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{{short description|Former infantry regiment of the armies of British India and Pakistan}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=8th Punjab Regiment
| image=Badge of 8th Punjab Regiment 1927-56.jpg
| image_size = 180
|caption=
|dates=1922 - 1956
|country=
|allegiance={{flag|British India|23px}} (1922 - 47) {{flag icon|Pakistan}} Pakistan (1947 - 56)
|branch={{army|British India|23px}} {{Army|Pakistan}}
|type=Line Infantry
|role=
|size=
|command_structure=
|garrison=[[Lahore]]
|garrison_label=Regimental Centre
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=Drab; faced blue
|colors_label=Uniform
|march=God Bless the Prince of Wales
|mascot=
|battles=[[Polygar War#Second Polygar War 1800–1805|Second Poligar War]] 1801 [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]] 1803-05 [[Travancore War]] 1808-09 [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]] 1817-19 [[Kandyan Wars#The third war (1817–1818)|Third Kandy War]] 1818 [[First Anglo-Burmese War|First Burma War 1824-26]] [[Naning]] War 1831-32 [[Coorg War]] 1834 [[Second Anglo-Burmese War|Second Burma War 1852-53]] [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] [[Second Afghan War]] 1878-80 [[Rampa Rebellion of 1879]] [[Third Anglo-Burmese War|Third Burma War 1885-87]] [[Upper Burma]] 1890-96 [[Manipur]] Expedition 1891 [[The Boxer Rebellion]] 1900 [[First World War]] 1914-18 ([[Western Front (World War I)|France & Flanders]], [[First Suez Offensive|Egypt]], [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Palestine campaign|Palestine]], [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]], [[Mesopotamian Campaign|Mesopotamia]], Aden, [[Macedonian front (World War I)|Salonika]], [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War#Caucasus|Russia]]) [[Third Afghan War]] 1919 [[Iraqi revolt against the British|Iraqi Revolt 1920]] [[Second World War]] 1939-45 ([[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]], [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|Iran]], [[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq]], [[Burma Campaign|Burma]], [[Malayan Campaign|Malaya]], [[French Indochina]], [[Indonesian National Revolution|Dutch East Indies]]) [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Kashmir War 1948]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=

|commander1=[[King Edward VIII]]
|commander1_label=[[Colonel-in-Chief]]
|commander2=General Sir [[Edward Quinan]] Brigadier Fazal Ur Rahman Kallue
|commander2_label= Colonels of the Regiment
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
}}The '''8th Punjab Regiment''' was a [[regiment]] of the [[British Indian Army]] from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to [[Pakistan Army]] on [[Partition of India]] in 1947 and merged with the [[10th Baluch Regiment|Baluch Regiment]] in 1956.

== History ==

===Madras Infantry===
The 8th Punjab Regiment had its origins in the [[Madras Army]], where its first battalion was raised at [[Masulipatam]] in 1798. Four more battalions were raised in 1799-1800. In 1824, they were designated as the 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Regiments of Madras Native Infantry. In the early 19th century, these battalions were engaged in fighting the [[Marathas]] and took part in a number of foreign expeditions including the [[Anglo-Burmese Wars]]. Between 1890 and 1893, they were reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims and [[Sikh]]s as Burma Battalions and permanently based in [[Burma]] to police the turbulent Burmese hill tracts. Under the [[Kitchener Reforms]] of 1903, they were redesignated as the [[89th Punjabis|89th]], [[90th Punjabis|90th]], [[91st Punjabis (Light Infantry)|91st]], [[92nd Punjabis]], and [[93rd Burma Infantry]]. They were delocalized from Burma before the [[First World War]].<ref name="Ahmad 2006">Ahmad, Maj RN, and Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2006). ''Unfaded Glory: The 8th Punjab Regiment 1798-1956''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.</ref>

