51st Sikhs ( Frontier Force ) The 51st Sikhs ( Frontier Force ) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army . It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade . It was designated as the 51st Sikhs ( Frontier Force ) in 1903 and became 1st Battalion ( Prince of Wales ' s Own Sikhs ) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922 . In 1947 , it was allocated to the Pakistan Army , where it continues to exist as 3rd Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment . Early History . The regiment was raised on 14 December 1846 at Hoshiarpur as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade by Major JS Hodgson . It was composed of Sikhs , Punjabi Muslims , Pathans and Dogras , mostly recruited from the disbanded regiments of the Sikh Empire following the First Anglo - Sikh War . In 1847 , it was designated 1st Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry , becoming the 1st Regiment of Sikh Infantry in 1857 . In 1851 , the regiment became part of the Punjab Irregular Force , which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force or The Piffers . The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry , eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides the Corps of Guides . Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier ; a task they performed with great aplomb . The 1st Sikh Infantry took part in numerous frontier operations besides the Second Sikh War of 1848 - 49 and the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857 - 58 , when it fought in Rohilkhand and Oudh in North India . During the Second Afghan War of 1878 - 80 , the regiment took part in the capture of Ali Masjid and the advance to Jalalabad . In 1900 , it went to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion . Subsequent to the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903 , the regiment ' s designation was changed to 51st Sikhs ( Frontier Force ) . In 1914 , the regiment ' s class composition was four companies of Sikhs , two of Pathans , and one each of Punjabi Muslims and Dogras . During First World War the regiment remained part of the 28th Frontier Force Brigade . In 1915 , it served in Egypt and Aden ( Yemen ) , moving to Mesopotamia in December . Here , it fought with great gallantry in the bloody battles for the Relief of Kut al Amara on the Tigris Front in 1916 - 17 , the capture of Baghdad and in operations north of Baghdad at Istabulat , Daur and Tikrit . In 1918 , the regiment moved to Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo , which led to the annihilation of Turkish Army in Palestine . It returned to India in 1920 . For their excellent performance in the war , in which they suffered heavy losses and were awarded a large number of gallantry awards , the 51st Sikhs were made Prince of Wales ' s Own in 1921 . Next year , the regiment raised an all - Pathan Territorial Battalion at Nowshera . The 1st ( Territorial ) Battalion 51st ( The Prince of Wales ' Own ) Sikhs ( Frontier Force ) would eventually go on to become 11th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment in 1956 . Subsequent History . After the First World War , the 51st Sikhs were grouped with the 52nd , 53rd and 54th Sikhs , and the two battalions of Guides Infantry to form the 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922 . The 51st Sikhs became 1st Battlaion ( Prince of Wales ' s Own Sikhs ) of the new regiment . During the Second World War , 1 FF saw active service in Iraq and Syria before moving in 1943 to Italy , where it again served with distinction . In 1947 , the Frontier Force Regiment was allotted to Pakistan Army . In 1956 , the Frontier Force Regiment , Frontier Force Rifles and the Pathan Regiment were merged into the Frontier Force Regiment , and 1 FF ( Prince of Wales ' s Own ) was redesignated as 3 FF . During the Indo - Pakistan War of 1965 , the battalion fought in the Battle of Chawinda , while during the Indo - Pakistan War of 1971 it participated in the Battle of Chhamb in Kashmir .