'The 58th Vaughan's Rifles, F.F', 1919 (c)

Watercolour drawing by Godfrey Herbert Brennan (1875-1948), 1919 (c).

An officer of 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in full dress, facing right.

The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was formed in 1903 as part of a major reform of the Indian Army. It was redesignated from the 5th Punjab Infantry, originally raised in 1849 by Captain J E Gastrell. Sir John Luther Vaughan (1820-1911) commanded the unit during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) and in subsequent campaigns on the North West Frontier.

As part of the Punjab Irregular Force and the Punjab Frontier Force the regiment was involved in maintaining security on the border between India and Afghanistan. It fought in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and continued to participate in a number of expeditions on the frontier. During World War One (1914-1918) the regiment served on the Western Front and in Egypt and Palestine from December 1915. In 1918 it took part in the Battle of Megiddo which resulted in the whole-scale destruction of Turkish forces in Palestine. The unit formed the 5th Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922.