15th (Ludhiana) Regiment of Sikh Infantry

15th Ludhiana Sikhs

Known as 15th Ludhiana Sikhs or 15th Loodiana Sikhs or 15th Sikhs

Chronology and Designations

• 1846 The Regiment of Ludhiana
• 1861 The 16th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
• 1861 The 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
• 1864 The 15th (Ludhiana) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
• 1885 The 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Ludhiana Sikhs)
• 1901 The 15th (Ludhiana) Sikh Infantry
• 1903 The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs
• 1922 The 2nd Bn/11th Sikh Regiment
• 1935 The 2nd Royal Battalion (Ludhiana Sikhs) 11th Sikh Regt
• 1947 allocated to India on Partition

War Diaries, First World War

• A transcribed war diary (of an original handwritten diary, where the handwriting has been deciphered for you!) is available for 15th Ludhiana Sikhs 1914-15 on the Western Front. See Western Front - War Diaries for more details.

The Ceremony of the Presentation of New Colours to the 2nd Royal Bn (Ludhiana Sikhs) 11th Sikh Regiment

The following text of the Regiment of Ludhiana was transcribed from the programme booklet "The Ceremony of the Presentation of New Colours to the 2nd Royal Bn (Ludhiana Sikhs) 11th Sikh Regiment" and donated to FIBIS in Feb 2022.
The booklet cover for 2nd Royal Bn (Ludhiana Sikhs) 11th Sikh Regt can be downloaded here:

The complete booklet has been uploaded to the FIBIS database along with the dataset. See FIBIS resources below

History

On June 30th 1846, Major P. Gordon, by order of Lord Gough, raised the battalion at Ludhiana under the name of the "Regiment of Ludhiana".

By October of the same year the strength of the Battalion was 1160 and in the following year it moved to Meerut where it received its first colours.

The first action of note in the regiment was its part in the time of the mutiny when it was stationed at Benares. There it was in charge of the Treasury and prevented it from falling into the hands of the mutineers. Many awards for bravery were won and it was here that the first V. C. was won by Sergeant Major Gill of the regiment. He was awarded it for saving the life of Major Brett.

The Battalion next saw service during the Boxer rebellion in China in 1859 to 1862 where it took a prominent part in the defence of Shanghai against Tse Ping.

In the Year 1880 the Battalion was fighting in Afghanistan with the South Afghanistan Field Force. It marched to Kabul, taking part in the battle of Ahmed Khel en route. It took part in the relief of Kandahar under General Roberts.

The Battalion was again ordered overseas in 1885 this time to Africa. One of its most famous actions took place at Tofrek in the battle known as MacNeill's zareba.

Here the Battalion with the rest of the force was collecting brushwood from the surrounding scrub to construct the zareba, when, with practically no warning, a fierce and sudden attack by overwhelming numbers of the Mahdi's men was made on the flank on which the Battalion was working. Luckily the men were working with their arms slung and were able to put up a stout defence giving time for the Berkshire Regiment to fall in and come to its assistance.

A sanguinary battle followed in the course of which the British forces lost 455 men and 176 wounded while the losses of the enemy were estimated at 2000.

It was here that the Berkshire Regiment won its title of "Royal" and since then a close liaison has been maintained between the two regiments.

Both Regiments celebrate "Tofrek Day" in commemoration of this notable day in their histories. To-day, the 22nd of March is "Tofrek Day".

After the African Campaign the Regiment returned to India and saw service in the North West Frontier and in Chitral.

1914 saw the Battalion embark for France and the Great War. On the 26th September it disembarked at Marseilles, the first of the Indian Infantry to set foot in that country. The appearance of the troops caused great excitement among the inhabitants, particularly among the barbers who, knowing nothing about Sikhs, thought that the voyage and the long spell at sea were responsible for their beards!

For a year the Battalion fought with distinction under conditions, climatic and otherwise, which the men had never known. It was present and fought at Neuve Chappelle, Aubers, Ypres, St Julian and Festubert.

At Festubert, Lt (now Lt.-Col) J. G. Smyth won his V. C., the second to be won in the Regiment.

In August 1915 the Regiment proceeded to Egypt where it took part in the Senussi operations and distinguished itself particularly at the action at Bir Shola. The following year the Battalion returned to India arriving at Peshawar on the 27th January, 1916.

This year saw them again on service on the Mohmand blockade. This was followed in 1919 by the Afghan war.

The Battalion proceeded overseas for the fourth time in 1920, this time to Mesopotamia where it took part in the suppression of the Arab rebellion in the operations in Kurdistan in 1822 and 1923.

Followed by a spell of comparative peace until 1936-37 when the Battalion found itself taking a very active part in the Waziristan operations. From these it has only recently returned.

Battle Honours

Battle Honours borne on the King's Colour of the 11th Sikh Regiment are:

• 1914 La Bassee.
• 1915 Neuve Chapelle, Ypres.
• 1916 Helles, Suvla, Megiddo, Tigris.
• 1917 Kut-al-Amara. Sharqat. Tsingtao.

Battle Honours borne on the Regimental Colours:

• Defence of Arrah.
• Lucknow.
• Behar.
• China 1860-62.
• Ali Masjid.
• Ahmed Khel.
• Kandahar 1880.
• Afghanistan 1878-80.
• Tofrek.
• Suakin 1885.
• Defence of Chitral.
• Chitral.
• Malakand.
• Punjab Frontier.
• Samana.
• Tirah.
• China 1900.
• Afghanistan 1919.

