Pouch belt plate, 51st Prince of Wales's Own Sikhs (Frontier Force), 1921-1947

Silver plate badge with Prince of Wales's feathers within quoit, or chakram, bearing the inscription, 'First P.W.O. Sikhs', within wreath, with scrolls bearing battle honours, 'Afghanistan 1879', 'Ali Musjid', 'Punjab', 'Pekin 1900', and title 'Frontier Force', all surmounted by a King's Crown.

Quoits, or chakram, are a traditional edged weapon from the Indian subcontinent, particularly associated with Sikh fighters. They take the form of a flattened metal ring of varying circumference, with a sharpened outer edge, which can be thrown or used in hand-to-hand combat.

The origin of this regiment goes back to 1846 when Captain J S Hodgson raised the 1st Sikh Infantry following the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846). It was one of four Sikh infantry regiments created to form the Frontier Brigade, named after the North West Frontier with Afghanistan. In 1851 the force became known as the Punjab Irregular Force ('Piffers' for short) and later became the Punjab Frontier Force in 1865.

As part of the reorganisation of the Indian Army in 1903, the regimental name was changed to the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force). The battle honours on the badge relate to service in the 2nd Sikh War (1848-1849), 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and the 3rd China War, or Boxer Rebellion (1900-1901).

In 1922 the 51st became the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales' Own Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment. The unit's final name change under British rule came in 1945 when the Regiment became the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales' Own Sikhs) Frontier Force Regiment. The Regiment was allocated to the Pakistan Army after Partition in 1947.

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.