14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse
Encyclopedia
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
it can trace its formation back to two regiments of Scinde Irregular Horse raised at Hyderabad in 1839 and 1846 respectively.
These two regiments were absorbed into the regular forces after the Mutiny of 1857 and became the 35th Scinde Horse and the 36th Jacob's Horse
36th Jacob's Horse
- Origins :Raised by Lieut. John Jacob of the Bombay Artillery, they served first in Southern Afghanistan and later under Sir Charles Napier in the taking of Scinde....
. They saw active service in Northern and Central India, Persia, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
on the North West Frontier
North-West Frontier (military history)
The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...
and, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where they served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
The two regiments were amalgamated in 1922, as the present 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse which served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
- 1st Scinde Irregular Horse
- in 1861 became the 5th Bombay Cavalry
- in 1903 35th Scinde Horse
- 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse
- in 1861 became the 6th Bombay Cavalry
- in 1903 36th Jacob’s Horse
In 1922 the two regiments were amalgamated as the 14th Prince of Wales’s Own Scinde Horse.
35th Scinde Horse
The 35th Scinde Horse saw service in the Second Sikh War where it was involved in the Battle of Gujrat and the Second Afghan War. During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the regiment remained in India
36th Jacob's Horse
Raised by Lieut. John Jacob of the Bombay Artillery, they served first in Southern Afghanistan and later under Sir Charles NapierCharles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
in the taking of Scinde. They later were involved in the Second Sikh War and the Second Afghan War. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the 36th Jacobs Horse was a part of the 8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade, 1st Indian Cavalry Division
1st Indian Cavalry Division
The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a regular division of the British Indian Army. The division sailed for France from Bombay on October 16, 1914 , under the command of Major General H D Fanshawe. The division was re designated the 4th Cavalry Division in November 1916. During the war the Division...
which saw action in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and later moved to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for the Palestine Campaign; the brigade formation was:
- 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards
- 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse)
- 36th Jacob's Horse36th Jacob's Horse- Origins :Raised by Lieut. John Jacob of the Bombay Artillery, they served first in Southern Afghanistan and later under Sir Charles Napier in the taking of Scinde....
- Signal Troop
World War II
In World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse was attached to the newly formed 31st Indian Armoured Division
31st Indian Armoured Division
The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, as 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army...
, that had been raised in July 1940. The division trained extensively but with very few tanks — the tank Regiments assigned to 1st Indian Armoured Brigade had three M3 Stuart tanks each, though a number of the obsolete India Pattern light tanks were used for crew training. The final formation of the Division was the 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade
252nd Indian Armoured Brigade
The 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II.It was formed as the 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade in September 1939, and then when mechanized renamed the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade in February 1940, and finally the 252nd in January 1942, when it was...
and the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade
3rd Indian Motor Brigade
The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was a unit of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940. In its short history one of its regiments would be involved in the siege of Tobruk and the brigade was twice overrun during the Western Desert Campaign by units of the Afrika Corps and the Italian...
Though lacking tanks, the 252nd Armoured Brigade was detached and sent to Iraq in January 1942. Division headquarters moved to Iraq in June 1942, where it took command of the shattered remnants of 3rd Indian Motor Brigade which had been detached and over run by the Italians at the Battle of Gazala
Battle of Gazala
The Battle of Gazala was an important battle of the Second World War Western Desert Campaign, fought around the port of Tobruk in Libya from 26 May-21 June 1942...
and the 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade, which still had no tanks.
Armor finally arrived in November, when one Regiment received M3 Stuart tanks and the other two received Grant medium tanks
M3 Lee
The Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called "General Lee", named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and the modified version built with a new turret was called the "General Grant", named after U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant.Design commenced...
.
The Armourd Brigade formation was,
- 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse , Grant Tanks
- 4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Hodson's Horse , Stuart Tanks
- 14th/20th King's Hussars14th/20th King's HussarsThe 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992.- History :Originally styled the 14th/20th Hussars, the regiment was created in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars, as part of the reductions in the Army...
, Grants Tanks
31st Armoured Division never saw action as a unit, its closest brush with combat coming in April 1944 when it was rushed to Egypt to crush a mutiny among the Greek 1st Infantry Brigade.
The Brigade received M4 Sherman tanks in November 1943, apparently in preparation for transfer to combat in Italy, but only drove them in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.