A brief history of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment : $b formerly: 76th Punjabis; 16th Madras Infantry; 16th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry; 2nd Battalion, 5th Madras Native Infantry; 16th Madras Battalion; 16th Carnatic Battalion, or Lane's Battalion — John Shaqi
A brief history of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment : $b formerly: 76th Punjabis; 16th Madras Infantry; 16th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry; 2nd Battalion, 5th Madras Native Infantry; 16th Madras Battalion; 16th Carnatic Battalion, or Lane's BattalionAnonymous
History
A brief history of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment : $b formerly: 76th Punjabis; 16th Madras Infantry; 16th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry; 2nd Battalion, 5th Madras Native Infantry; 16th Madras Battalion; 16th Carnatic Battalion, or Lane's Battalion
Anonymous
East India Company. Army. Carnatic Battalion, 16th -- History; East India Company. Army. Madras Native Infantry. Regiment, 16th -- History; East India Company. Army. Madras Native Infantry. Regiment, 5th. Battalion, 2nd -- History; East India Company. Madras Battalion, 16th -- History; India. Army.
During the siege large drafts for the Battalion had collected with the
relieving force, including Lieut.-Colonel Rodney-Anderson, who had been
appointed Commandant, Lieutenants R. D. E. Darell, E. J. D. McElwaine, A.
H. Dobbs, T. M. Graves, 2nd-Lieutenants Lechler and Mahoney, Indian Army
Reserve of Officers. The first-named died in hospital, and Lieutenants
Dobbs and Graves were killed in action with the relieving force. The
men were all attached to the 82nd Punjabis (now 5th Battalion 1st
Punjab Regiment) and the 92nd Punjabis throughout the operations of the
relieving force.
On January 1st, 1917, the Depot of the Battalion received orders to
expand to a battalion and reform the 76th, the drafts in Mesopotamia
being returned to assist in the making up of numbers. Lieut.-Colonel W.
L. Malcolm, from the 31st Punjabis, was appointed to command in March,
and the Regiment moved to Chaman for garrison duty there. In November a
nucleus was sent to join the new 2nd Battalion of the Regiment which was
being raised at Nasirabad. This Battalion eventually did good service on
the frontier in 1919-20 in the Waziristan and Mahsud Campaigns, being
mentioned in despatches. Several officers of the 76th served in it and
it was demobilized in September, 1922, some of the officers and men
rejoining the 1st Battalion.
Lieut.-Colonel L. A. Watson, from the 74th Punjabis, took over command
on February 1st, 1918, and in the same month the Battalion moved to Dera
Ismail Khan and thence to Tank, leaving a depot at the former place. In
June Major J. F. Woodham returned from service and took command.
The Regiment remained at Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, from time to time
holding the outposts.
While at Tank two-thirds of the Regiment were at one time in hospital
with Spanish influenza, of which sixty-four died. In December, 1918,
and January, 1919, the released Kut prisoners of war rejoined and were
at once sent off to their homes on furlough. The numbers that rejoined
were 8 Indian officers, 183 non-commissioned officers and men, and 17
followers.
The following battle honours were granted to the Regiment for the Great
War:—
“Suez Canal,”
“Egypt, 1915,”
“Shaiba,”
“Kut-al-Amarah, 1915,”
“Ctesiphon,”
“Defence of Kut-al-Amarah,”
“Mesopotamia, 1915-18,”
and the undermentioned decorations were granted to officers and men of
the 76th:—
Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1
Distinguished Service Order 5
Order of the British Empire 2
Military Cross 1
Order of British India, 1st Class 1
Order of British India, 2nd Class 5
Indian Order of Merit, 2nd Class 14
Indian Distinguished Service Medal 53
Foreign Orders 4
Meritorious Service Medal 9
Mentions in Despatches 101
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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