| COLONELS OF THE REGIEMENT | | | Brigadier Gurkirpal Singh
 Brigadier Gurkirpal Singh was born in the village of Bhanaur in Ludhiana district of Punjab. He became the Colonel of the Regiment on 8 June 1953. He had the distinction of being the first Indian commissioned officer to be elected as a Colonel of a regiment. Under his stewardship the regiment doubled in strength from four to eight battalions. It was owing to his persistent efforts that the regimental centre, which was amalgamated with the Punjab Regimental Centre at Meerut, could be bifurcated on 31 March 1963.
Hailing from a military family - his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, all belonged to the Hodson's Horse - Gurkirpal Singh joined the army as a 'Y' cadet on completion of his studies and then entered the Hodson's Horse. After a year he was selected to join the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned on 1 February 1936. Initially, he was attached to the 1st Battalion, The Dorset Regiment and thereafter posted to the 8th Punjab Regiment. With that regiment he saw service with the 3rd battalion in action in Italy during the Second World War, the 4th battalion, and with the 5th battalion in operations in the erstwhile North West Frontier Province.
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After independence, he came over to the newly formed Sikh Light Infantry and commanded the 1st and later the 3rd battalion. He was the first Indian commissioned officer to assume command the 3rd battalion when it was occupying Fort St. George at Madras (now Chennai). On promotion to Brigadier he commanded 168 Infantry Brigade, 81 Infantry brigade and Ambala Sub Area, from where he retired. During the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict he raised the Jorhat Sub Area.
A keen sportsman and a particularly good hockey player in his youth, Brigadier Gurkirpal Singh took to farming after retirement, while still having the interests of the regiment at heart. As President of the Ex-Servicemens' League and Vice President of the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen's Board, he played a notable part in promoting the welfare of ex-servicemen. The regiment owes a lot to him.
Brigadier Gurkirpal Singh died on 17 September 1992, at Panchkula.
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