1st Punjab Regiment The 1st Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947 . It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 , and amalgamated with the 14th , 15th and 16th Punjab Regiment s in 1956 , to form the Punjab Regiment . History . Madras Army . The 1st Punjab Regiment had its antecedents in the old Madras Army of the British East India Company , which was largely responsible for the establishment of British rule in south and central India . Its senior battalion was raised as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys in 1759 , making it the senior - most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army . The 2nd Battalion was raised in 1761 as the 7th Battalion of Coast Sepoys , while the 3rd Battalion was raised in 1776 as the 16th Carnatic Battalion . This was followed by the 5th Battalion in 1788 as 29th Madras Battalion and the 10th Battalion in 1794 as 34th Madras Battalion . These battalions underwent several changes in nomenclature until 1824 , when they were designated as the 2nd , 6th , 16th , 22nd and 24th Regiments of Madras Native Infantry . Their men were mostly enlisted from South India and consisted of Muslims and Hindus . The 4th Battalion was an oddity as being a survivor of the Bengal Army , most of whose units were disbanded following the Indian Mutiny of 1857 - 58 . It was raised in 1776 as the 30th Battalion of Bengal Sepoys . In 1861 , it was designated as the 1st Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry . It mostly recruited Hindu Brahmans from Oudh . All the battalions of the regiment played an important role in the early military campaigns of the East India Company and were actively engaged in the wars against the French , Mysore and the Marathas . Their first major engagement was the decisive Battle of Wandiwash in 1860 , which ended French colonial ambitions in India . This was followed by forty years of constant warfare against the Sultans of Mysore , and then the Marathas chieftains . In the Second Maratha War of 1803 - 05 , the 1st and 10th Battalions fought in the Battle of Assaye under General Arthur Wellesley , the future Duke of Wellington , while the 4th Battalion fought in the Battles of Laswari and Agra in 1803 , and Bhurtpore in 1805 . The performance of the 1st and 10th at Assaye was much appreciated and they were permitted the word " Assaye " with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments . The two battalions were again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817 - 19 , which decisively broke the Maratha power in India . The regiment also made overeas forays , when the 2nd and 10th Battalions took part in the expeditions to Bourbon Island and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean in 1810 , and the 3rd and 5th served in the First Anglo - Burmese War of 1824 - 26 . In 1840 , the 1st and 2nd Battalions took part in the First Anglo - Chinese War . Their performance was much appreciated and as a reward , they were the only two battalions of the Indian Army authorized to bear a golden dragon wearing the imperial crown upon their regimental colours along with the battle honour of " China " . In the latter part of the 19th century , the regiment did not see much action , although all of its battalions served in Burma . After the conquest of Sindh and the Punjab in the 1840s , British focus shifted towards the northwest and the Madras Army was largely reduced to garrison duties . This greatly affected its morale and efficiency . By the turn of the century , the reputation of Madrassi units had suffered considerably and they were either disbanded or reconstituted with northerners . Among the latter were the five battalions , which would go on to form the 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922 . In 1902 , the South Indians were mustered out and replaced with Punjabi Muslims , Sikhs and Rajput s in the 1st , 2nd and 10th Battalions . Next year , the 3rd and 5th Battalions were also reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims , Sikhs and Hindu Jat s . Under the Kitchener Reforms of 1903 , these battalions were redesignated as the 62nd , 66th , 76th , 82nd and 84th Punjabis ; thus severing almost a hundred and fifty years of association with Madras . Meanwhile , the 1st Bengal Infantry was redesignated as the 1st Brahmans . First World War . During the First World War , except for the 1st Brahmans , all