===First World War===
*[[89th Punjabis]] - India, Aden, [[First Suez Offensive|Egypt]], [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]], [[Western Front (World War I)|France]], [[Mesopotamian Campaign|Mesopotamia]], [[Macedonian front (World War I)|Salonika]], [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War#Caucasus|Russia]].
*2/89th Punjabis - Raised in 1917 - India, Iraq.
*[[90th Punjabis]] - India, Mesopotamia.
*2/90th Punjabis - Raised in 1918 - India. Disbanded 1922.
*[[91st Punjabis (Light Infantry)]] - Burma, Mesopotamia, Egypt, [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Palestine campaign|Palestine]].
*2/91st Punjabis (Light Infantry) - Raised in 1918 - India, Egypt. Disbanded 1921.
*[[92nd Punjabis]] - India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine.
*[[93rd Burma Infantry]] - India, Egypt, France, Mesopotamia, Palestine.
Only 2/89th Punjabis of the wartime raisings was retained after the post-war reforms.<ref name="Gaylor 1991">{{cite book|last=Gaylor|first=John|title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91|publisher=Spellmount|year=1991}}</ref>

The 8th Punjabis have a most distinguished record of service during the First World War. Their long list of honours and awards includes the Victoria Cross awarded to Naik [[Shahamad Khan|Shahmed Khan]] of 89th Punjabis in 1916. The 89th Punjabis had the unique distinction of serving in more theatres of war than any other unit of the [[British Empire]]. These included Aden, where they carried out the first opposed sea-borne assault landing in modern warfare, Egypt, Gallipoli, France, Mesopotamia, [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]], Salonika and Russian [[Transcaucasia]].<ref>Geoghegan, Col NM, and Campbell, Capt MHA. (1928). ''History of the 1st Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.</ref> All battalions served in Mesopotamia, while 93rd Burma Infantry also served in France. The 92nd Punjabis were made 'Prince of Wales's Own' in 1921 for their gallantry and sacrifices during the war.<ref name="Ahmad 2006"/>

In 1922, the five battalions along with the war-raised 2/89th Punjabis were united to form the 8th Punjab Regiment:<ref name="Ahmad 2006"/>

*1/[[89th Punjabis]] - 1st Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment
*[[90th Punjabis]] - 2nd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment
*[[91st Punjabis]] (Light Infantry) - 3rd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment
*[[92nd Punjabis|92nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Punjabis]] - 4th Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own)8th Punjab Regiment
*[[93rd Burma Infantry]] - 5th (Burma) Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment
*2/[[89th Punjabis]] - 10th Battalion (Training Battalion) 8th Punjab Regiment

The new class composition of the 8th Punjab Regiment was Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Hindu Gujars. [[Chinthe]] - the mythical Burmese lion-dragon guardian of Buddhist pagodas was chosen as its new emblem. The uniform was of drab colour with blue facings. In inter-war period, the Regiment saw extensive service on the [[North-West Frontier (military history)|North West Frontier of India]].<ref name="Ahmad 2006"/>

===Second World War===
*1st Battalion - India, [[Malayan Campaign|Malaya]]. Captured at Singapore in 1942. Reformed in 1946 by redesignation of 9/8th Punjab.
*2nd Battalion - India, [[Burma Campaign|Burma]], [[French Indochina]].
*3rd Battalion - India, [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|Iran]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]].
*4th Battalion - India, [[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq]], Iran.
*5th Battalion - India, Burma, Malaya, [[Indonesian National Revolution|Dutch East Indies]].
*[[1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment|6th Battalion (Machine Gun)]] - Raised in 1940. India, Malaya, Dutch East Indies. Disbanded January 1948; re-raised October 1948.
*7th Battalion - Raised in 1940. India, Singapore. Captured by the Japanese in February 1942.
*8th Battalion - Raised in 1941. India, Burma.
*9th Battalion - Raised in 1941. India, Ceylon, Cyprus. Redesignated as 1/8th Punjab in 1946. Re-raised 1948.
*10th Battalion - Converted into Regimental Centre in 1942.
*14th Battalion - Raised in 1941. Converted into 9th (Punjab) Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery, in 1942. India, Ceylon. Disbanded 1946.
*15th Battalion - Raised in 1942. Became a training battalion. India. Disbanded 1946.
*16th Battalion - Raised in 1943. Became a training battalion. India. Disbanded 1946.
*25th Garrison Battalion - Raised in 1941. India. Disbanded 1946.
*26th Garrison Battalion - Raised in 1942. India. Disbanded 1946.<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/>

