Ramgarh, Oct. 30: They have stuck together through thick and thin, through war and peace and through all that, which has threatened the country’s security over the past 100 years.
The reunion of the bravehearts of the second battalion of the Punjab Regimental Centre here ended today with soldiers — both serving and retired — visiting the Chinese cemetery to pay homage to their comrades-in-arms.
The women applied henna on their lands as a mark of “respect, love and solidarity” with those who had shown their valour on the battlefield.
The most befitting tribute to the success story of the regiment, which won its colours in 1939, came from an old British soldier Brigadier G.E. Denison. After making the rounds of the centre, the old war horse said the spirit, skills and efficiency of the PRC was “high and rising”. Denison not only lauded the progress of the regiment, but was all praise for the Indian food and hospitality. The four-day Family Reunion ceremony of the regiment began on October 27, observed as Infantry Day by the armed forces. A large number of Indian and British officers flocked to this sleepy town. The veterans recalled that much water has flown since they served the regiment and recalled the “good old days”.
The centre dates back to the 18th century during the Brtitish raj when Ramgarh and Ranchi were garrison towns.
The British ex-officers of the regiment had formed the Second Punjab Regiment Officers’ Association in London in 1947 and the union has grown over the decades.
The association today has 65 members in India, Pakistan and in Britain. The association was formed with the twin objectives of bringing the old soldiers of the regiment together to maintain the “regimental spirit”and to keep the army wives “amused”.
Addressing the army conference, Brigadier Anil Kumar Khosla outlined the history of the regiment. “The regiment was established as part of the Madras army in 1765 and named the Karnataka Battalion in 1769. It was reorganised in 1772 following the orders of Capt. Cailey and so it also came to be known as the Cailey Battalion. Our officers and men have fought in Burma in 1796 and 1837. It was renamed as Madras Native Infantry in 1921, when five battalions were merged. In 1922, it was renamed as Punjab Regiment and in 1939, the battalion got its colours,” Khosla said.