55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force) was a regiment of the British Indian Army.
1849-1880
The regiment was formed in
1849 as the
1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry by Captain
John Coke shortly after the annexation of the
Punjab due to the
Second Sikh War.
In
1851 the regiment was retitled as the
1st Regiment of Infantry, Punjab Irregular Force when it joined the latter force which had originally been known as the Transfrontier Brigade, tasked with policing the volatile
North-West Frontier. In
1857 the
Indian Mutiny began and the regiment, like many other
Indian units, remained loyal to the British. During the British-Indian siege of rebel-held
Delhi (begun on
30 May) the 1st Punjabis were part of the 3rd Column, commanded by
Sir Colin Campbell. On
14 September the column was tasked with storming the
Kashmir Gate which they successfully achieve. Fierce fighting, however, ensued and Delhi was not fully retaken until
20 September. The rebellion was fully quelled by July
1858.
In
1863 the 1st Punjabis took part in the
Umbeyla campaign in the North-West Frontier. At the
Crag Picquet the regiment saw fierce fighting on
30 October, to such an extent that the regiment was compelled to withdraw from the hill; it was retaken shortly afterwards and two
Victoria Crosses (VC) were later awarded. One of the VC recipients was
Henry William Pitcher of the
4th Punjabis who later joined the 1st Punjabis' and was killed in
1875 at
Dehra Ghazi Khan. Further fighting took place at Crag Picquuet in November which involved the regiment.
In
1865 the Punjabi Irregular Force was renamed the Punjab Frontier Force and the regiment's title was consequently changed to become the
1st Regiment of Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force.
In
1878 the
Second Afghan War began and the regiment participated as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the
Kandahar Field Force, commanded by Lieutenant-General
Donald Stewart). The field forcs, tasked with the capture of
Kandahar, entered Afghanistan from the Punjab. The city of Kandahar was successfully captured on
8 January 1879. The regiment was awarded the
Theatre Honour "Afghnistan 1878-79" for their participation in the initial campaign of the war. The conflict did not conclude until
1880.
1880-1922
The
1890s would see the 1st Punjabis involved in, yet more, intense operations against the hostile
tribes in North-West
India. This included
Maizar,
Waziristan on
10 June 1897 when the regiment was ambushed in an action that signified the beginning of a large tribal uprising aganst the British. The beginning of the
20th Century gave the regiment no respite, taking part in further operations in Waziristan in
1901. That same year it became, simply, the
1st Punjab Infantry. In
1903 the regiment was designated a
rifle regiment and retitled as the
55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force), named in honour of the regiment's founder. In
1908 the Regiment took part in the
Mohmand expedition in the North-West Frontier.
The 55th did not serve abroad during the
First World War but the regiment saw active service in the North-West Frontier for the duration of the war, fighting many of the numerous marauding tribes that populated the area. Many men of the regiment did, however, see service abroad during the war while attached to other units.
In
1915, Jemadar
Mir Dast, while attached to the
57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force), was awarded the 55th's first (and last) Victoria Cross for his distinguished actions at
Wieltie,
Belgium. Mir Dast's brother,
Mir Mast, had deserted from his regiment to the Germans. It is rumoured that Mir Mast received the
Iron Cross while fighting for them.
As part of the reforms of the Indian Armed Forces in 1922 the regiment was amalagmated with six other regiments to form the 6-battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles, the 55th becoming the 1st Battalion (Coke's). The 55th's uniform was adopted as the uniform of the new regiment. This regiment was allocated to Pakistan upon the independence and partition of India in 1947 and was amalgamated with the Pathan Regiment in 1956, forming The Frontier Force Rifles. The 55th's lineage is still maintained by the 7th (Coke's) Battalion.
*
Delhi 1857,
Afghanistan 1878-79,
Afghanistan 1919*
Britishempire.co.uk - 55th Coke's Rifles*
Regiments.org - 55th Coke's Rifles
