British and Native Officers, 5th Regiment of Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force, 1879

Photograph by John Burke, 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880), 1879.

Six Punjab regiments of infantry were raised by Colonel Henry Lawrence in 1849. Many of the recruits were veterans of the Sikh Khalsa that had fought so well against the British during the Anglo-Sikh Wars. They were later joined by Muslim tribesmen from the Punjab and the frontier districts. In the years that followed they operated on the North West Frontier of British India before taking part in the 2nd Afghan War.

From an album of 60 photographs by John Burke.