During the [[Second World War]] the 8th Punjab Regiment again distinguished itself, suffering more than 4500 casualties. It was awarded two Victoria Crosses to Havildar [[Parkash Singh]] and Sepoy [[Kamal Ram]], besides numerous other gallantry awards. The regiment raised a further nine battalions. Two of its battalions, the 1st and 7th, were captured on [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore Island]], when the [[British Commonwealth]] [[Malaya Command|Army]] surrendered there to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. Four battalions fought in the [[Burma Campaign]], while others saw service in [[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq]], [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|Iran]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]], [[French Indochina]] and the [[Indonesian National Revolution|Dutch East Indies]]. Two men from the 8th Punjab Regiment received the Victoria Cross: Havildar [[Parkash Singh]] in Burma and Sepoy [[Kamal Ram]] in Italy. By the end of the war, the Regiment consisted of 14 Battalions. However, most of the war-raised units were disbanded in 1946 except the 6th and 8th Battalions.<ref name="Ahmad 2006"/>

===Post-independence===

In 1947, the 8th Punjab Regiment was allocated to [[Pakistan]], and Sikhs and Gujars were exchanged with Hindustani Muslims from units allotted to [[India]]. In January 1948, 6th Battalion was disbanded, only to be re-raised in October along with the 9th Battalion, in response of the Kashmir War with India. In 1956, the eight battalions of 8th Punjab Regiment were merged with the Baluch Regiment. Their new designations were:<ref name="Ahmad 2006"/>[[File:91st Punjabis, Poona, 1920.jpg|thumb|right|Indian Officers of 1st Battalion 91st Punjabis (Light Infantry), Poona, 1920.|310px]]
* 1/8th Punjab - 1 Baluch
* 2/8th Punjab - 2 Baluch
* 3/8th Punjab - 3 Baluch
* 4/8th Punjab (Prince of Wales's Own) - 4 Baluch
* 5/8th Punjab (Burma) - 5 Baluch
* 6/8th Punjab - [[1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment|13 Baluch]]
* 8/8th Punjab - 17 Baluch
* 9/8th Punjab - 18 Baluch

==Battle honours==
[[Travancore War|Cochin]], [[Battle of Mahidpur|Maheidpoor]], [[First Anglo-Burmese War|Ava]], [[Second Afghan War|Afghanistan 1878-80]], [[Burma 1885–87]], [[The Boxer Rebellion|China 1900]],
[[Battle of Loos|Loos]], [[Western Front (World War I)|France and Flanders 1915]], [[Macedonian front (World War I)|Macedonia 1918]], [[Gallipoli Campaign|Helles]], [[Battle of Krithia|Krithia]], [[Gallipoli 1915]], [[First Suez Offensive|Suez Canal]], [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign|Egypt 1915]], [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Megiddo]], [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Sharon]], [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign|Palestine 1918]], [[Mesopotamian campaign#1916|Tigris 1916]], [[Kut al Amara 1917]], [[Fall of Baghdad (1917)|Baghdad]], [[Action of Khan Baghdadi|Khan Baghdadi]], [[Mesopotamia 1915–18]], [[Afghanistan 1919]], [[Bernhardt Line#8th Army on the Adriatic Winter Line defences|The Trigno]], [[Bernhardt Line#8th Army on the Adriatic Winter Line defences|Perano]], [[Bernhardt Line#8th Army on the Adriatic Winter Line defences|The Sangro]], [[Operation Diadem|Gustav Line]], [[Battle of Bologna|Monte Grande]], [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|The Senio]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy 1943-45]], [[Malayan Campaign#Japan invades|North Malaya]], [[Battle of Jitra|Jitra]], [[Battle of Jitra#Battle 11–13 December|Gurun]], [[Battle of Kampar|Kampar]], [[Malaya 1941–42]], [[Arakan Campaign 1942–1943|Donbaik]], [[Burma Campaign#Southern front 1943/44|North Arakan]], [[Burma Campaign 1944–1945#Northern Front|The Shweli]], [[Burma Campaign 1944–1945#Northern Front|Myitson]], [[Burma Campaign 1944–1945#Race for Rangoon|Kama]], [[Burma 1942–45]].<ref>Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.</ref><ref>Rodger, Alexander. (2003). ''Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991''. The Crowood Press.</ref>

