57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)
| 4th Punjab Infantry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1849 – present |
| Country |
British India (1849-1947) Pakistan (1947-) |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1 Battalion |
| Motto(s) | Barhe Challo |
| Uniform | Drab; faced blue; blue collars & cuffs |
| Engagements |
North West Frontier of India Indian Mutiny 1857-58 Second Afghan War 1878-80 Boxer Rebellion 1900 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Major General AT Wilde, CB |
The 4th Punjab Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed on 18 April 1849 by Captain GG Denniss at Lahore as part of the Transfrontier Brigade, which became the Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) in 1851. The regiment was designated as the 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903, and 4th Battalion (Wilde's) 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 9th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.
On the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, when the Kingdom of Punjab was annexed by the British, 10 irregular regiments were formed, 5 cavalry and 5 infantry, from men who had served in the Sikh Army of the former Kingdom of Punjab, the so-called Khalsa Army, by order of Col. Henry Montgomery Lawrence, President of the newly created governing body, the Board of Administration of the Punjab. They were irregular as they were outside the regulations of the Regular Army of the Line in such matters as discipline, training, uniforms etc. These 5 regiments were thus some of the first to adopt khaki uniforms, known as drab, so suitable for the local barren landscape. The purpose of these regiments was to form together the Transfrontier Brigade, to maintain the frontier between the newly annexed territory and Afghanistan, known as the Northwest Frontier, which was subject to frequent breach by marauding warlike groups of Afghan tribesmen.
(See main article: North-West Frontier (military history))
The Regiment was raised at Lahore, historic capital of the kingdom of Punjab, by Capt. George Gladwin Denniss II(1821–1862), of the 1st European Bengal Fusiliers, appointed on 18 April 1849. Capt. O. Marshall, however, of the Madras Native Infantry became its first commandant, resigning on 19 March 1850, from which time Denniss took command until 25 February 1851. The Regiment consisted in the first instance of 60 trans-Indus Pathans, followers of Dewan Mulraj, who had delivered themselves up as prisoners to the British Government on the capture of Multan, 200 men of Sardar Dhara Singh's Regiment and 300 men of Col. Shere Singh's Regiment. A number of the Fateh Paltan also were, by order of Sir Henry Lawrence, drafted to the Regiment. The Regiment's subsequent commander Lt-Col. Wilde wrote in 1860:
...
Wikipedia