BernardoWebb158 at 07:57, 13 December 2025

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{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 26th Punjabis
| image =
| image_size = 170
| caption = 10 Battalion The Punjab Regiment
| dates = 1857 - todate
| country = [[British Raj|British India]] now in Pakistan
| branch = Army
| type = Infantry
| size = 2 Battalion of 15 Punjab Regiment Group
| command_structure =
| garrison =
| ceremonial_chief =
| ceremonial_chief_label =
| colonel_of_the_regiment = Brig (R) Ahmad Bilal Janjua
| nickname =
| motto = SARBAKAF
| colors = Red and Buff
| colors_label = Regimental Colours
| march =
| mascot =
| battles = [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Mutiny]] 1857–58 [[Bhutan War]] 1864–66 [[Second Afghan War]] 1878–80 [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]] 1885–87 [[Chinese Revolution of 1911]] [[First World War]] 1914–18
Second World 1941-45
| notable_commanders =
| anniversaries = 15 June
}}
The '''26th Punjabis''' was an infantry Regiment of the [[British Indian Army]]. It was raised on 15 June 1857 at Peshawar, as the 18th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 26th Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion of [[15th Punjab Regiment|15th Punjab Regiment Group]] in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the [[Pakistan Army]], where it continues to exist as '''10th 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><ref name="Stoney 1924">Stoney, Lt PS. (1924). ''A History of the 26th Punjabis, 1857–1923''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.</ref>

==Early history==
The regiment was raised by Captain HT Bartlett at [[Peshawar]] on 15 June 1857, as the 18th Regiment of Punjab Infantry, during the upheaval of the [[Indian Mutiny]]. He commanded the Battalion for only a few months, and was relieved by Lieutenant (Later Colonel) J W Williamson. He commanded the Paltan next 20 years (1858-1877). The first Muslim Commanding Officer of the Battalion was Lieutenant Colonel Sardar Khan, who took over command of the Battalion in February, 1948. The manpower consisted of [[Pashtun people|Pathan]]s, Punjabi Muslims, [[Sikh]]s and [[Dogras|Dogra]]s. The regiment took part in the [[Bhutan War]] of 1864–66, the [[Second Afghan War]] of 1878–80 and the [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]] of 1885–87. In 1895, it took part in the [[Chitral Expedition|Relief of Chitral]], while in 1897, it operated with the Mohmand Field Force during the great tribal uprising on the [[North-West Frontier (military history)|North West Frontier]] of India.<ref name="Stoney 1924"/>

==26th Punjabis==
Subsequent to the [[Kitchener Reforms|reforms]] brought about in the Indian Army by [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] in 1903, the regiment's designation was changed to 26th Punjabis.<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:Officers, 18th Punjab Inf, Delhi, May 1859.jpg|thumb|right|British and Indian Officers of the 18th Punjab Infantry, Delhi, May 1859. Captain J Williamson, the Commandant, 2nd from right.|340px]]
In 1911, the 26th Punjabis moved to [[Hong Kong]] to protect British interests following the [[1911 Revolution]]. On the outbreak of the [[First World War]], the regiment returned from Hong Kong to India. In December 1915, it sailed for [[Mesopotamia Campaign|Mesopotamia]]. During 1916, it fought on the [[Tigris]] Front in the Battles of [[Battle of Dujaila|Dujaila]] and Sannaiyat, as the British made desperate efforts to relieve their besieged garrison at [[Kut al Amara]]. In 1917, the regiment was again engaged in fighting on the River Tigris and took part in the British advance on [[Baghdad]]. In 1918, it moved to [[Persia]], returning to India in October 1919. In 1918, the 26th Punjabis raised a second battalion, which was disbanded in 1922.<ref name="Stoney 1924"/>

==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 15th Punjab Regiment, formed by grouping the 26th Punjabis with the [[25th Punjabis|25th]], [[27th Punjabis|27th]], [[28th Punjabis|28th]] and [[29th Punjabis]]. The battalion's new designation was 2nd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment.<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/> During the [[Second World War]], the battalion fought in [[Borneo]], where it was captured by the Japanese in March 1942. It was re-raised in 1946 as a Machine-Gun Battalion. In 1947, the 15th Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was merged with the [[1st Punjab Regiment|1st]], [[14th Punjab Regiment|14th]] and [[16th Punjab Regiment]]s to form one large [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]], and 2/15th Punjab was redesignated as 10 Punjab. The battalion fought in [[Kashmir]] during the 1948 war with India. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, it fought at Suleimanki, while in 1971, it served in the [[Rajasthan]] Sector.<ref name="Rizvi 1984"/>

==Genealogy==
[[File:26th Punjabis, AC Lovett, 1910.jpg|thumb|right|Sepoy 26th Punjabis. Watercolour by Major AC Lovett, 1910|220px]]
*1857 The Peshawar Punjab Battalion
*1857 18th Regiment of Punjab Infantry
*1861 30th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1861 26th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1864 26th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
*1885 26th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry
*1901 26th Punjab Infantry
*1903 26th Punjabis
*1918 1st Battalion 25th Punjabis
*1922 2nd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment
*1956 10th Battalion The Punjab Regiment

==References==
{{reflist|1}}

==Further reading==
*Stoney, Lt PS. (1924). ''A History of the 26th Punjabis, 1857–1923''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
*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=Stroud: 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=London: Osprey|isbn=0-85045-307-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Sumner|first=Ian|title=The Indian Army 1914-1947|year=2001|publisher=London: Osprey|isbn=1-84176-196-6}}

==See also==
*[[15th Punjab Regiment]]
*[[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]]

[[Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments]]
[[Category:Honourable East India Company regiments]]
[[Category:Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1857]]
[[Category:1857 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1922]]

26th Punjabis - Revision history

BernardoWebb158 at 07:57, 13 December 2025