The 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was one of the infantry regiments under the Bengal Native Infantry of the British East India Company. It existed from the year 1857 till 1922. The unit was a division of the Bengal Army and was eventually administered by the British Empire in India. The infantry regiment was formed as the 16th Regiment of Punjab Infantry for service during the Sepoy Mutiny. The infantry units of the Presidency Armies in British India were re-numbered several times. The 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was also titled as the 24th Punjabis and the 28th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry.
History of 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The 24th Punjabis regiment was formed as the 16th Regiment of Punjab Infantry on 5 June 1857 during the uprising of the Indian Rebellion. The infantry regiment took part in various British military campaigns and battles. The unit was primarily developed for providing military service during the Great Revolt of 1857. The troops valiantly fought in the Second Afghan War from 1878 to 1880. Later the unit fought at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880. It was posted at Malakand in 1897 during the rebellion of Pashtun tribes. The 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was stationed at China in the year 1900 and participated in the Boxer Rebellion.
After the reforms of Lord Kitchener in the British Indian Army in 1903, the army unit was renamed as the 24th Punjabis. The troops of the regiment also participated in the First World War and served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt. It fought the Battle of Shaiba, the Battle of Ctesiphon and also took part in the Siege of Kut al Amara in the year 1915.Later the regiment fought in the Battle of Khan Baghdadi. The unit also provided military service in Salonika and the Russian Transcaucasia.
Development of 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
In 1922, the entire line of the British Indian Army was regrouped and restructured by the British Government of India. The single battalion infantry units were combined to form larger regiments that comprised of 4 to 6 battalions. The 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry regiment was amalgamated with the 40th Pathans, the 19th Punjabis, 20th Punjabis, 21st Punjabis and the 22nd Punjabis regiment. It was eventually re-designated as the 4th Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment. The infantrymen of the 24th Punjabis also took part in the Burma Campaign during the Second World War. After the Indian independence and the Partition of India, the unit was assigned to the modern army of Pakistan.
Designations of 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The regiment of the British Indian Army occupied a number of designations through out its service during the regrouping and renumbering of the army. These are listed as follows -
* 16th Regiment of Punjab Infantry - 1857
* 28th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry - 1861
* 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry - 1861
* 24th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry - 1864
* 24th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry - 1885
* 24th Punjab Infantry - 1901
* 24th Punjabis - 1903
* 4th Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment - 1922
