The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment.
Early history
The 14th Punjab Regiment was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 24th Punjabis, and the 40th Pathans. All six battalions were formed during the upheaval of the Indian Mutiny in 1857-58. The first five were raised by John Lawrence in the Punjab, while the 40th Pathans were raised as the Shahjehanpur Levy. The 20th and 22nd Punjabis served in China during the Second Opium War in 1860-62, while the 21st Punjabis participated in the Abyssinian Campaign of 1867-68. All battalions saw extensive service on the North West Frontier of India and took part in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. The 20th Punjabis served in Egypt during the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882. After the war, they were designated as the Duke of Cambridge's Own, when the duke became their honorary colonel. In 1900, they returned to China along with the 24th Punjabis to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. The 40th Pathans, who were for some time an exclusively Pathan unit, were sent to Tibet in 1904 as reinforcements for the Younghusband Expedition.
First World War
During the First World War, the battalions of the 14th Punjab Regiment served in all the major theatres of war. The 19th Punjabis, while serving in Persia had the unique distinction of being actively engaged against the Bolsheviks in 1918 during the hard-fought actions at Merv, Kaka and Dushak in the Russian Turkestan. The 40th Pathans greatly distinguished themselves in the fighting against the Germans in France and German East Africa, while the rest of the battalions served in the Middle East. 19th Punjabis - India, Persia, Russia. 2/19th Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India, Egypt. 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) - Mesopotamia, Egypt, Palestine. 21st Punjabis - India, Egypt, Palestine, Russia. 2/21st Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India. 22nd Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Persia. 2/22nd Punjabis - Raised in 1917. India, Hong Kong. 24th Punjabis - India, Mesopotamia, Russia, Greece. 40th Pathans - Hong Kong, France, German East Africa, India. 2/40th Pathans - Raised in 1918. India.
All war-raised battalions were disbanded after the war. In 1919, the 22nd Punjabis and 40th Pathans took part in the Third Afghan War.
In 1921-22, a major reorganization was undertaken in the British Indian Army leading to the formation of large infantry groups of four to six battalions. Among these was the 14th Punjab Regiment. The line-up of battalions for the 14th Punjabis was: 1st Battalion - 19th Punjabis 2nd Battalion - 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) 3rd Battalion - 22nd Punjabis 4th Battalion - 24th Punjabis 5th Battalion - 40th Pathans 10th (Training) Battalion - 21st Punjabis 11th (Territorial) Battalion - 1st (Territorial) Battalion 26th Punjabis.
The class composition of the new regiment was Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The new regimental badge was a five-pointed star denoting the five rivers of the Punjab, with the number "14" in the center, surmounted by a crown with a scroll below, which read "Punjab Regiment". The uniform of the 14th Punjab Regiment was scarlet with green facings. Ferozepur in the Punjab was chosen as the permanent station for the Training Battalion. In 1923 the 1st Battalion was among the first Indian Army units selected for Indianisation of its officer corps.