20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)

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The 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) (commonly shortened to 20th Punjabis) was a regiment of the British Indian Army.

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[edit] History

[edit] 1857-1878

The regiment was created as part of efforts by John Lawrence, Governor of the Punjab, to recruit men from the province he governed for service against rebels during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. The 20th were formed from elements of the 4th Punjabis and 5th Punjabis as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was formed in Nowshera by Charles Henry Brownlow, who became the regiment's first commanding officer (CO). He remained associated with the regiment into the 20th Century and became a Field Marshal in 1908.

The regiment's first overseas service came during the Second Opium War against China. After landing it was present at the successful assault on the Taku Forts on 21 August 1860. The regiment advanced with the rest of the British/Indian force, arrived at Beijing (Peking) in late September which was captured on 6 October. In 1861 it was brought into the Bengal Army line as the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry, replacing the previous 24th which had mutinied in 1857. It was renumbered the 20th later in the year.

Though the regiment's main area of operations was not the North-West Frontier of India (now part of Pakistan), throughout its existence the 20th took part in many campaigns against the hostile pashtun tribes of the frontier borderered with Afghanistan. One such campaign was at Umbeyla in 1863 where it saw extensive service, especially during fierce fighting at the Crag Picquet between October and November. After the position of the Crag was taken by tribal forces on 30 October the 20th Punjabis took part in the successful effort to retake the position, sustaining many casualties in the process. The tribal forces persisted in their efforts to take the position, but were repulsed by the regiment and the Corps of Guides in mid-November. The tribal forces later retook the position but the British/Indian forces launched a major attempt to retake the Crag. Three regiments were sent, advancing close to the top of the position but were stopped from advancing further due to heavy fire. The 20th and 101st Foot were subsequently ordered to advance, which they succeeded in doing, but were then repelled. The Crag was eventually taken in an attack led by the 71st Foot with heavy casualties.

It regained its title association with the Punjab in 1864 as the 20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry.

In 1877, the regiment took part in the Jowaki expedition. During the expedition, Subedar-Major Mowladad Khan of the regiment was awarded the Indian Order of Merit First Class, India's equivalent of the Victoria Cross until 1911 when Indians and Gurkhas were eligible for the VC. The Subedar-Major was also the recipient of the Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) after his service in Egypt in 1882.

[edit] 1878-1914

[edit] Afghanistan and Egypt

In 1878, the Second Afghan War began and the regiment, part of the 1st Brigade of the Peshawar Valley Field Force under the command of Lieutenant-General Sam Browne, advanced into the Khyber Pass to clear Afghan forces at Ali Masjid. Ali Masjid was an imposing fortress that became the first engagement of the war. The 2nd Brigade had been the first to advance, on 21 November, but got lost, holding up the 1st Brigade in the process. The rest of the Peshawar Force attacked later in the day, though the 20th Punjabis brigade only got into position by the time the Afghans had withdrew under the cover of darkness. It did capture 300 retreating Afghans. With the capture of the fort, the Peshawar Force advanced through the pass and captured Jalalabad.

The regiment's next service abroad came in Egypt. After the Urabi Revolt against the Egyptian government a British/Indian expedition, led by Sir Garnet Wolseley, was sent in August 1882. The 20th Punjabis were part of the Indian Contingent, along with the 1st Seaforths, 7th Bengalis, 29th Baluchis, cavalry and artillery, commanded by Major-General H. Macpherson. The British/Indian force made a daring march across the deesert at night, surprising the Egyptians at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir on 13 September with an attack at dawn. The 20th Punjabis, positioned on the left of the Indian Brigade, itself on the left of the British line. The 20th Punjabis, followed by fellow Indian forces, supported the 1st Seaforths in a flanking attack on the Egyptians, successfully attacking an Egyptian artillery battery. The Contingent continued to advance, clearing further Egyptian positions. The battle was over by 6:00 am, after the Egyptians fled and the rebellion was quelled.

In 1883, in honour of their service in Egypt, they were retitled after their new honorary colonel, the Duke of Cambridge, to become the 20th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry.

