51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)

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The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) is an infantry regiment that began in 1846 in British India. It was raised at Hoshiarpur by Major J. S. Hodgson and recruited mainly from Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims, Pathans and Dogras, many from disbanded Sikh regiments after the First Anglo-Sikh War.

Over the years it was renamed several times. It became the 1st Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry in 1847, then the 1st Regiment of Sikh Infantry in 1857, and joined the Punjab Irregular Force (the Piffers), whose job was frontier security on the Punjab border.

The regiment fought in major campaigns of the era, including the Second Sikh War (1848–49), the Indian Mutiny (1857–58), the Second Afghan War (1878–80), and the Boxer Rebellion (1900). In 1903, after reforms by Lord Kitchener, it was renamed 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force).

During World War I (1914–18), the regiment served with the 28th Indian Brigade. It fought in Egypt and Aden, then Mesopotamia (including the Relief of Kut, the capture of Baghdad, and battles at Istabulat, Daur and Tikrit), and finally in Palestine at Megiddo in 1918. It returned to India in 1920. For its war service, the regiment was awarded the title Prince of Wales's Own in 1921.

In 1922, it joined with the 52nd, 53rd and 54th Sikhs and the Guides to form the 12th Frontier Force Regiment, becoming the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own Sikhs) of the new regiment. A Territorial Battalion was also raised at Nowshera.

In World War II, the unit fought in Iraq and Syria, then Italy. After independence in 1947, the Frontier Force Regiment became part of the Pakistan Army. In 1956, regimental mergers created the Frontier Force Regiment, and the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own) became the 3rd Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment.

The battalion saw action in the Indo-Pakistani Wars: at Chawinda in 1965 and at Chhamb in 1971. Notable commanders include Field Marshal Sir Charles Henry Brownlow and General Sir Rob Lockhart. The regiment’s motto is Ekwanja. Its traditional uniform is drab with yellow facings, and it has long been known as the Prince of Wales's Own.