The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs was an infantry regiment in the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1846, when they were known as the Regiment of Ludhiana. During the Indian Mutiny they were relied upon to hold Benares throughout the period of the Mutiny. In 1861, they became the 15th Bengal Native Infantry and shortly afterwards to the 15th (Ludhiana) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1864. Further changes in title followed they became the 15th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1885, the 15th (Ludhiana) Sikh Infantry in 1901 and the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. To honour the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Indian they took part in the Rawalpindi Parade 1905.
15th Ludhiana Sikhs
The Ludhiana Sikh Regiment in China, Circa 1860, during the Second Opium War
The 15th Sikhs being given a heroes' welcome upon their arrival in Marseille, France, during the First World War.
British and Indian officers, 15th Sikhs, Le Sart, France
Battle of Kandahar (1880)
The Battle of Kandahar, 1 September 1880, was the last major conflict of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The battle in southern Afghanistan was fought between the British forces under command of General Roberts and the Afghan forces led by Ayub Khan. It ended with a British victory.
Kandahar: 92nd Highlanders storming Gundi Mulla Sahibdad, Richard Caton Woodville
9th Lancers on the march to Kandahar, water-colour by Orlando Norie. The troops would march in the early morning to avoid the full heat of the sun, halting a few minutes every hour. In this way, the column managed to cover up to 20 miles a day
"Lord Roberts of Kabul and Kandahar on his Celebrated Charger," by Richard Caton Woodville (Harper's Magazine, European Edition, December 1897, p27). For his services, General Roberts received the thanks of Parliament, and was appointed both Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) and Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1880, becoming a baronet the following year
British and Sikh troops at Kandahar 1880. Artillery support was frequently ineffective and on occasions the Afghan artillery proved to be better equipped than the British
