The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery unit of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. It was raised in 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. It became the 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) in 1903. In 1947, it was transferred to the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

, where it exists as the 3rd Peshawar Battery (Frontier Force) of The First (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (Frontier Force).

History

The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery was raised at Peshawar by Captain T Broughman in January 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. Initially, it was manned by European gunners of the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion Bengal Artillery but in 1854, Europeans were replaced with Indian gunners. One of the first officers of the unit was Lieutenant FS Roberts, later Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar. The battery was equipped with four

3-pounder gun 3-pounder gun, 3-pounder, 3-pdr or QF 3-pdr is an abbreviation typically referring to a gun which fired a projectile weighing approximately 3 pounds. It may refer to : *The Grasshopper cannon : of the 18th century *QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss : Hotchkiss ...

s and four 4.5-inch howitzers. In 1858, it became part of the Punjab Irregular Force (Piffer). The Punjab Irregular Force, later designated as the Punjab Frontier Force, earned legendary fame for its exploits on the Northwest Frontier of India. The Peshawar Battery saw extensive service on the Frontier and took part in numerous operations including the Umbeyla Campaign of 1863 and the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. In 1871-72, it took part in the

Lushai Expedition The British Indian Army Lushai Expedition of 1871 to 1872 was a punitive incursion under the command of Generals Brownlow and Bourchier. The objectives of the expedition were to rescue British subjects who had been captured by the Lushais in ...

.Graham, Brig Gen CAL. (1957). ''The History of the Indian Mountain Artillery''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press. During the First World War, 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery fought with distinction in the Mesopotamian Campaign, where it took part in the capture of Basra and the

Battle of Shaiba The Battle of Shaiba (12–14 April 1915) was a battle of World War I fought between British and Ottoman forces, the latter trying to retake the city of Basra from the British. Background By capturing Basra, the British had taken an important ...

. In 1916, it was engaged on the Tigris Front, as the British made desperate efforts to raise the Siege of Kut al Amara; fighting in the Battles of Sheikh Sa'ad, the Wadi,

Hanna Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a fami ...

and

Dujaila Redoubt Dujaila may refer: *Battle of Dujaila, 1916 battle between Ottoman and British forces near Kut, Iraq. *Dujaila River The Dujaila River ( ar, نهر الدجيلة), also called the Dujailah, Dujaili, Dujaylah or Nahr Shaţţ ad Dujaylah, is a ri ...

. On returning to India, it operated against Mahsuds in 1917 and against Marri and Khetran tribes in 1918. After the war, it again saw service on the Northwest Frontier during the Third Afghan War in 1919 and in Waziristan during 1919-24. During the Second World War, it fought in the Burma Campaign and then served in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

and French Indochina in 1946. In 1944, it became an exclusively Punjabi Muslim unit. In 1947, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army, where it became part of the 1 Mountain Regiment, Royal Pakistan Artillery. The battery fought in the Kashmir War of 1948. In 1957, it was equipped with 105 mm Self Propelled Field guns and the 1st Mountain Regiment was re-designated as the 1 (SP) Field Regiment, Artillery. The regiment fought with great gallantry in the

Battle of Chawinda {{Infobox military conflict , width = 380px , image = File:Sculpture showing Indo-Pak war.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Sculpture showing the Indo-Pakistani War {{clear {{OSM Location map , co ...

during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the regiment served in the Zafarwal Sector. In 1980, it was re-equipped with medium guns. The battery is affiliated with the Frontier Force Regiment.

Battle honours

Afghanistan 1878-79, Basra, Shaiba, Tigris 1916, Mesopotamia 1914-16, North West Frontier, India 1917, Baluchistan 1918, Afghanistan 1919.

Genealogy

*1853 - Peshawar Mountain Train *1858 - Peshawar Mountain Train, Punjab Irregular Force *1862 - Peshawar Mountain Train Battery, Punjab Irregular Force *1865 - Peshawar Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1876 - No. 3 Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1879 - No. 3 Peshawar Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1890 - No. 3 (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Punjab Frontier Force *1901 - Peshawar Mountain Battery *1903 - 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) *1920 - 23rd Peshawar Pack Battery (Frontier Force) *1921 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery *1922 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery (Frontier Force) (How)Howitzer *1924 - 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1927 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1928 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery (Frontier Force) (How) *1939 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Indian Artillery *1942 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Indian Artillery *1945 - 3rd (Peshawar) Indian Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Royal Indian Artillery *1947 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Royal Pakistan Artillery *1956 - 3rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery, Frontier Force, Artillery *1957 - 3 Peshawar (SP) Field Battery, Artillery (FF) *1980 - 3 Peshawar (SP) Medium Battery, Artillery (FF)

References

{{reflist Pakistan Army Artillery Corps Artillery batteries Military units and formations of India in World War I Artillery units and formations of British India Military units and formations established in 1853