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{{short description|Infantry regiment of the former British Indian Army}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)
| image=Badge of 20th Punjabis.jpg
| image_size = 170
|caption=
|dates=1857 - 1922
|country=[[British Raj|British India]]
|branch=Army
|type=Infantry
|size=1 Battalion
|command_structure=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=[[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge|The Duke of Cambridge]]
|ceremonial_chief_label=Colonel-in-Chief
|colonel_of_the_regiment=Field Marshal Sir [[Charles Henry Brownlow|Charles Brownlow]]
|nickname=
|motto=
|colors=Drab; faced green
|colors_label=Uniform
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=[[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Mutiny]] 1857-58 [[Second Opium War|Second Anglo-China War]] 1860-62 [[Second Afghan War]] 1878-80 [[Anglo-Egyptian War]] 1882 [[The Boxer Rebellion]] 1900 [[First World War]] 1914-18
|notable_commanders=
|anniversaries=
}}
The '''20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)''' was a [[regiment]] of the [[British Indian Army]]. It was raised in 1857, as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) in 1904 and became 2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge's Own) [[14th Punjab Regiment]] in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the [[Pakistan Army]], where it continues to exist as '''6th Battalion The [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]]'''.<ref name="Rizvi 1984">Rizvi, Brig SHA. (1984). ''Veteran Campaigners – A History of the Punjab Regiment 1759-1981''. Lahore: Wajidalis.</ref>

== History ==

===Early history===
The regiment was raised at [[Nowshera District|Nowshera]] on 1 August 1857 by Lieutenant [[Charles Henry Brownlow]] from drafts provided by [[57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)|4th]] and [[58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)|5th Punjab Infantry]] on the orders of [[John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence|John Lawrence]], the British High Commissioner of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]]. It was one of several battalions raised by Lawrence to suppress the Great [[Indian Mutiny]] of 1857. Brownlow, who became their first [[commanding officer]], remained associated with the regiment for more than half a century; becoming their [[Colonel (United Kingdom)#Honorary_Colonel|Honorary Colonel]] in 1904. He was made a [[Field Marshal]] in 1908. The regiment's first overseas service came during the [[Second Opium War]] against [[China]]. Soon after landing there, it took part in the successful assault on [[Taku Forts]] on 21 August 1860. The regiment then advanced with the rest of the British force, arriving at [[Beijing|Peking]] (Beijing) in late September, which was captured on 6 October. In 1861, the regiment was brought into the line as the '''24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry''', replacing the previous 24th which had mutinied in 1857. It was renumbered as the 20th Regiment later in the year.<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>[[File:20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. Painting by Walter Fane (1828-85), 1868.jpg|thumb|right|20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. Oil painting by Walter Fane, 1868.|250px]]

In 1863, it took part in the [[Umbeyla Campaign]] on the [[North-West Frontier (military history)|North-West Frontier]] of India. During the fierce fighting at Crag Picquet in October and November, the 20th Punjabis retook the position, which had been captured by the tribesemen on 30 October. It then successfully defended the post from repeated attacks by the tribal forces. It was the first of many such engagements against the hostile [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]] tribes of the Afghan frontier. In 1864, the regiment, now designated as the '''20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry''', took part in the [[Black Mountain Expedition]], and in 1877, it operated against the Jowaki [[Afridi]]s. Next year, the regiment advanced into the [[Khyber Pass]] to clear Afghan forces at [[Ali Masjid]] during the [[Second Afghan War]], as part of the 1st Brigade of the Peshawar Field Force. Ali Masjid, an imposing fortress, was the first engagement of the war. After the capture of the fort, the Peshawar Field Force advanced into [[Afghanistan]] and captured [[Jalalabad]].<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>

In 1882, the regiment was dispatched to [[Egypt]] as part of an expeditionary force to suppress the revolt by [[Ahmed Orabi|Arabi Pasha]] against the Egyptian Government. In a surprise dawn attack on 13 September, the Egyptian forces at [[Battle of Tel el-Kebir|Tel-el-Kebir]] were completely routed by the British. The 20th Punjabis fought on the left flank of the Indian Brigade. In honour of their service in Egypt, the [[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge|Duke of Cambridge]] was appointed as their honorary colonel in 1883, and the regiment was retitled as the '''20th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry'''.<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>

In 1891, after the [[Mir of Hunza]] refused to guarantee safe British passage through his [[princely state|state]], the 20th Punjabis participated in Colonel Algernon Durand's expedition to [[Hunza (princely state)|Hunza]]. In 1897, during a general uprising of Pashtun tribes, the regiment operated as part of the Mohmand Field Force. The regiment, under the command by Lieutenant-Colonel (later Lieutenant-General) JB Woon, fought in a fierce engagement against a force of about 6,000 [[Mohmand]]s at Shabkadr. In 1900, the 20th Punjabis were sent to China to suppress the [[Boxer Rebellion]].<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>

