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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry
|image=
|caption=
|dates=1903 - 1922
|country={{flagicon|British Raj}} [[British India]]
|branch={{army|British India}}
|type=Infantry
|size= 2 Battalions
|command_structure=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=[[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]
|ceremonial_chief_label=[[Colonel-in-Chief]]
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=Capital Campaigners
|motto=
|colors=Green; faced red; red trousers
|colors_label=Uniform
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=[[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] [[1868 Expedition to Abyssinia|Abyssinian Campaign 1868]] [[Second Afghan War]] 1879-80 [[Third Burmese War]] 1885-87 [[British East Africa 1897-99]] [[First World War]] ([[Persian campaign (World War I)|Persia]], [[East African Campaign (World War I)|German East Africa]], [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Palestine campaign|Palestine]])
|notable_commanders=
|anniversaries=
}}
The '''127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry''' was an [[infantry regiment]] of the [[British Indian Army]] raised in 1844 as The Scinde Bellochee Corps. It was designated as the '''127th Baluch Light Infantry''' in 1903 and became '''3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment''' in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the [[Pakistan Army]], where it continues to exist as the '''10th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment'''.<ref name="Ahmad 2010">Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.</ref>

==Early history==
In 1843, the British conquered [[Sindh]] after defeating the ruling confederacy of Baloch chieftains. [[Charles James Napier|General Sir Charles Napier]], the British commander, was much impressed by the ferocious courage of his Balochi opponents and decided to recruit two irregular battalions of [[Bombay Army]] for local service within Sindh. The first of these was raised at [[Karachi]] as the Scinde Bellochee Corps or the Bellochee Battalion by Major F. Jackson in 1844. Its manpower was mostly drawn from [[Baloch people|Balochis]], [[Sindhi people|Sindhis]] and [[Pashtun people|Pathan]]s from Sindh. Later, it also recruited [[Brahui people|Brahuis]] and Punjabi Muslims, while the recruitment area was extended to include [[Baluchistan]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]] and the [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. On the raising of the 2nd Battalion in 1846, the regiment was designated as the 1st Belooch<ref>Old spelling of Baluch; now pronounced Baloch.</ref> Battalion.<ref name="Maxwell 1948">Maxwell, Lt Col WE. (1948). ''Capital Campaigners: The History of the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) the Baluch Regiment''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.</ref><ref name="Cadell, Sir Patrick 1938">Cadell, Sir Patrick. (1938). ''History of the Bombay Army''. London: Longmans & Green.</ref> When the [[Indian Mutiny]] broke out in 1857, the 1st Belooch Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar was dispatched across the Sindh desert to join the Delhi Field Force. It was engaged in several actions during the siege and capture of Delhi. During the next two years, it fought in numerous engagements in [[Oudh]] and [[Rohilkhand]], as the British systematically stamped out all resistance. The regiment was brought into line for its services in North India as the 27th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry or the 1st Belooch Regiment. In 1868, it took part in the long and arduous [[1868 Expedition to Abyssinia|Expedition to Abyssinia]]. The splendid performance of 1st Belooch Regiment in Abyssinia was much appreciated and as a reward, it was converted into [[Light Infantry]]. In 1879-80, the 1st Beloochees participated in the [[Second Afghan War]], followed by the [[Third Burmese War]] of 1885-87, where they earned the nickname of '''Capital Campaigners''' for their excellent performance. In 1897-99, the regiment was sent to [[British East Africa 1897-99|British East Africa]] to quell an insurgency in areas now forming [[Uganda]].<ref name="Maxwell 1948"/><ref name="Gaylor 1992">{{cite book|last=Gaylor|first=J|title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–1991|publisher=Spellmount|year=1992}}</ref><ref name="Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin 1998">Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (1998). ''History of the Baloch Regiment 1820-1939''. Abbottabad: Baloch Regimental Centre.</ref>[[File:127th Baluchis, Bombay 1911.jpg|thumb|right|127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry on parade, Bombay 1911.|330px]]

==127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry==
Subsequent to the [[Kitchener Reforms|reforms]] brought about in the Indian Army by [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] in 1903, all former [[Bombay Army]] units had 100 added to their numbers. Consequently, the regiment's designation was changed to 127th Baluch Light Infantry. In 1906, the [[Mary of Teck|Princess of Wales]] (later [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]) was appointed [[Colonel-in-Chief]] of the regiment.<ref name="Maxwell 1948"/> The regimental full dress uniform in 1914 included a rifle green turban and kurta (knee length tunic) piped in red, worn with red trousers and white gaiters. The red trousers were a distinctive feature of all five Baluch infantry regiments then serving in the Indian Army.<ref>Barthorp, Michael; Jeffrey Burn (1979). ''Indian Infantry Regiments 1860–1914''. p. 32. London: Osprey.</ref>
On the outbreak of the [[First World War]], the regiment served in [[East African Campaign (World War I)|German East Africa]] and [[Persian campaign (World War I)|Persia]]. In 1918, it raised the 2nd Battalion 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry, which served in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Palestine campaign|Palestine]] and took part in the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]] that led to the defeat of the Turkish Army in Palestine. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1921.<ref name="Maxwell 1948"/>

