Pouch belt, officer, Colonel Norman Meredith Geoghegan, 89th Punjabis, 1903 (c)

Brown leather belt and pouch, with silver mountings, with whistle, chain and boss, and later substituted badge. The regimental badge of the 89th Punjabis is in the form of an intertwined quoit and crescent on crossed Union flag and Royal Ensign, surmounted by a King's crown, with a scroll below bearing the unit title, '89th Punjabis'. The pouch has a 29th Burma Infantry badge in the form of the regimental number, '29'. The 29th Burma Infantry was the predecessor unit of the 89th Punjabis.

Colonel Norman Meredith Geoghegan (1877-1962) was born on 7 September 1876. He served with the Indian Staff Corps from 1898 and with the 89th Punjabis, witth the rank of major, from 1914. Geoghegan was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Geoghegan died 28 September 1962.

The 89th Punjabis was originally raised as the 3rd Extra Battalion of Madras Infantry in 1798. It became the 29th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry in 1824. It served in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malaya and Burma. Continued service in Burma led to its designation as 29th Regiment (7th Burma Battalion) of Madras Infantry in 1893 and 29th Burma Infantry in 1901. As part of the Indian Army reform of 1903 the regiment became the 89th Punjabis. During World War One (1914-1918) the regiment was expanded and elements served in India, Aden, Egypt, at Gallipoli, on the Western Front, in Mesopotamia, and in Greece and the Caucasus. Amalgamation with other 'Burma Battalions' followed, with the unit forming the 1st Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922.