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 . The 8th Punjab Regiment had its origins in the Madras Army , where its first battalion was raised at Masulipatam in 1798 . Four more battalions were raised in 1799 - 1800 . In 1824 , they were designated as the 29th , 30th , 31st , 32nd and 33rd Regiments of Madras Native Infantry . In the early 19th century , these battalions were engaged in fighting the Marathas and took part in a number of foreign expeditions including the Anglo - Burmese Wars . Between 1890 and 1893 , they were reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims and Sikhs as Burma Battalions and permanently based in Burma to police the turbulent Burmese hill tracts . Under the Kitchener Reforms of 1903 , they were redesignated as the 89th , 90th , 91st , 92nd Punjabis , and 93rd Burma Infantry . They were delocalized from Burma before the First World War . Only 2 / 89th Punjabis of the wartime raisings was retained after the post - war reforms . First World War . The 8th Punjabis have a most distinguished record of service during the First World War . Their long list of honours and awards includes the Victoria Cross awarded to Naik Shahmed Khan of 89th Punjabis in 1916 . The 89th Punjabis had the unique distinction of serving in more theatres of war than any other unit of the British Empire . These included Aden , where they carried out the first opposed sea - borne assault landing in modern warfare , Egypt , Gallipoli , France , Mesopotamia , North - West Frontier Province , Salonika and Russian Transcaucasia . All battalions served in Mesopotamia , while 93rd Burma Infantry also served in France . The 92nd Punjabis were made ' Prince of Wales ' s Own ' in 1921 for their gallantry and sacrifices during the war . In 1922 , the five battalions along with the war - raised 2 / 89th Punjabis were united to form the 8th Punjab Regiment : The new class composition of the 8th Punjab Regiment was Punjabi Muslims , Sikhs and Hindu Gujars . Chinthe - the mythical Burmese lion - dragon guardian of Buddhist pagodas was chosen as its new emblem . The uniform was of drab colour with blue facings . In inter - war period , the Regiment saw extensive service on the North West Frontier of India . Second World War . During the Second World War the 8th Punjab Regiment again distinguished itself , suffering more than 4500 casualties . It was awarded two Victoria Crosses to Havildar Parkash Singh and Sepoy Kamal Ram , besides numerous other gallantry awards . The regiment raised a further nine battalions . Two of its battalions , the 1st and 7th , were captured on Singapore Island , when the British Commonwealth Army surrendered there to the Japanese on 15 February 1942 . Four battalions fought in the Burma Campaign , while others saw service in Iraq , Iran , Italy , French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies . Two men from the 8th Punjab Regiment received the Victoria Cross : Havildar Parkash Singh in Burma and Sepoy Kamal Ram in Italy . By the end of the war , the Regiment consisted of 14 Battalions . However , most of the war - raised units were disbanded in 1946 except the 6th and 8th Battalions . Post - independence history . In 1947 , the 8th Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan , and Sikhs and Gujars were exchanged with Hindustani Muslims from units allotted to India . In January 1948 , 6th Battalion was disbanded , only to be re - raised in October along with the 9th Battalion , in response of the Kashmir War with India . In 1956 , the eight battalions of 8th Punjab Regiment were merged with the Baluch Regiment . Their new designations were : Battle honours . Cochin , Maheidpoor , Ava , Afghanistan 1878 - 80 , Burma 1885 - 87 , China 1900 , Loos , France and Flanders 1915 , Macedonia 1918 , Helles , Krithia , Gallipoli 1915 , Suez Canal , Egypt 1915 , Megiddo , Sharon , Palestine 1918 , Tigris 1916 , Kut al Amara 1917 , Baghdad , Khan Baghdadi , Mesopotamia 1915 - 18 , Afghanistan 1919 , The Trigno , Perano , The Sangro , Gustav Line , Monte Grande , The Senio , Italy 1943 - 45 , North Malaya , Jitra , Gurun , Kampar , Malaya 1941 - 42 , Donbaik , North Arakan , The Shweli , Myitson , Kama , Burma 1942 - 45 .