24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)

Last updated

24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
Active18511964
CountryBritish Raj Red Ensign.svg  British India
Flag of India.svg  India
BranchEnsign of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps.svg  British Indian Army
Flag of Indian Army.svg Indian Army
TypeArtillery
Part of Punjab Army (to 1895)
Punjab Command
Engagements Second Afghan War
Second Burmese War
Hunza 1891
Chitral Expedition
World War I
Third Afghan War
Afridi and Red Shirt Rebellion (1930–1)
Mohmand and Bajaur Operations (1933)
Waziristan campaign 1936–1939
World War II

The 24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery battery of the British Indian Army.

Contents

Formation

The battery was raised in 1851, at Haripur in order to help defend the Hazara District of the North West Frontier.

Name changes

The battery has gone through many name changes [1] -

History

Photograph, circa 1895 showing a 7pdr Mountain gun of Hazara Battery in Hazara listing the crew's ranks in the caption. RML7pounderMountanGunHazaraBattery1895.jpg
Photograph, circa 1895 showing a 7pdr Mountain gun of Hazara Battery in Hazara listing the crew's ranks in the caption.

The 4th soon saw action in numerous small campaigns on the North West Frontier. In 1878, the 4th took part in the Second Afghan War at the Battle of Ali Masjid. It later took part in the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in Kabul, where it remained as part of the garrison when the rest of the force marched on Kandahar. In 1885, the Battery took part in the Second Burmese War. It was at Hunza during the campaign in 1891. In 1895, the Battery was back fighting on the Frontier as part of the Chitral Expedition. To honour the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Indian they took part in the Rawalpindi Parade 1905. [2]

During World War I, the 4th left India in 1917, for East Africa where it would remain until the Armistice. Between the wars, the Battery saw service in the Third Afghan War of 1919, the Afridi and Red Shirt Rebellion (1930–1), the Mohmand and Bajaur Operations (1933), and operations against the Fakir of Ipi in the Waziristan campaign 1936–1939. [3] [4]

It was deployed in 1939 as part of the 22nd Mountain Regiment for the Malayan campaign of World War II. It took part in the Battle of Jitra and Singapore and entered Japanese captivity with the rest of the garrison. Following the independence of India, the regiment was allotted to the Indian Army. [2] Shortly after it took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. The battery was transferred to 56 Mountain Composite Regiment (Pack) in April 1964.

Battle honours

The battery has won the following battle honours [1] -

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Quarterly Indian Army List for October 1933. Army Headquarters, India. 1933. p. 283.
  2. 1 2 Graham, Brigadier General C.A.L. (1957). The history of the Indian Mountain Artillery. Gale and Polden Ltd.
  3. India, Government of (1935). Official History of Operations on the North-West Frontier of India 1920-1935. Manager of Publications, Delhi.
  4. India, Government of (1943). Official History of Operations on the N. W. Frontier of India 1936–37. Manager of Publications, Delhi.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Anglo-Afghan War</span> 1919 war between the British Empire (India) and the Emirate of Afghanistan

The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan invaded British India and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 resulted in the Afghans gaining control of foreign affairs from Britain and the British recognizing the Durand Line as the border between Afghanistan and British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of the North-West Frontier</span> Historical aspect of modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The North-West Frontier was a region of the British Indian Empire. It remains the western frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the modern Pakistani frontier regions of North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan from neighbouring Afghanistan in the west. The borderline between is officially known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Indian Army unit

5th Gorkha Rifles, also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served in the First World War (Mesopotamia) and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)</span> Infantry regiment of the former British Indian Army

The 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) in 1904 and became 2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge's Own) 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 6th Battalion The Punjab Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Frontier Force Regiment</span> Military unit

The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945, the prenominal "12th" was dropped when the British Indian Army dispensed with prenominal numbering of its regiments. After the independence in 1947, it was formed into the Frontier Force Regiment, part of the army of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Horse (Probyn's Horse)</span> Military unit

The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) and the 12th Cavalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guides Cavalry</span> Military unit

The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army which was raised in 1846 as The Corps of Guides. During more than a hundred and fifty years of military service, the regiment has earned the reputation of one of the most renowned military units in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ali Masjid</span> 1878 battle of the Second Anglo-Afghan War

The Battle of Ali Masjid, which took place on 21 November 1878, was the opening battle in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between the British forces, under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel James Browne, and the Afghan forces, under Ghulam Haider Khan. The perceived offence of an Afghan general's refusal to allow a British envoy entrance to the country was used as an excuse to attack the fortress of Ali Masjid, as the opening battle in the war. Despite numerous setbacks, including half the troops getting lost or delayed and missing the battle entirely, the British were lucky that the Afghans abandoned their position overnight.

The Peshawar Valley Field Force was a British field force. It was the largest of three military columns created in November 1878 at the start of the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), each of which invaded Afghanistan by a different route. The Peshawar force initially consisted of around 16,000 men, a mix of both British and Indian Army regiments, under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Samuel J. Browne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 8th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 4th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 10th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery unit of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1851 as the No. 2 Horse or Punjab Light Field Battery, Punjab Irregular Force. It became the 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) in 1903. In 1947, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army, where it exists as the 2nd Royal Kohat Battery (Frontier Force) of The First (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (Frontier Force).

The 2nd Derajat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery battery in the British Indian Army. The battery was raised in 1851, from disbanded Sikh artillerymen following the Second Sikh War.

The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery unit of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. It became the 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) in 1903. In 1947, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army, where it exists as the 3rd Peshawar Battery (Frontier Force) of The First (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (Frontier Force).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guides Infantry</span> Military unit

The Guides Infantry, or 2nd Battalion (Guides) The Frontier Force Regiment, is an infantry battalion of the Pakistan Army. It was raised in 1846 as part of the famous Corps of Guides, a highly mobile force to act as guides to troops in the field and gather intelligence beyond the borders of British India. The corps recruited men from various backgrounds, with Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs, and Dogras forming the majority of their manpower. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Harry Burnett Lumsden, the Guides gained a formidable reputation and introduced the dust-colored "khaki" uniforms, later adopted by the British Army in India. The corps became part of the Punjab Frontier Force, known as Piffers, which maintained order on the Punjab Frontier for fifty years.

Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Booth Norman was an English officer of the Bengal Army, who led Bengal Native Infantry troops during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and a number of small conflicts on the frontiers of British India.

22 Medium Regiment (Sittang and Yenangyaung) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1920 as 8 Pack Artillery Brigade.

56 Field Regiment (Jitra) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.

23 Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.

References

Further reading