'45th Sikhs Rattray's', 1890

Watercolour drawing by Alfred Crowdy Lovett, 1890.

The study shows the regiment's scarlet uniform with the white facings adopted in 1885, blue trousers with red stripes and a turban composed of a red kullah around which was wrapped a blue and white pugri or lungi.

The origins of the 45th Rattray's Sikh Regiment lay in the 1856 decision to raise a Corps of Military Police to control the Lower Provinces of Bengal, east of Bihar, where a rebellion had broken out. The person chosen to raise this body of men was Captain Thomas Rattray. His Bengal Police Battalion was raised in the Punjab, where a large number of ex-soldiers of the old Sikh Army, who had fought the British, were available. The Battalion played an important part in putting down the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) and was designated as 45th (Rattray's Sikh) Regiment of Bengal Infantry in 1864. The unit saw considerable action on the North West Frontier (including the Malakand Field Force of 1897-1898), and fought in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880). During World War One (1914-1918) the regiment served in Mesopotamia.