===20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)===

Subsequent to the [[Kitchener Reforms|reforms]] brought about in the Indian Army by [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]], the regiment's designation was changed to 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjabis in 1903, and then '''20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)''' in 1904.<ref name="Gaylor 1991">{{cite book|last=Gaylor|first=John|title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91|publisher=Stroud: Spellmount|year=1991}}</ref>[[File:20th (Punjab) Bengal Infantry (6 Punjab), Egypt 1882 2.jpg|thumb|right|20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry, Egypt 1882.|340px]]

During the [[First World War]], the regiment saw active service in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] against the [[Ottoman Empire]]. On 16 October 1914, the 20th Punjabis sailed for the [[Persian Gulf]] from [[Bombay]] as part of the [[16th (Poona) Brigade]] of the [[Indian Army during World War I#Indian Expeditionary Force D|Indian Expeditionary Force 'D']]. On 6 November, the regiment landed near the fort of [[al-Faw|Fao]], and then advanced up the [[Shatt-al-Arab]]. On 11 November, the regiment was actively involved in repulsing a Turkish attack near Sanniyeh. The regiment then took part in the successful attack on the Ottoman force at Saihan on 15 November, and [[Zain, Iran|Zain]] on 19 November. After the Turks retreated northwards, the regiment took part in the capture of [[Basra]], which was occupied on 23 November. In April 1915, the regiment fought at the [[Battle of Shaiba]], where the Turkish attempt to retake Basra was foiled. The 20th Punjabis subsequently took part in the British advance northwards, which led to the capture of [[Kut-al-Amara]] in September 1915. For the next two years, the regiment remained engaged in a number of actions against the Turks including the Battle of Istabulat. After spending a few months in Egypt, it was dispatched to Palestine in March 1918 and took over trenches north of [[Jaffa]]. In May 1918, it returned to India.<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>

===Subsequent history===

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 the 14th Punjab Regiment, formed by grouping the 20th Punjabis with the [[19th Punjabis|19th]], [[21st Punjabis|21st]], [[22nd Punjabis|22nd]] and [[24th Punjabis]], and the [[40th Pathans]]. The battalion's new designation was '''2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge's Own) 14th Punjab Regiment'''.<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/> During the [[Second World War]], the battalion was part of the British garrison of [[Hong Kong]], where it fiercely resisted the Japanese invasion in December 1941. However, after heroically resisting the enemy for 18 days, the outnumbered British garrison was forced to surrender on 25 December. The battalion spent the rest of the war in Japanese captivity. It was re-raised in 1946.<ref>Haig, Brodie. ''Fourteenth Punjab Regiment 1939-1945''. London: Lund Humphries.</ref> In 1947, the 14th Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was merged with the [[1st Punjab Regiment|1st]], [[15th Punjab Regiment|15th]] and [[16th Punjab Regiment]]s to form one large [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]], and 2/14th Punjab was redesignated as 6 Punjab. In 1948, the battalion fought in the war with [[India]] in [[Kashmir]], while during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, it served in the [[Rann of Kutch]], and then took part in [[Operation Grand Slam]]. In 1971, it fought in [[East Pakistan]].<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>[[File:20th Bengal Inf (6 Punjab) 1888.jpg|thumb|right|20th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry on the march. Coloured lithograph by Richard Simkin, ''c.'' 1888.|280px]]

==Lineage==
*1857: 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry
*1861: 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1861: 20th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1864: 20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1883: 20th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1885: 20th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry
*1901: 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjab Infantry
*1903: 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjabis
*1904: 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)
*1922: 2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge's Own) 14th Punjab Regiment
*1956: 6th Battalion The Punjab Regiment

==See also==
*[[14th Punjab Regiment]]
*[[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''History of the 20th (DCO) Infantry, Brownlow's Punjabis 1857 to 1907''. (1910). Davenport: Swiss and Co.
*''Historical Records of the 20th (DCO) Infantry, Brownlow's Punjabis (1909–1922)''. Vol II. (1923). London: Butler and Tanner.
*Haig, Brodie. ''Fourteenth Punjab Regiment 1939-1945''. London: Lund Humphries, n.d.
*Rizvi, Brig SHA. (1984). ''Veteran Campaigners – A History of the Punjab Regiment 1759-1981''. Lahore: Wajidalis.
*Cardew, Lt FG. (1903). ''A Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army to the Year 1895''. Calcutta: Military Department.
* {{cite book|last=Gaylor|first=John|title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91|publisher=Spellmount|year=1991|isbn=978-0-946771-98-1}}
*{{cite book|last=Barthorp|first=Michael|last2=Burn|first2=Jeffrey|year=1979|title=Indian infantry regiments 1860-1914|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=0-85045-307-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Sumner|first=Ian|title=The Indian Army 1914-1947|year=2001|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=1-84176-196-6}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1857]]
[[Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments]]
[[Category:Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:1857 establishments in India]]

20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry Brownlow's Punjabis - Revision history

Bot at 00:57, 16 September 2022