British and Indian Officers of the 4th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment in Razmak, Waziristan, November 1923

Photograph, India, North West Frontier, 1923.

In 1922 Indian Army regiments were grouped together as battalions in larger regional regiments. The 1st Brahmans were renamed as the 4th Battalion of the 1st Punjab Regiment. Here the officers, both British and Indian, are photographed in Waziristan. Until 1922, the regiment had been made up of men from the Brahman (or Brahmin) caste, generally considered the highest in Hindu society. When it became a part of the 1st Punjab regiment, 'Punjabi Mussalman' (Muslims from the region) also joined the unit.

From an album of 26 photographs associated with the 1st Brahmans, later the 4th/1st Punjab Regiment, 1904-1931.