==Subsequent History==
In 1922, the regiment was grouped with five other Baluch battalions: 1st & 2nd Battalions of [[124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry]], [[126th Baluchistan Infantry]], [[129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis]] and the [[130th Baluchis|130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles)]], to form the [[10th Baluch Regiment]]. The 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment.<ref name="Maxwell 1948"/><ref name="Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin 1998"/> During the [[Second World War]], 3/10th Baluch served in [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|Iran]], [[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq]], [[North African Campaign|North Africa]], [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]] and [[Greek Civil War|Greece]]. In 1946, it was selected for conversion into an airborne battalion, but the events of 1947 intervened and on the [[Partition of India]], the battalion, along with the Baluch Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army.<ref name="Maxwell 1948"/><ref>Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2000). ''History of the Baloch Regiment 1939-1956''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.</ref><ref>Thatcher, WS. (1980). ''The Tenth Baluch Regiment in the Second World War''. Abbottabad: The Baluch Regimental Centre.</ref> In 1956, on the merger of [[8th Punjab Regiment|8th Punjab]] and [[Bahawalpur Regiment]]s with the [[10th Baluch Regiment|Baluch Regiment]], 3 Baluch was redesignated as 10 Baluch (now 10 Baloch). During the [[Indo-Pakistani Wars]] of 1965 and 1971, the battalion fought with distinction in [[Kashmir]] and took part in the capture of [[Battle of Chamb|Chhamb]] in 1971.<ref name="Ahmad 2010"/>[[File:127 Baluch Light Inf.jpg|thumb|right|127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry. Watercolour by Major AC Lovett, ''c.'' 1910.|255px]]

==Genealogy==
*1844 - Bellochee Battalion or The Scinde Bellochee Corps
*1846 - 1st Bellochee Battalion
*1858 - 1st Belooch Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry
*1859 - 1st Belooch Regiment Bombay Native Infantry
*1861 - 27th Regiment Bombay Native Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
*1871 - 27th Regiment Bombay Native (Light) Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
*1885 - 27th Regiment Bombay (Light) Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
*1888 - 27th Regiment (1st Belooch Battalion) Bombay (Light) Infantry
*1892 - 27th Regiment (1st Baluch Battalion) Bombay (Light) Infantry or 27th Baluchis
*1901 - 27th Baluch Light Infantry
*1903 - 127th Baluch Light Infantry
*1906 - 127th Princess of Wales's Own Baluch Light Infantry
*1910 - 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry
*1918 - 1st Battalion 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry
*1921 - 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry
*1922 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment or 3/10th Baluch
*1945 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) The Baluch Regiment or 3 Baluch
*1946 - 3rd (Para) Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) The Baluch Regiment
*1947 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) The Baluch Regiment
*1956 - 10th Battalion The Baluch Regiment or 10 Baluch
*1991 - 10th Battalion The Baloch Regiment or 10 Baloch<ref name="Ahmad 2010"/>[[File:27th Bombay Native Inf 1865. L-Naik Wazir Khan.jpg|thumb|right|Lance Naik Wazeer Khan (a Balochi from Rind tribe), 27th Bombay Native Infantry, ''c.'' 1865.|255px]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.
* Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (1998). ''History of the Baloch Regiment 1820-1939''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. {{ISBN|1-84734-130-6}}
* Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2000). ''History of the Baloch Regiment 1939-1956''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. {{ISBN|1-84574-094-7}}
* Barthorp, Michael, & Jeffrey Burn. (1979). ''Indian Infantry Regiments 1860–1914''. Osprey Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0-85045-307-2}}
* Cadell, Sir Patrick. (1938). ''History of the Bombay Army''. London: Longmans & Green
*Gaylor, John (1992). ''Sons of John Company: Indian and Pakistan Armies, 1903-1991'', Spellmount Publishers Ltd. {{ISBN|978-0-946771-98-1}}.
* Maxwell, Lt Col WE. (1948). ''Capital Campaigners: The History of the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) the Baluch Regiment''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.

==External links==
*[http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/indianinfantry/127thbaluchi.htm 127th Baluch Light Infantry (Queen Mary's Own) at The British Empire]
*''History of the Baloch Regiment 1820–1939 the Colonial Period'', text of [https://archive.today/20121208200149/http://www.naval-military-press.com/history-of-the-baloch-regiment-1820-1939-pr-18025.html pages 1 to 15] available online as download preview

==See also==
*[[10th Baluch Regiment]]
*The [[Baloch Regiment]]
*[[Siege of Delhi]]
*[[1868 Expedition to Abyssinia]]
*[[British East Africa 1897-99]]

{{#seo:
|keywords=Baloch Regiment, British Indian Army infantry regiments, Military units and formations established in 1903, Military units and formations disestablished in 1922
|description=
}}

[[Category:Baloch Regiment]]
[[Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1903]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1922]]

127th Baluch Light Infantry - Revision history

CleanupBot at 04:33, 8 July 2023