The 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an erstwhile artillery battery regiment of the British Indian Army. It was one of the first ranked Indian Mountain Battery units. The regiment was formed by British East India Company in 1851 from the troops of a Sikh artillery regiment that was dissolved after the Second Sikh War of 1849. The battery unit operated under the administrative control of the Punjab Army till the year 1895. It was also incorporated as a part of the Punjab Command.
History of 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
During the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, the military unit served in the North West Frontier. The troops later participated in various minor military operations of the British during the 19th century. The 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force), also known as the 1st (Kohat) Battery, provided service at the Battle of Peiwar Kotal under the leadership of Lord Roberts. Later it fought in Kabul as well. The regiment participated in the Tirah Campaign and fought with the Tirah Field Force. In 1905, the artillery battery unit participated in the Rawalpindi Parade to celebrate the visit of Prince and Princess of Wales to India.
Military Operations of 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
During the outbreak of the First World War, the 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was stationed in Egypt and fought against the Turkish forces. Later it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign as a part of Indian Expeditionary Force G. It also served with the 26th (Jacobs) Mountain Battery of the 7th Indian Mountain Brigade and supported the Australian forces and the New Zealand army. The artillery battery was honoured with one Order of British India, three Distinguished Service Medals, five Indian Distinguished Service Medals, four Indian Order of Merits, and twenty-five Mentions in Dispatches.
The 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was later stationed in Persia and Mesopotamia. The troops actively served in the Mesopotamia Campaign. The army unit also served in the Waziristan campaign from 1919 to 1920 and the Waziristan campaign from 1936 to 1939. The regiment remained in service till the year 1922 when the Indian army regiments were reformed by the British Indian Government.