The first title of the regiment was 16th Sylhet Local Battalion when it was raised in 1824. According to H J Huxford’s list of titles the designation was changed from 16th to 11th in 1826, but in the early history there is no mention of a change of title until 1861 when they briefly became the 48th Bengal Native Infantry. So this shoulder-belt plate may have been worn longer than the first two years. It was auctioned by Spink on 30 Nov 2000 (estimated price 250-300 pounds). The catalogue described it as an officer’s belt plate, silver but not hallmarked.
