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Originally raised as the [[1st Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps]] on the 1st April 1861 and on the 15th July 1871 absorbed the [[Punjab Light Horse (Volunteers)]] which was raised on the 27th March 1867. In 1908 it was known as the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles.<ref>[http://www.archive.org/stream/imperialgazette05unkngoog#page/n72/mode/1up ''Imperial Gazetteer of India : Provincial Series Punjab Volume II The Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan Divisions and Native States''], page 40 1908 Archive.org</ref>, with headquarters at Lahore. On the 1st April 1917 became the [[3rd Punjab Rifles]] before becoming the Punjab Rifles on the 1st October 1920.

In 1898, the [[Punjab Light Horse]] and the Punjab Rifles together formed the Administrative Battalion, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps<ref>''Quarterly Civil List for the Punjab 1898''</ref> In 1908 it was known as the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles.<ref>[http://www.archive.org/stream/imperialgazette05unkngoog#page/n72/mode/1up ''Imperial Gazetteer of India : Provincial Series Punjab Volume II The Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan Divisions and Native States''], page 40 1908 Archive.org</ref>, with headquarters at [[Lahore]]. On the 1st April 1917 became the [[3rd Punjab Rifles]] before becoming the Punjab Rifles on the 1st October 1920. In 1898, wih headquarters at [[Lahore]], there were detachments at *[[Amritsar]]*Dariwal, (Dhariwal)*[[Gurdaspur]]*[[Rawalpindi]]*[[Murree]]*[[Sialkot]]*[[Delhi]]*[[Karnal]]*[[Ferozepore]]*[[Dharmsala]]<ref>''Quarterly Civil List for the Punjab 1898''</ref> '''D Company''', 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles had its headquarters at [[Rawalpindi]]. It was recruited from the various Civil Departments with strength, exclusive of officers, 98 in 1907. '''G Company''', 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles, had its headquarters at [[Murree]], and was composed of cadets belonging to the [[Lawrence Military Asylum]] at Ghora Gali, near Murree. '''H Company''', 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles contained civilian residents from Rawalpindi and Murree, and had its headquarter at Murree. In 1907 G and H Companies were "in strength 121 men, exclusive of officers".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105626/page/n250/mode/1up Page 228], ''Punjab District Gazetteers, Volume XXVIIIA, Rawalpindi District 1907'', published 1909, Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India</ref>  A small detachment of the Punjab Light Horse Volunteers and '''F Company ''' of the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles (strength about 75 in 1912) was recruited from and stationed in Delhi<ref> Delhi District Gazetteer 1912, page 194 from [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/mainchild/gazatteers.htm Gazetteers Of Haryana], Haryana Government website</ref>

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130509114403/http://stampsociety.com/philatelists.htm Sir David Parkes Masson], born 1847 was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 1st Punjab Rifles and the greatest Indian philatelist. Peshawar Stamp Society, now an archived webpage.*Lt. Col. Rev. William Thomas Wright CIE, VD was a Commandant of the Punjab Rifles. He was Principal of [[Lawrence Military Asylum#Lawrence College, Ghora Gali| Laurence Royal Military School, Ghora Gali]] and Honorary Canon of Lahore. In 1925 he was made a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Indian_Empire Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire] . He was also awarded the Volunteer Officers Decoration (Indian Volunteer Forces),a breast medal, established by Royal Warrant July 25, 1892 by Queen Victoria, for 18 years long and meritorious service.<ref>[httphttps://librarywww.uvic.ca/sitelibrary/locations/home/spcoll/brownfindaids/medalsbrown_collection_manuscripts.html pdf Bruce and Dorothy Brown Collection, University of Victoria Library], British Columbia, Canada . Scroll to the Medals section. Drawer 4, #37e </ref>

*[http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auctionarchive/searchcataloguearchive/itemdetail.lasso?itemid=66044 Medals were awarded to W. P. Appleford, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles], Assistant-Engineer of the road making contractors Spedding & Co, who volunteered his services to Durand’s force on the march to Nilt on the [[Hunza Nagar Campaign]] in 1891 . Charles Spedding was appointed Chief Engineer to the Force, with the local rank of Captain, and Appleford was Assistant-Engineer. <ref>[https://www.dnw.co.uk/auction-archive/past-catalogues/lot.php?auction_id=134&lot_id=165084 Medals awarded to W. P. Appleford, 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles] dnw.co.uk</ref> There are details of them and the Campaign in [http://www.archive.org/stream/wherethreeempir02kniggoog#page/n10/mode/2up ''Where Three Empires Meet: A Narrative of Recent Travel in Kashmir, Western Tibet, Gilgit, and the Adjoining Countries''] by Edward Frederick Knight 1893 Archive.org ==External links==*[http://shankardubai.tripod.com/halwaters.htm The Henry (Hal) V.O. Waters Photo Collection] has a photograph of the Punjab Rifles (IDF) Armoured Train Section Moghalpura [the railway workshops three miles from Lahore] 1919. Scroll down to [http://shankardubai.tripod.com/Photo14.jpg no 18]. From Terry Case’s [http://shankardubai.tripod.com/nwrhome.htm North Western Railway]. It seems very likely this was the same armoured train used by the [[North-Western Railway Battalion]]*[https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_beleaguered.htm "A Beleaguered City"], is a parody by Rudyard Kipling about the proximity of the firing range of the Punjab Volunteer Rifles to the Lawrence Hall Gardens, in Lahore.===Historical books online===*[http://archive.org/stream/quarterlycivill00offigoog#page/n274/mode/1up "1st Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps"] page 256 ''Quarterly Civil List for the Punjab: Corrected up to 1st October 1898''*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105601/page/n199/mode/2up "Army"] page 185 : ''Punjab District Gazetteers Gurdaspur District Vol.XXI A'' 1914. Archive.org. Contains a brief mention of the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles whose members included some in Gurdaspur District (in which [[Dalhousie]] was located) who were mostly European employees at the Dhariwal Mills. [https://www.dronahfoundation.org/new-egerton-woollen-mills-dhariwal/ New Egerton Woollen Mills, Dhariwal] (dronahfoundation.org) was established in 1880.