==See also==
* The [[Baloch Regiment]]
* [[Madras Army]]
* [[Charles James William Grant|Colonel Charles James William Grant]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]] ([[Victoria Cross]] recipient, 1891) [[File:Victoria Cross Medal without Bar.png|9px]]
* [[Edward Quinan|General Sir Edward Quinan]], [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath|KCB]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]], [[OBE]] ([[General Officer Commanding|GOC]] British [[Tenth Army (United Kingdom)|Tenth Army]] 1942-43)
* [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]] [[Shahamad Khan|Shahmed Khan]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]], (Victoria Cross recipient, 1916) [[File:Victoria Cross Medal without Bar.png|9px]]
* [[Havildar]] [[Parkash Singh]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]], (Victoria Cross recipient, 1943) [[File:Victoria Cross Medal without Bar.png|9px]]
* [[Kamal Ram|Sepoy Kamal Ram]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]], (Victoria Cross recipient, 1944) [[File:Victoria Cross Medal without Bar.png|9px]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Ahmad, Maj Rifat Nadeem, and Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2006). ''Unfaded Glory: The 8th Punjab Regiment 1798-1956''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.
* Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.
* Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2012). ''The Gallant One: War Services of First Battalion The Baloch Regiment''. Rawalpindi: The Battalion.
* {{cite book|last=Barthorp|first=Michael|author2=Jeffrey Burn|title=Indian Infantry Regiments 1860–1914|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=London|year=1979|isbn=978-0-85045-307-2}}
* Cook, HCB. (1987). ''The Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies 1662-1982''. London: Leo Cooper.
* {{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}}
* Geoghegan, Col NM, and Campbell, Capt MHA. (1928). ''History of the 1st Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
* Haycraft, Maj WS. (1921). ''Regimental History, 1914-1920, 93rd Burma Infantry''. Cardiff: William Lewis.[[File:Naik Shah Ahmad Khan, VC, 89th Punjabis, 1916 copy2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Shahamad Khan|Naik Shahmed Khan]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]], 89th Punjabis.|220px]]
* Phythian-Adams, Lt Col EG. (1943). ''Madras Infantry 1748-1943''. Madras: The Government Press.
* Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). ''The Pakistan Army 1947-49''. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.
* Rodger, Alexander. (2003). ''Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991''. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press. {{ISBN|1-86126-637-5}}
* Vaughan, Maj MV. ''History of 3/8 Punjab Regiment''. (Manuscript).
* Wilson, Lt Col WJ. (1882–88). ''History of the Madras Army''. Madras: The Government Press.

{{Pakistan Infantry Regiments}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Former infantry regiments of Pakistan|Punjab]]
[[Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments]]
[[Category:Indian World War II regiments]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1922|P]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Burma in World War II|R]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in British Malaya in World War II|R]]

8th Punjab Regiment - Revision history

Delinker at 11:21, 31 July 2023