. By the time they returned home, only fifteen men remained of those who had sailed for France in 1914.[2]
_(PMs)_1910.jpg)
All war-raised battalions were disbanded after the war. 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 the16th Punjab Regiment. The line-up of battalions for Solah Punjab was:[3]
The class composition of the new regiment was Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The new regimental badge consisted of a Maltese cross with a Muslim crescent and a Sikh quoit, surmounted by a Tudor crown with a scroll below. The uniform was scarlet with white facings.Multan in thePunjab was chosen as the permanent station for the Training Battalion.[3]
The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were captured by the Japaneseat Singapore. The 1st, 5th and 7th Battalions fought inBurma, and the 4th Battalion's fought in Africa and Italy. Lance NaikSher Shah of the 7th Battalion was awarded theVictoria Cross in Burma. During the war, the 16th Punjab Regiment suffered a total of 2744 casualties including 990 killed or died of wounds.[2]
On theindependence ofPakistan in 1947, the 16th Punjab Regiment was allotted to Pakistan Army. At the time, the active battalions were 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th. Jats, Sikhs and Dogras were transferred to theIndian Army and the regiment's new class composition was fixed as Punjabis and Pathans. In 1948, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions fought in the war with India inKashmir. 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 16th Punjab Regiment was amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments to form one large Punjab Regiment. The four regimental centres were also merged and the combined centre moved toMardan. The line-up of the new regiment was:[1]
Afghanistan 1879-80, Burma 1885-87, Chitral, Tirah, Malakand, Punjab Frontier, La Bassee 1914, Messines 1914, Armentieres 1914, Festubert 1914, Givenchy 1914, Ypres 1915, St Julien, Aubers, Loos, France and Flanders 1914-15, Macedonia 1918, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915-16, Megiddo, Nablus, Palestine 1918, Aden, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1915-18, NW Frontier India, 1915, 1916–17, Behobeho, Narungombe, Nyangao, East Africa 1917-18, Afghanistan 1919, Mescelit Pass, Mt Engiahat, Massawa, Abyssinia 1940-41, Sidi Barrani, Omars, Benghazi, El Alamein, Mareth, Akarit, Djebel Garci, Tunis, North Africa 1940-43, Cassino I, Italy 1943-45, Kroh, Jitra, Gurun, Ipoh, Kampar, The Muar, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941-42, Fort White, North Arakan, Kaladan, Maungdaw, Ngakyedauk Pass, Imphal, Tamu Road, Litan, Arakan Beaches, Burma 1942-45, Kashmir 1948.[4]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Azad Kashmir Regiment |
|  | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baloch Regiment |
| |||
| Frontier Force Regiment |
| |||
| Northern Light Infantry |
| |||
| Punjab Regiment |
| |||
| Sindh Regiment |
| |||
| Special Forces | ||||
| Former regiments | ||||