The Baloch Regiment [/size]
The Baloch regiment is second in seniority in the Pakistan Army. Its oldest battalion was raised more than two hundred years ago, in 1798 AD at Masulipattam, as the Macleod Ki Paltan [Macleod’s force], now the 1st Baloch.
Storming through the jungles of st1:country-region Burma in the same century, uttering their blood-chilling battle cries, the Baluchis also led the fight to conquer that country and their name became immortalized as the battalions. In honour of their courage and valour the battalions were presented with an image of the mythical Burmese god, Chinthe, Which they adopted as their cap badge.
The Baluchis are formidable fighting men. Through two centuries their lustrous deeds in campaigns throughout the sub-continent and in World War I and afterwards are writ large in the history of valour.Many awards for courage were won the Baluchis in the First World War and subsequently in campaigns across the sub-continent and in the Second World War.These including the first Victoria Cross ever awarded to an Indian soldier, not only a Muslim but also a Balochi: Lance Naik Khudadad Khan of the old Baloch, now 11 Baloch. For their fighting distinction and sheer courage in WWI, the British Government in India bestowed a noble monument in the gardens of Frere Hall, Karachi commemorating the officers, JCOs and men of the 10 Baloch Regiment who fell in battle which still stands.
The 2nd Baloch, in the meantime, had qualified for a similar change in status for their work on the NW Frontier and became the 29th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. In 1858, Major John Jacob raised a local battalion, soon to be known as Jacob's Rifles and they made such a reputation in and around Jacobabad that they, too, were accorded regular status, becoming the 30th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry or Jacob's Rifles in 1861. In the years which followed, the subsidiary title lapsed and does not appear to have been officially revived until 1910, by which time, the 24th, the 26th, the 27th, the 29th, and the 30th had all had one hundred added to their numbers in 1903, emerging as the 124th, the 126th, the 127th, the 129th and the 130th distinction shared by no other regiment was a spell in by the 29th in 1864.
They were summoned from Shanghai,Yokohama in September to protect Queen Victoria's British and Indian subjects. The British force remained in Japan until September the following year. After the First World War, a major re-organization of British Indian Army took place. Most of the wartime units were disbanded and merged with each other. A new Regiment in the name of 10 Baloch was formed in 1922/23 Rajkot (Rajasthan) with composition of Baluchis and Brahuis. Balochi and Brahuis are two great tribal origin peoples of Balochistan province (now in Pakistan. Balochies are also constituted a major part of population of Sindh Pakistan). The badge chosen for the 10th Baluch Regiment in 1923 was a Roman 'Ten' within a crescent moon, a crown above and title scroll belowThe line-up of battalions for the new regiment was as under:
124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry>redesignated as1st Bn.126th Baluchistan Infantry< redesignated as2nd Bn 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry redesignated as 3rd Bn (Queen Mary's Own) 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis redesignated as 4th Bn (Duke of Connaught's Own) 130th King George's Own Baluchis redesignated as 5th Bn (King George's Own) (Jacobs Rifles) 10th Baluch Regiment.2/124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry redesignated as 10th Bn.There was no Territorial battalion but the 5/10th was selected for Indianization. It was not among the initial six infantry battalions nominated in 1923, but it featured in a supplementary list in 1933.
