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43rd Indian Lorried Infantry Brigade a Gurkha Unit with Punjabis???

Discussion in 'Indian Army' started by Sir Hamael Mirza Mughal, Aug 23, 2025.

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“Which unit do you think might be from"?

  1. 3rd Battalion/ 1st Punjab Regiment

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  2. 3rd Battalion/ 2nd Punjab Regiment

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  3. 4th Battalion/ 16th Punjab Regiment

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  4. 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)

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  5. 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (KEO)

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  6. 18th King Edward's Own

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  1. I've seen that cavalry and lancer regiments also wore black lanyards as a symbol, as did armored units. I thought the Royal Signal Corps had light ones.

    But you could guess otherwise from the pictures.

    I'll try to find out his full name from older family members the next time I'm in Great Britain. I suspect his name was Aladeen Mirza Mughal.

    All I know is that he was born in Punjab around 1919/1920 as a sepoy and the son of a sepoy who served in World War I in Mesopotamia and then in Afghanistan in 1919. He was sent to North Africa, far from home, at the end of 1940.
    Later he fought in Italy and came bock to Punjab in 1947, where he joined the Punjab Boundary Force.

    He must have joined the British Indian Army in 1939.

    But nevertheless, I thank you for all your support and opinions so that I can form my own opinion, and I will try to find out his name and more on my own. There should also be letters from him and other pictures.
     
    davidbfpo likes this.
  2. I'd like to thank all of you for putting me on the right track!

    According to my own research, the combination of long kharki drill trousers, a dark (chocolate brown) beret, and a dark lanyard can only point to a technical unit. The most likely qualifications would be field radio operator or combat engineer. (He could also have been in the anti-tank unit or driving an infantry fighting vehicle, but I'm less likely to consider that.) It also fits that he attended an English Christian mission school and continued to receive technical training which he used after the war, which he likely acquired during his field service.
     
  3. I found a document that shows the formation of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade (1st Indian Amoured Division) during the North African campaign in 1942. He must have served in one of these units.
     

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