1st Sikh Infantry

51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)
Active	1846–1922
Country	British India
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	1 Battalion
Uniform	Drab; faced yellow
Engagements	North West Frontier of India Second Sikh War 1848–49 India Mutiny 1857–58 Second Afghan War 1878–80 Boxer Rebellion 1900 First World War 1914–18
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gen Sir Rob Lockhart, KCB, CIE, MC

The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 3rd Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

The regiment was raised on 14 December 1846 at Hoshiarpur as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade by Major JS Hodgson. It was composed of Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims, Pathans and Dogras, mostly recruited from the disbanded regiments of the Sikh Empire following the First Anglo-Sikh War. In 1847, it was designated 1st Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry, becoming the 1st Regiment of Sikh Infantry in 1857. In 1851, the regiment 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 the Corps of Guides. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed with great aplomb. The 1st Sikh Infantry took part in numerous frontier operations besides the Second Sikh War of 1848–49 and the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857–58, when it fought in Rohilkhand and Oudh in North India. During the Second Afghan War of 1878–80, the regiment took part in the capture of Ali Masjid and the advance to Jalalabad. In 1900, it went to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion.

...
Wikipedia