40th Pathans of the British-Indian Army

The 40th Pathans in the British Indian Army

From 1890 to 1901, the 40th Pathans was the only regiment in the British Indian Army composed solely of Pashtuns. The British did not trust them much and, during this period, avoided deploying them to the North-West Frontier, fearing they might rebel and join their kinsmen fighting against British forces. The British also derisively nicknamed the regiment the ‘40 Thieves,’ after the Ali Baba story.

In 1901, the uneasy British authorities decided to end the regiment’s exclusively Pashtun character by adding two companies of Punjabi Muslims and two companies of Dogras, while retaining four companies of Pashtuns. Later, due to widespread unrest among Pashtun soldiers over fighting against the Ottomans during the First World War, the British grew even more wary of them. Consequently, it was decided to abolish the name “40th Pathans” and merge the unit with several other Punjabi infantry regiments to form the 14th Punjab Regiment.

Soldiers of the 40th Pathans infantry regiment of the British-Indian Army, 1914. Source

40th Pathans attacking German positions near Ypres (Belgium), 26 April 1915. Illustration by AC Michael.