Various battalions were deployed to regions of British interest, ranging from modern-day China, Egypt, Burma and erstwhile Abyssinia. Between 1903 and 1922, the British Indian Army included 28 numbered Punjabi Regiments. In 1922, these were amalgamated into six numbered regiments, namely: 1st Punjab Regiment 2nd Punjab Regiment 8th Punjab Regiment 14th Punjab Regiment 15th Punjab Regiment 16th Punjab Regiment These regiments would all play a prominent role during World War II. From the 14th Punjab Regiment, the 1st and 5th battalions were deployed in Malaya during the opening stages of the Southeast Asian theatre. The 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel James Fitzpatrick, was overrun by Imperial Japanese forces at Changlun during the Battle of Jitra. With only 270 survivors, the 1st Battalion was not reformed during the rest of the campaign. The 5th Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Livesy Lawrence Stokes, performed relatively well in the British invasion of Japanese Thailand in early December 1941. However, Stokes died in Japanese captivity on 15 February 1942, following the Battle of Slim River. The 5/14th Punjabis was forced to surrender along with the rest of the British Commonwealth forces after the Fall of Singapore to the Empire of Japan on 15 February 1942. However, a number of the Indian troops from both battalions later joined the Japanese-backed Indian National Army, and formed a part of the Hindustan Field Force. Partition of India and independence In 1947, the British Raj announced the independence of British India, which would be split into two separate countries: a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. Likewise, the British Indian Army was also to be divided between the two states. Out of the six existing Punjab Regiments, the 1st Punjab, 8th, 14th, 15th and 16th were allotted to the newly raised Pakistan Army, while the 2nd went to the Indian Army. The Punjab Regiment of the Pakistan Army was raised in its present form in 1956, when four of the five Punjab Regiments allocated to Pakistan were merged into a unified unit. Punjab Regiments allocated to Pakistan in 1947 (now part of the Pakistan Army Punjab Regiment) 1st Punjab Regiment 8th Punjab Regiment – Amalgamated with the 10th Baluch Regiment and Bahawalpur Regiment to form the present-day Baloch Regiment 14th Punjab Regiment 15th Punjab Regiment 16th Punjab Regiment The line up for the new regiment was: 1 Punjab – 1/1st Punjab 2 Punjab –