The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment 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 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th Battalion

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifle ...

in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated 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 continues to exist as 10th Battalion The

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF ( Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as th ...

.Condon, Brig WEH. (1953). ''The Frontier Force Rifles''. Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd.North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846–1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press. 5th Punjab Inf (10 FF) 1878

Early history

The regiment was raised on 18 May 1849 by Captain JE Gastrell at Leiah as part of the Transfrontier Brigade. In 1851, the brigade was expanded and redesignated as the Punjab Irregular Force, which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force or The Piffers. The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry, eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides the Corps of Guides. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed with great aplomb. The 5th Punjab Infantry took part in numerous frontier operations besides the Great

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

of 1857–58, when it operated in Oudh and Nepal. During the Second Afghan War of 1878–80, the regiment fought in the

Battle of Peiwar Kotal The Battle of Peiwar Kotal was fought on 2 December 1878 between British forces under Major General Frederick Roberts and Afghan forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British were victorious, and ...

and took part in the defence of Sherpur Cantonment at Kabul. In 1897, it took part in the Tirah Campaign. Indian soldier guards Dome of the Rock

58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)

Subsequent to the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903, the regiment's designation was changed to 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force). In 1914, the regiment's class composition was three companies each of Pathans and

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s, and one company each of Dogras and Punjabi Muslims. During the First World War, the regiment served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in 1914–15, fighting in the Battles of Givenchy-les-la-Bassee,

Neuve Chapelle Neuve-Chapelle ( vls, Nieuwkappel) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It was the site of a First World War battle in 1915. Geography Neuve-Chapelle is situated some northeast of Béthune and ...

, Aubers Ridge and Loos. In 1915, it served in Egypt moving to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

in 1917, where it fought in the Third Battle of Gaza, the Battle of Nebi Samwil and the Capture of Jerusalem. In 1918, it fought in the Battle of Megiddo, which led to the annihilation of Turkish Army in Palestine.

Subsequent History

After the First World War, the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was grouped with the 55th, 57th, 59th, and the two battalions of

56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Battal ...

to form the 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. The 58th Vaughan's Rifles became 5th Battalion of the new regiment. During the Second World War, the battalion served in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, North Africa and Italy. In 1947, the Frontier Force Rifles was allotted to Pakistan Army. In 1948, 5 FF Rifles fought in the Kashmir War against India. In 1956, the Frontier Force Rifles and the Pathan Regiment were merged with the Frontier Force Regiment, and 5 FF Rifles was redesignated as 10 FF. During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the battalion fought in the Battle of

Khem Karan Khem Karan is a town and a nagar panchayat, just 56km from Tarn Taran Sahib in Tarn Taran district of Patti tehsil of the Majha region of Indian state of Punjab. It was the site of a major tank battle in 1965. The Battle of Asal Uttar was the ...

in the Kasur Sector.Attiqur Rahman, Lt Gen M. (1980). ''The Wardens of the Marches – A History of the Piffers 1947–71''. Lahore: Wajidalis.

Genealogy

*1849 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry *1851 5th Regiment of Infantry, Punjab Irregular Force *1865 5th Regiment of Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force *1901 5th Punjab Infantry *1903 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) *1922 5th Battalion (Vaughan's) 13th Frontier Force Rifles *1945 5th Battalion (Vaughan's) The Frontier Force Rifles *1956 10th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment

Early history

58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)

Subsequent History

Genealogy

References

Further reading

See also