[edit] North-West Frontier

The regiment was involved in many campaigns on the frontier during the late 1880s and 1890s. In 1891, after the Mir of Hunza refused to guarantee safe Btitish passage through his state, the regiment took part in Colonel Durand's expedition against his forces. Men of the regiment acted as the personal bodyguard of Durand and were present at the storming of the fort at Nilt.

In 1897, during a general uprising of Pashtun tribes, the village of Shankagarh was attacked by Mohmands in August 1897, the inhabitants fled to the fort of Shabkadr which was subsequently attacked by a large Mohmand force. A relief force (the Mohmand Field Force) under the command of Brigadier-General E. Elles was dispatched, which included the 20th Punjabis. The regiment was command by Lieutenant-Colonel (later Lieutenant-General) J.B. Woon who was put in command of the force upon arrival at Shabkadr. The force, numbering just under 800. faced about 6,000 Mohmands. Colonel Woon decided to attack but the sheer numbers he faced showed when the Mohmands began to flank them, placing them in a very precasious situation until they withdrew back to the fort. When Brigadier Elles returned to take command, the cavalry were directed to charge the enemy and succeeded in comepelling them to retreat.

The 20th Punjabis last overseas service before World War I came during the Boxer Rebellion. The regiment, along with many other Indian units, took part in the Allied intervention in China during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Its title was shortened to the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Punjab Infantry the following year. In 1904, the regiment was retitled in honour of Field Marshal Brownlow becoming the honorary colonel of the regiment, becoming the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis).

[edit] World War I

The First World War began in August 1914. During the war the regiment -- a 'mixed' regiment like most of the Indian Army, consisting of Dogra, and Sikh companies -- saw service in Egypt and Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire. Some soldiers of the regiment saw service elsewhere, including the Western Front, while attached to other regiments.

By October, it was obvious that war with the Ottoman Empire was imminent. On 16 October, the 16th Indian Infantry Brigade of the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D', which the 20th Punjabis formed, sailed from Bombay for the Persian Gulf, anchoring off Bahrain later in the month. Their objectives were to protect Britain's interests of Abadan (now part of Iran) in the advent of war with the Ottomans. After the Ottomans attacked Odessa, on 28 October, Britain and France declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 5 November. The British/Indian force were landed near the fort of Fao, on 6 November, and subseqeuntly moved up the Shatt-al-Arab, landing later at Sanniyeh. The force was attacked, on 11 November, and the regiment was actively involved in repulsing the Ottomans.

The regiment took part in the successful attack on the Ottoman force at Saihan, on 15 November, and Zain, on 19 November, seeing heavy fighting in both actions. After the Ottomans retreated further north the regiment took part in the capture of Basra, which was officially occupied on 23 November. The regiment's brigade joined the 6th (Poona) Division. In April 1915, the Ottomans launched an attempt to retake Basra. The regiment fought them at Shaiba where the Ottomans were thrown back. The regiment subsequently took part in the move further north, eventually taking part in the capture of Kut-al-Amara, in September, before leaving its brigade in October. The Allies suffered setback after the loss of Kut, in April 1916, and the numerous attempts to lift the siege. The Allies regained the upper hand and the 20th saw further extensive service in Mesopotamia, including the capture of Baghdad, in 1917, and the Battle of Khan Baghdadi in March 1918. The war in the Middle East came to an end, on 30 October, with the war itself ending on 11 November.

[edit] Amalgamation

With the reforms of the Indian Armed Forces in the aftermath of World War I, the Army's single-battalion infantry regiemnts were merged to form multi-battalion large regiments. The 20th Punjabis amalgamated with five other regiments to form the 6-battalion 14th Punjab Regiment, on 1 March 1922, the 20th Punjabis becoming its 2nd Battalion.

After Indian's independence and partition in 1947, the regiment was transferred to the Pakistan Army. The regiment amalgamated with two other regiments to form The Punjab Regiment in 1956.

[edit] Battle honours

[edit] References