127th Baluch Light Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 127th Baluch Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army
raised in 1844 as The Scinde Bellochee Corps. It was designated as the 127th Baluch Light Infantry in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army
, where it continues to exist as 10th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.
after defeating the ruling confederacy of Baloch chieftains. General Sir Charles Napier
, the British commander, was much impressed by the ferocious courage of his Balochi opponents and decided to recruit two irregular battalions of Bombay Army
for local service within Sindh. The first of these was raised at Karachi
as the Scinde Bellochee Corps or the Bellochee Battalion by Major F. Jackson in 1844. Its manpower was mostly drawn from Balochis
, Sindhis
and Pathan
s from Sindh. Later, it also recruited Brahuis
and Punjabi Muslims, while the recruitment area was extended to include Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province
and the Punjab. On the raising of the 2nd Battalion in 1846, the regiment was designated as the 1st Belooch Battalion. When the Indian Mutiny broke out in 1857, the 1st Belooch Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar was dispatched across the Sindh desert to join the Delhi Field Force. It was engaged in several actions during the siege and capture of Delhi. During the next two years, it fought in numerous engagements in Oudh and Rohilkhand
, as the British systematically stamped out all resistance. The regiment was brought into line for its services in North India as the 27th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry or the 1st Belooch Regiment. In 1868, it took part in the long and arduous Expedition to Abyssinia
. The splendid performance of 1st Belooch Regiment in Abyssinia was much appreciated and as a reward, it was converted into Light Infantry
. In 1879-80, the 1st Beloochees participated in the Second Afghan War, followed by the Third Burmese War of 1885-87, where they earned the nickname of Capital Campaigners for their excellent performance. In 1897-99, the regiment was sent to British East Africa
to quell an insurgency in areas now forming Uganda
.
brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener
in 1903, all former Bombay Army
units had 100 added to their numbers. Consequently, the regiment's designation was changed to 127th Baluch Light Infantry. In 1906, the Princess of Wales
(later Queen Mary
was appointed Colonel-in-Chief
of the regiment. The regimental full dress uniform in 1914 included a rifle green turban and kurta (knee length tunic) piped in red, worn with red trousers and white gaiters. The red trousers were a distinctive feature of all five Baluch infantry regiments then serving in the Indian Army.
On the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment served in German East Africa
and Persia
. In 1918, it raised the 2nd Battalion 127th (Queen Mary’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry, which served in the Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo
that led to the defeat of the Turkish Army in Palestine. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1921.
, 126th Baluchistan Infantry
, 129th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Baluchis
and the 130th (King George's Own) Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles), to form the 10th Baluch Regiment
. The 127th (Queen Mary's Own) Baluch Light Infantry was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment. During the Second World War, 3/10th Baluch served in Iran
, Iraq
, North Africa
, Sicily
, Italy
and Greece
. In 1946, it was selected for conversion into an airborne battalion, but the events of 1947 intervened and on the Partition of India
, the battalion, along with the Baluch Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army. In 1956, on the merger of 8th Punjab
and Bahawalpur Regiment
s with the Baluch Regiment
, 3 Baluch was redesignated as 10 Baluch (now 10 Baloch). During the Indo-Pakistani Wars
of 1965 and 1971, the battalion fought with distinction in Kashmir
and took part in the capture of Chhamb
in 1971.
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
raised in 1844 as The Scinde Bellochee Corps. It was designated as the 127th Baluch Light Infantry in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
, where it continues to exist as 10th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.
Early History
In 1843, the British conquered SindhSindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
after defeating the ruling confederacy of Baloch chieftains. General Sir Charles Napier
Charles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
, the British commander, was much impressed by the ferocious courage of his Balochi opponents and decided to recruit two irregular battalions of Bombay Army
Bombay Army
The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia.The Presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct...
for local service within Sindh. The first of these was raised at Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
as the Scinde Bellochee Corps or the Bellochee Battalion by Major F. Jackson in 1844. Its manpower was mostly drawn from Balochis
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
, Sindhis
Sindhi people
Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...
and Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
s from Sindh. Later, it also recruited Brahuis
Brahui people
The Brahui or Brohi are ethnic Baloch group of about 2.2 million people with the majority found in Kalat, Baluchistan, Pakistan, but they are also found in smaller numbers in neighboring Afghanistan and Iran. The Brahuis are almost entirely Sunni Muslims.-Origins:The ethnonym "Brahui" is a very...
