The 72nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

. They could trace their origins to 1759, when they were raised as the 16th Battalion Coast Sepoys.

The regiments first battle was the Battle of Sholinghur

Battle of Sholinghur

The Battle of Sholinghur was fought on 27 September 1781 between forces of the Kingdom of Mysore led by Hyder Ali and British East India Company forces led by General Eyre Coote. The company forces were victorious.-References:*Vibart, H. M ....

 in 1781, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War

Second Anglo-Mysore War

The Second Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict in Mughal India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the Franco-British conflict raging on account of the American Revolutionary War helped spark Anglo-Mysorean...

. They were next involved in the Battle of Ava during the First Burmese War

First Burmese War

The First Anglo-Burmese War was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empires in the 19th century. The war, which began primarily over the control of northeastern India, ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam, Manipur, Cachar and...

. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857 they were stationed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. There next action was during the Third Burmese War. With the defeat of King Thibaw Min

Thibaw Min

Thibaw Min was the last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma . His reign ended when Burma was defeated by the forces of the British Empire in the Third Anglo-Burmese War, on 29 November 1885, prior to its official annexation on 1 January 1886....

 the regiment remained in Burma, being renamed the 2nd Burma Battalion in 1891.

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 they were deployed along the North West Frontier with the 1st (Peshawar) Division

1st (Peshawar) Division

The 1st Division was a Regular Division of the British Indian Army it was formed after the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. During World War I it remained in India for local defence but it was mobilised for action on the North West Frontier on several occasions during the period.The...

 to prevent incursions by the Afghan tribes, but they were later sent to Egypt and Palestine and took part in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign

Sinai and Palestine Campaign

The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...

 attached to the 75th Division

75th Division (United Kingdom)

The 75th Division was a war formed division of the British Army during World War I. They served in the Middle East during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign being involved in the Battle of Megiddo .-Formation 1918:Commander Major General P C Palin...

.

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1922, the 72nd Punjabis became the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment

2nd Punjab Regiment

The 2nd Punjab Regiment was a British Indian Army regiment from 1922 to the partition of India in 1947.The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of other regiments:*1st Battalion, from the 67th Punjabis, formerly the 7th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry...

. After independence they were one of the regiments allocated to the Indian Army

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

.

Predecessor names

• 16th Battalion Coast Sepoys - 1759
• 13th Carnatic Battalion - 1769
• 12th Carnatic Battalion - 1770
• 12th Madras Battalion - 1784
• 2nd Battalion, 8th Madras Native Infantry - 1796
• 12th Madras Native Infantry - 1824
• 2nd Burma Infantry - 1890
• 12th Regiment (2nd Burma Battalion) Madras Infantry - 1891
• 12th Burma Infantry - 1901
• 72nd Punjabis - 1903