Major J Hill, DSO, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 1911

Photograph by Langfier Limited, 1911.

Major (later Major General) John Hill (1866-1935) was born in 1866 and served as an officer with the Oxfordshire Light Infantry and the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs. He saw action in Burma and on the North West Frontier of India. During World War One (1914-1918) he served in Gallipoli and later commanded the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division in the Middle East and on the Western Front.

The regiment was raised in 1846, drawing on disbanded Sikh forces, defeated in the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846). As The Regiment of Ludhiana, the unit remained loyal to the British during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859). The regiment was numbered the 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1861, becoming the 15th (The Ludhiana) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1864.

The regiment fought in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and in the 1st Sudan War (1884-1885). It was stationed on the North West Frontier during much of the 1890s and 1900s, taking part in the Relief of Chitral (1895) and the Malakand and Tirah Operations (1897-1898). The regiment was active on the Western Front and in the Middle East during World War One (1914-1918). It fought the Senussi tribe in Egypt and Turkish forces in Mesopotamia.

From a photograph album of 284 portrait photographs of British and Indian Officers of the Indian Contingent, who attended the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, 1911.

The Coronation of King George V and his wife Queen Mary took place on 22 June 1911 at Westminster Abbey. This was followed by the Delhi Coronation Durbar on 12 December 1911, which was attended by around 100,000 people.