'28 Punjab Infantry', 1885 (c)

Watercolour by Alfred Crowdy Lovett, 1885 (c).

Study of a soldier of the 28th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry, in khaki uniform, holding rifle, reaching into an ammunition pouch.

The 28th Punjabis were formed in 1857 as the 20th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. The unit became the 28th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1861, and the 28th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Infantry in 1885. The Regiment fought in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and in the Black Mountain Expedition in 1891. In the 1903 reform of the Indian Army the regiment was renamed the 28th Punjabis. The regiment served in Mesopotamia and Palestine during World War On (1914-1918). In 1922 the regiment became the 4th Battalion, 15 Punjab Regiment.