and Punjabi Muslims, while the recruitment area was extended to include Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
and the Punjab. On the raising of the 2nd Battalion in 1846, the regiment was designated as the 1st Belooch Battalion. When the Indian Mutiny broke out in 1857, the 1st Belooch Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar was dispatched across the Sindh desert to join the Delhi Field Force. It was engaged in several actions during the siege and capture of Delhi. During the next two years, it fought in numerous engagements in Oudh and Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand is a region of northwestern Uttar Pradesh state of India.Rohilkhand lies on the upper Ganges alluvial plain and has an area of about 25,000 km²/10,000 square miles...
, as the British systematically stamped out all resistance. The regiment was brought into line for its services in North India as the 27th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry or the 1st Belooch Regiment. In 1868, it took part in the long and arduous Expedition to Abyssinia
1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
The British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...
. The splendid performance of 1st Belooch Regiment in Abyssinia was much appreciated and as a reward, it was converted into Light Infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
. In 1879-80, the 1st Beloochees participated in the Second Afghan War, followed by the Third Burmese War of 1885-87, where they earned the nickname of Capital Campaigners for their excellent performance. In 1897-99, the regiment was sent to British East Africa
British East Africa 1897-99
British East Africa 1897-99 is a Battle Honour awarded to 27th Regiment of Bombay Infantry; an infantry battalion of the British Indian Army, which participated in the 1897 expedition to British East Africa to suppress a rebellion.-Expedition to British East Africa 1897-99:In the late 19th...
to quell an insurgency in areas now forming Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
127th (Queen Mary's Own) Baluch Light Infantry
Subsequent to the reformsKitchener Reforms
The Kitchener Reforms of the Indian Army began in 1903 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, completed the unification of the three armies of the former Presidencies , and also the Punjab Frontier Force, the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces, into one...
brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
in 1903, all former Bombay Army
Bombay Army
The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia.The Presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct...
units had 100 added to their numbers. Consequently, the regiment's designation was changed to 127th Baluch Light Infantry. In 1906, the Princess of Wales
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
(later Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
was appointed Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
of the regiment. The regimental full dress uniform in 1914 included a rifle green turban and kurta (knee length tunic) piped in red, worn with red trousers and white gaiters. The red trousers were a distinctive feature of all five Baluch infantry regiments then serving in the Indian Army.
On the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment served in German East Africa
East African Campaign (World War I)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions which started in German East Africa and ultimately affected portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. The campaign was effectively ended in November 1917...
and Persia
Persian Campaign
The Persian Campaign or Invasion of Persia was a series of engagements at northern Persian Azerbaijan and western Persia between the British Empire and the Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire, beginning in December 1914 and ending with the Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918 as part of...
. In 1918, it raised the 2nd Battalion 127th (Queen Mary’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry, which served in the Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
that led to the defeat of the Turkish Army in Palestine. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1921.
Subsequent History
In 1922, the regiment was grouped with five other Baluch battalions: 1st & 2nd Battalions of 124th (Duchess of Connaught's Own) Baluchistan Infantry124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry
The 124th Baluchistan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1820 as the 2nd Battalion 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. It was designated as the 124th Baluchistan Infantry in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922...
, 126th Baluchistan Infantry
126th Baluchistan Infantry
The 126th Baluchistan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1825 as the 2nd Extra Battalion of Bombay Native Infantry. It was designated as the 126th Baluchistan Infantry in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922...
, 129th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Baluchis
129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis
The 129th Baluchis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1846 as the 2nd Bellochee Battalion. It was designated as the 129th Baluchis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922...
and the 130th (King George's Own) Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles), to form the 10th Baluch Regiment
10th Baluch Regiment
The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After the Partition of India, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments...
. The 127th (Queen Mary's Own) Baluch Light Infantry was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment. During the Second World War, 3/10th Baluch served in Iran
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the Allied invasion of the Imperial State of Iran during World War II, by British, Commonwealth, and Soviet armed forces. The invasion from August 25 to September 17, 1941, was codenamed Operation Countenance...
, Iraq
Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...
