11th Sikh Regiment

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11th Sikh Regiment
03-Men of the Loodiaah (Ludhiana) Sikh Regiment in China, Circa 1860..jpg
The Ludhiana Sikh Regiment in China, Circa 1860, during the Second Opium War
Active1922–1947
CountryBritish Raj Red Ensign.svg British India
BranchEnsign of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps.svg  British Indian Army
TypeInfantry
SizeRegiment
Engagements World War II

The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. [1] The regiment was formed from the:

During World War II a further seven infantry battalions were formed the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 25th and a machine gun battalion. The 8th and 9th battalions were converted to Light Anti-Aircraft battalions.

Captain Yavar Abbas enlisted in the regiment during the Second World War; he said of the regiment's British officers "I found myself in a version of Dad's Army, in the company of white, middle-aged men as my fellow officers, who still considered India to be a crown colony on which they'll have continuing control for the foreseeable future," and transferred to the Fourteenth Army, of which he said "It was wonderful camaraderie. There were British and Indians mixing with each other." [2]

The regiment was allocated to the new Indian Army on independence, becoming the Sikh Regiment.

Bibliography

References

  1. Sumner p.15
  2. Puri, Kavita (15 August 2025). "VJ Day: The WW2 veteran who moved Queen Camilla to tears". BBC News.