Centrepiece, 2nd Punjab Regiment Officers' Association, 1971 (c)

Brass centrepiece in the form of a model galley, manufacturer unknown, 1971 (c). Galley with oars and sail on an ebonised base with an inscribed plaque.

The inscription records that this centrepiece was presented to the 2nd Punjab Regiment Officers' Association by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Colonel of the Punjab Regiment in 1971.

The galley was the regimental insignia of the 2nd Punjab Regiment and derived from a predecessor unit which was awarded the 'Golden Galley Badge' in 1839 for their 'readiness always envinced' for undertaking foreign service. This was at a time when many Hindus in the East India Company army considered 'crossing the black water' something that could break caste. With the Partition of India in 1947, the Regiment became the Punjab Regiment, part of the Indian Army but retained the galley insignia.