, North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
, Italy
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
and Greece
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
. In 1946, it was selected for conversion into an airborne battalion, but the events of 1947 intervened and on the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, the battalion, along with the Baluch Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army. In 1956, on the merger of 8th Punjab
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.-Madras Infantry:...
and Bahawalpur Regiment
Bahawalpur Regiment
The Bahawalpur Regiment was an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army. The regiment was formed in 1952 from the infantry battalions of the erstwhile Princely State of Bahawalpur, which had acceded to Pakistan in 1947...
s with the Baluch Regiment
10th Baluch Regiment
The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After the Partition of India, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments...
, 3 Baluch was redesignated as 10 Baluch (now 10 Baloch). During the Indo-Pakistani Wars
Indo-Pakistani Wars
Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of India and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries have been involved in four wars, including one undeclared war, as well as many border skirmishes and military stand-offs...
of 1965 and 1971, the battalion fought with distinction in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and took part in the capture of Chhamb
Battle of Chamb
In 1971, India and Pakistan clashed at the Battle of Chamb. The Pakistani Army's primary objective was to capture the town of Chamb and surrounding areas which had strategic importance for both Pakistan and India. Previously, in 1965, the Pakistani Army was able to reach further beyond Chamb and...
in 1971.
Genealogy
- 1844 - Bellochee Battalion or The Scinde Bellochee Corps
- 1846 - 1st Bellochee Battalion
- 1858 - 1st Belooch Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry
- 1859 - 1st Belooch Regiment Bombay Native Infantry
- 1861 - 27th Regiment Bombay Native Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
- 1871 - 27th Regiment Bombay Native (Light) Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
- 1885 - 27th Regiment Bombay (Light) Infantry or 1st Belooch Regiment
- 1888 - 27th Regiment (1st Belooch Battalion) Bombay (Light) Infantry
- 1892 - 27th Regiment (1st Baluch Battalion) Bombay (Light) Infantry or 27th Baluchis
- 1901 - 27th Baluch Light Infantry
- 1903 - 127th Baluch Light Infantry
- 1906 - 127th (Princess of Wales’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry
- 1910 - 127th (Queen Mary’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry
- 1918 - 1st Battalion 127th (Queen Mary’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry
- 1921 - 127th (Queen Mary’s Own) Baluch Light Infantry
- 1922 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) 10th Baluch Regiment or 3/10th Baluch
- 1945 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) The Baluch Regiment or 3 Baluch
- 1946 - 3rd (Para) Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) The Baluch Regiment
- 1947 - 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) The Baluch Regiment
- 1956 - 10th Battalion The Baluch Regiment or 10 Baluch
- 1991 - 10th Battalion The Baloch Regiment or 10 Baloch
Further reading
- Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2010). Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.
- Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (1998). History of the Baloch Regiment 1820-1939. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. ISBN 1-84734-130-6
- Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2000). History of the Baloch Regiment 1939-1956. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. ISBN 1-84574-094-7
- Barthorp, Michael, & Jeffrey Burn. (1979). Indian Infantry Regiments 1860–1914. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85045-307-2
- Cadell, Sir Patrick. (1938). History of the Bombay Army. London: Longmans & Green
- Gaylor, John (1992). Sons of John Company: Indian and Pakistan Armies, 1903-1991, Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946771-98-1.
- Maxwell, Lt Col WE. (1948). Capital Campaigners: The History of the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) the Baluch Regiment. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
External links
- 127th Baluch Light Infantry (Queen Mary's Own) at The British Empire
- 10th Baluch Regiment by John Gaylor at Pakistan Military Consortium
- History of the Baloch Regiment 1820–1939 the Colonial Period, text of pages 1 to 15 available online as download preview
See also
- 10th Baluch Regiment10th Baluch RegimentThe 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After the Partition of India, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments...
- The Baloch RegimentBaloch RegimentThe Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to more than fifty battalions...
- Siege of DelhiSiege of DelhiThe Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.The rebellion against the authority of the British East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which...
- 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia1868 Expedition to AbyssiniaThe British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...
- British East Africa 1897-99British East Africa 1897-99British East Africa 1897-99 is a Battle Honour awarded to 27th Regiment of Bombay Infantry; an infantry battalion of the British Indian Army, which participated in the 1897 expedition to British East Africa to suppress a rebellion.-Expedition to British East Africa 1897-99:In the late 19th...