Speech by His Excellency the Governor of the NW Frontier Province

Transcript of the speech given by His Excellency the Governor of the North West Frontier Province at the presentation of Colours to the 2nd Battalion (Ludhiana Kishs) 11th Sikh Regiment at Nowshera on the 22nd March, 1939.

Major Birdwood, Officers, Non Commissioned Officers and Men of the 2nd Royal Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment:

It is a matter of great pride to me that I am privileged to present new Colours to your Battalion on behalf of His Majesty the King-Emperor.

To-day, March the 22nd, is a day already commemorated by your Battalion every year. For on this date, 54 years ago, the battle of Tofrek was fought in which the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Royal Berkshire Regiment, won a victory of which the memory is still fresh in our minds. It must, I know, be an added pleasure to you to-day that you are able to associate the presentation of your Colours with the annual celebration.

From the time, nearly 100 years ago, when your Battalion was raised, it has held a conspicuous place in the history of the Indian Army. It is distinguished not only for the number of occasions on which it has been sent overseas, but also for the length of time it has spent on active service. In China, Afghanistan, Sudan and, in more recent times, in France, Egypt and Iraq your Battalion has won honour and distinction. Yours was the first Battalion of Indian troops to land at Marseilles in 1914. The names of La Bassie, Neuve Chapelle and Ypres, which your new Colours record, bear testimony to the important battles in which you took part on the Western Front.

Here, also, on the North-West Frontier, your deeds are well known. Above all, during the last two years in Waziristan, you have added even further honours to the reputation of your Regiment by the fine spirit you displayed in the many engagements in which you took part.

In 1935 your Battalion was honoured with the title "Royal". To-day another Royal gift has been bestowed upon you. These Colours which have now been given into your keeping are a symbol of your solidierly pride in serving the King-Emperor. I am confident that you and your successors will never fail to maintain to the full that spirit of courage and initiative which has always been the tradition of your Battalion in the past.

I join with the many friends whom you have made during your service in this Province in wishing all of you good fortune in the future wherever you may be.

FIBIS resources

• FIBIS database: 2nd Royal Bn (Ludhiana Sikhs) 11th Sikh Regt - Colours Ceremony Ceremony of the Presentation of New Colours to the 2nd Royal Bn (Lukhiana Sikhs) 11 Sikh Regt. By his Excellency Sir George Cunningham KCSI, KCIW, OBE Governor of the NWFP. Nowshera, March 22nd 1939. The programme was Donated to FIBIS in Feb 2022 It is complete with 9 pages. Photographs, History of, Regiment Designations, Battle Honours, Colours, On Parade, Music and so on of the entire event. The names of those involved have been added to the FIBIS database.

External Links

• 15th Ludhiana Sikhs British Empire website
  
• 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Wikipedia
• 1st Battalion King George V’s Own, Ferozepore Sikhs, and Loodiana Sikhs, 11th Sikh Regiment sikhsinthearmy.co.uk
• Watercolour by Charles James Lyall: 1900. 15th Loodiana Sikhs. Bengal. Bugler Brown Digital Repository, Brown University Library
• A Guide To WW1 Indian War Diaries: Researching Indian Soldiers Using War Diaries. Scroll down to excerpts from the war diary of the 15th Sikhs between August and October 1914 (WO95/3929/5), from mobilization in India for overseas deployment, to the trenches on the Western Front. empirefaithwar.com
• Manta Singh and the Battle of Neuve Chapell, France, March 1915. Regiment: 15th Ludhiana Sikhs. cwgc.org, now an archived webpage.
  • "An Indian Soldier in the Great War" Subedar Manta Singh. Text from Ian Hislop’s Not Forgotten documentaries about the WW1, shown c 2009 on Channel 4.
• The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs and the Senussi. The Egyptian Western Desert, November 1915 to February 1916 from Harry Fecitt’s Harry’s Africa kaiserscross.com
• Audio: 1980 Interview Lt Col R. Banks, with transcript Indian Army life and career 1914-c 1937 Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge. He transferred to the Indian Army in 1917, initially he was with the 15th Sikhs, then joined the Judge Advocate General’s Department, part of the Indian Army dealing with court martial work, military law and any uprisings, and subsequently officiated as Judge Advocate General in India, until he was medically retired in 1937 (rabies related).

Historical books online

• The Sikhs of the Punjab by R E Parry late Indian Army Reserve of Officers; sometime Acting Captain and Adjutant 2/15th Ludhiana Sikhs. Sometime attached 35th Sikhs. [1921] Archive.org. Includes Chapter VI Recruiting Methods page 104.
• Handbook for the Indian Army: Sikhs by A E Barstow 2/11th Sikh Regiment (late 15th Ludhiana Sikhs) 1928. 1940 reprint of the 1928 edition is available to read online on the Panjab Digital Library.
• A romantic novel: The nurse's story : in which reality meets romance by Adele Bleneau 1915 Archive.org. The hero of this romantic novel set on the Western Front during the First World War is a Captain in the Ludhiana Sikhs (page 97). There are suggestions that when it was published the book was considered to be fictionalized memoirs, perhaps not written under the author’s actual name. A film based on the book was made in 1919. It is from the collection of the US National Library of Medicine, so perhaps is considered to have a realistic nursing background. For a review of this novel scroll if necessary to page 7, 5th column of the Pittsburgh Press (newspaper) dated August 7, 1917.