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{{EngvarB|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
|image=
|caption=
|dates=1846 – 1922
|country={{flag|British India}}
|branch={{army|British India}}
|type=Infantry
|size=1 Battalion
|command_structure=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=
|ceremonial_chief_label=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=Renny ki Paltan
|motto=
|colors=Drab; faced black
|colors_label=Uniform
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=[[North-West Frontier (military history)|North West Frontier of India]]<br>[[Indian Mutiny]] 1857-59<br>[[Sikkim]] 1861<br>[[Second Afghan War]] 1878-80<br>[[First World War]] 1914-18
|notable_commanders=
|anniversaries=
}}
The '''53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)''' was an infantry regiment of the [[British Indian Army]]. It was raised in 1847 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion (Sikhs) [[12th Frontier Force Regiment]] in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the [[Pakistan Army]], where it continues to exist as '''5th Battalion The [[Frontier Force Regiment]]'''.<ref name="Condon 1962">Condon, Brig WEH. (1962). ''The Frontier Force Regiment'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd.</ref><ref name="North 1934">North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press.</ref>

==Early history==
The regiment was raised on 1 January 1847 at [[Ferozepur]] as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade by Captain DF Winter. It was composed of [[Sikh]]s, Punjabi Muslims, [[Pashtun people|Pathan]]s, [[Dogra]]s and Hindustanis. In 1847, it was designated 3rd Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry, becoming the 3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry in 1857. In 1851, it became part of the [[Punjab Irregular Force]], which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force or '''The Piffers'''. The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry, eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides [[Corps of Guides (British India)|the Corps of Guides]]. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed with great aplomb. On the outbreak of the [[Indian Mutiny]] in 1857, the Hindustani Company was disbanded. In 1858 the 3rd Sikh Infantry took part in mopping up operations in North India. During the [[Second Afghan War]] of 1878-80, the regiment took part in the [[Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment|defence of Sherpur Cantonment]] and the [[Battle of Kandahar (1880)|Battle of Kandahar]], while in 1897, it served in the [[Tirah Campaign]].<ref name="Condon 1962"/><ref name="North 1934"/>[[File:3rd Sikhs (5 FF), Kabul 1879.jpg|thumb|right|3rd Sikh Infantry at Kabul, 1879.|350px]]

==53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)==
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 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force). In 1914, the regiment's class composition was four companies of Sikhs, two of Pathans, and one each of Punjabi Muslims and Dogras. During the [[First World War]], the regiment served throughout with the [[28th Indian Brigade]]. In 1915, it served in [[First Suez Offensive|Egypt]] and [[Aden]] (Yemen), moving to [[Mesopotamian Campaign|Mesopotamia]] in December. Here, it fought with great gallantry in the bloody battles for the Relief of [[Kut al Amara]] on the Tigris Front in 1916-17, the capture of [[Baghdad]] and in operations north of Baghdad at Istabulat, Daur and Tikrit. In 1918, the regiment moved to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and took part in the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]], which led to the annihilation of Turkish Army in Palestine. It returned to India in 1920.<ref name="Condon 1962"/><ref name="North 1934"/>

==Subsequent history==
After the First World War, the 53rd Sikhs were grouped with the [[51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)|51st]], [[52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)|52nd]] and [[54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)|54th Sikhs]], and the two battalions of [[Guides Infantry]] to form the [[12th Frontier Force Regiment]] in 1922. The 53rd Sikhs became 3rd Battalion (Sikhs) of the new regiment. For their excellent performance during the First World War, they were made a 'Royal' battalion in 1935. During the [[Second World War]], 3/12 FF served with great distinction in the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|Italian East Africa]], [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]] and [[Greek Civil War|Greece]].<ref name="Condon 1962"/> In 1947, the Frontier Force Regiment was allotted to the [[Pakistan Army]]. In 1948, 3/12 FF fought in the Kashmir War against [[India]]. In 1956, the Frontier Force Rifles and the [[Pathan Regiment]] were merged with the Frontier Force Regiment, and 3/12 FF was redesignated as 5 FF. During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the battalion greatly distinguished itself in the Battle of Khem Karan, while during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 it served in [[Kashmir]].<ref name="Attiqur Rahman 1980">Attiqur Rahman, Lt Gen M. (1980). ''The Wardens of the Marches – A History of the Piffers 1947-71''. Lahore: Wajidalis.</ref> The unit was awarded 5 Sitara-e-Jurrats and 4 Tamgha-e-Jurrats during its post-independence service <ref name="Attiqur Rahman 1980"/>

==Lineage==
[[File:53rd Sikh 1913 list..jpg|thumb|53rd Sikh 1913 list From the British Archives.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Authority Of The Council|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.284985|title=Indian Army List For January I -1913|date=1913}}</ref>]]

[[File:57 (9) & 53 Sikhs (5).jpg|thumb|right|Naik, 57th Wilde's Rifles and Subedar, 53rd Sikhs (right). Watercolour by Major AC Lovett, 1910.|255px]]
*1846: 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade
*1847: 3rd Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry
*1857: 3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry
*1857: 3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry, Punjab Irregular Force
*1865: 3rd Regiment of Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force
*1901: 3rd Sikh Infantry
*1903: 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
*1922: 3rd Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment
*1935: 3rd Royal Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment
*1945: 3rd Royal Battalion (Sikhs) The Frontier Force Regiment
*1947: 3rd Royal Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment
*1956: 5th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment<ref name="Condon 1962"/>

==See also==
*[[Frontier Force Regiment|The Frontier Force Regiment]]
*[[12th Frontier Force Regiment]]
*[[Punjab Irregular Force]]
==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Shepherd, Lt Col CI. (1931). ''Historical Records of the 3rd Sikhs 1847-1930''. Bournemouth: Pardy and Son.
* ''The Historical Record of the 3rd Sikh Infantry''. (1887).
* ''The Historical Record of the 3rd Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force''. (1904).
* Khan, M Nawaz. (1969). ''History of 5th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment (1847-1969)''.
* Condon, Brig WEH. (1962). ''The Frontier Force Regiment'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd.
* North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press.
* Jafar Ali Khan, Maj Gen M. (1950). ''One Hundred Glorious Years: A History of the Punjab Frontier Force, 1849-1949''. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press.
* Dey, RSBN. (1905). ''A Brief Account of the Late Punjab Frontier Force, From its Organization in 1849 to its Re-distribution on 31st March 1903''. Calcutta.
* Attiqur Rahman, Lt Gen M. (1980). ''The Wardens of the Marches – A History of the Piffers 1947-71''. Lahore: Wajidalis.
* Khan, Maj Muhammad Nawaz. (1996). ''The Glorious Piffers 1843-1995''. Abbottabad: The Frontier Force Regimental Centre.
* Gaylor, John. (1991). ''Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991.'' Stroud: Spellmount. {{ISBN|978-0-946771-98-1}}
*Barthorp, M, and Burn, J. (1979). ''Indian Infantry Regiments 1860-1914''. London: Osprey. {{ISBN|978-0-85045-307-2}}
*Sumner, Ian. (2001). ''The Indian Army 1914-1947''. London: Osprey. {{ISBN|1-84176-196-6}}

[[Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments]]
[[Category:Frontier Force Regiment]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1846]]
[[Category:1846 establishments in British India]]

53rd Sikhs Frontier Force - Revision history

Bot at 00:16, 28 November 2021