battalions of the regiment served in the Mesopotamian Campaign , while the 62nd and 76th Punjabis also served at Suez Canal during the Turkish offensive of 1915 . Captain Claude Auchinleck , later Field Marshal and the last Commander - in - Chief of the British Indian Army , served with the 62nd Punjabis in Egypt and Mesopotamia . In 1919 , the 66th , 76th and 82nd Punjabis participated 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 in 1922 . Among these was the 1st Punjab Regiment ; senior - most among the infantry regiments of the Indian Army . The line - up of battalions for the 1st Punjabis was : The new class composition of the 1st Punjab Regiment , based at Jhelum , was Punjabi Muslims , Rajputs , Muslims from Hazara and Sikhs . The Elephant of Assaye and the Imperial Dragon superimposed over the Star of India were chosen as its new emblem . The regiment ' s uniform was scarlet with green facings . In the inter - war period , the 1st Punjab Regiment saw extensive service on the North West Frontier of India . In 1931 , the 4th Battalion was disbanded due to retrenchment in the Indian Army . In 1937 , King George VI was gazetted as the Colonel - in - Chief of the 1st Punjab Regiment . Second World War . During the Second World War , the 1st Punjab Regiment suffered a total of 5510 casualties , including 1291 killed . The 2nd Battalion received more gallantry awards than any other unit of the Indian Army . These included a posthumous Victoria Cross to Subedar Ram Sarup Singh for gallantry in action on Kennedy Peak in Burma in 1944 . The 3rd Battalion was nominated for parachute training in June 1946 to join the 2nd Indian Airborne Division . However , soon after completing its training in 1947 , the 3rd ( Para ) Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment was engaged in quelling communal riots and in July , was detailed to join the Punjab Boundary Force , formed to keep the peace on the new East - West Punjab border . The 5th Battalion was sent to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force . Post Independence History . On the Partition of India and independence of Pakistan in 1947 , the 1st Punjab Regiment was allotted to Pakistan Army . At the time , the active battalions were 1st , 2nd , 3rd , 5th and 7th . Sikhs and Rajputs were transferred to the Indian Army and the regiment ' s new class composition was fixed as Punjabis and Pathans . In November , Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck , Supreme Commander of the Indian and Pakistan Armies was appointed Colonel of the 1st Punjab Regiment and the regiment was authorized to wear a grass - green hackle with regimental berets . In 1948 , the 14th Battalion was re - raised in response to the war with India in Kashmir , where the 2nd Battalion again distinguished itself and Captain Muhammad Sarwar became the first recipient of Nishan - i - Haider , Pakistan ' s highest gallantry award . In 1956 , a major reorganization was undertaken in the Pakistan Army and larger infantry groups were created by amalgamating the existing infantry regiments . As a result , the 1st Punjab Regiment was amalgamated with the 14th , 15th and 16th Punjab Regiment s to form one large Punjab Regiment . The four regimental centres were also merged and the combined centre moved to Mardan . The line up of the new regiment was : Battle Honours . Sholinghur , Carnatic , Mysore , Seringapatam , Assaye , Leswarree , Bourbon , Nagpore , Ava , Bhurtpore , China , Burma 1885 - 87 , Suez Canal , Egypt 1915 , Shaiba , Kut al Amara 1915 , Ctesiphon , Defence of Kut al Amara , Tigris 1916 , Kut al Amara 1917 , Baghdad , Mesopotamia 1915 - 18 , Aden , NW Frontier India 1915 , Afghanistan 1919 , Agordat , Keren , Abyssinia 1940 - 41 , Damascus , Syria 1941 , Sidi Barrani , Omars , Benghazi , Gazala , Defence of Alamein Line , El Alamein , North Africa 1940 - 43 , Arezzo , Advance to Florence , Gothic Line , The Senio , Italy 1943 - 45 , Pyuntaza - Shwegyin , Yenengyaung 1942 , Monywa 1942 , Donbaik , Htizwe , North Arakan , Buthidaung , Razabil , Mayu Tunnels , Maungdaw , Ngakyedauk Pass , Imphal , Tamu Road , Litan , Kanglatongbi , Kohima , Defence of Kohima , Relief of Kohima , Jail Hill , Ukhrul , Kennedy Peak , Kalewa , Meiktila , Defence of Meiktila , Taungtha , The Irrawaddy , Rangoon Road , Pyawbwe , Shwemyo Bluff , Pyinmana , Toungoo , Pegu 1945 , Sittang 1945 , Ramree , Burma 1942 - 45 , Kashmir 1948 .