19th King George's Own Lancers
Encyclopedia
The 19th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army
. Before 1956, it was known as 19th King George V's Own Lancers, which was a regular cavalry
regiment
of the British Indian Army
. It was formed in 1922, by the amalgamation of 18th King George's Own Lancers and 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse). On Partition of India
in 1947, the regiment was allotted to Pakistan
.
on the North West Frontier of India. During World War I
, the regiment was sent to France
in 1914 with the Indian Cavalry Corps
and participated in the Battles of the Somme and Cambrai. In 1918, it moved to Egypt
and took part in General Allenby
's brilliant campaign in Palestine
. The regiment fought in the Battle of Megiddo
and the subsequent dash towards Damascus
- riding 550 miles in 38 days!
at Cawnpore in 1860 for service in the Second Opium War
. In China
, the regiment fought in several sharp actions including those at Sinho, Chan-chi-wan and Pa-le-chiao. It then took part in the capture of Chinese capital of Pekin (Beijing
). In 1861, the regiment was redesignated as the 19th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry, becoming Lancers in 1864. It served in the Second Afghan War and fought in the Battle of Ahmad Khel in 1880. During World War I, the regiment served in France with the Indian Cavalry Corps and participated in the Battles of the Somme and Cambrai. In 1918, it took part in the Palestinian Campaign and fought with distinction in the Battle of Megiddo.
During the Second World War, the 19th KGVO Lancers was the divisional Reconnaissance Regiment of 25th Indian Infantry Division
and fought in the Third Arakan Campaign in Burma. In November 1944, the 25th Indian Division cleared the Mayu Range down to Foul Point and occupied Akyab Island. These actions included the decisive Battle of Kangaw and landings at Myebon
and Ru-Ywa to intercept the retreating Japanese. The regiment was actively engaged in these battles. In May, a squadron of 19th KGVO Lancers took part in the seaborne assault landing near Rangoon, which led to the capture of the Burmese capital. In April 1945 the 25th Indian Division was withdrawn to South India to prepare for the invasion of Malaya
. Although Japan surrendered in August, the operation proceeded as planned and the 25th Division along with 19th KGVO Lancers was the first formation to land in Malaya. It then proceeded to occupy the capital Kuala Lumpur
and accepted the surrender of the Japanese Army.
In 1947, with the partitioning of the British Indian empire and the creation of a separate state of Pakistan
, the 19th King George V's Own Lancers was transferred to the Pakistan Army. The regiment exchanged its Jat squadron with the Central India Horse for its Punjabi Mussalman squadron, and gave its Sikh squadron to Skinner's Horse in return for its Mussalman squadron.
, while the rest of the regiment was deployed near Kasur
as part of 1 Armoured Division. From Kasur, it was later sent to Lahore
Sector and then finally to Chawinda
as part of 6 Armoured Division
. It was here, that 19th Lancers finally got a chance to go into action. The regiment saw heavy fighting and played an important role in blunting the Indian offensive.
In 1993-94, the regiment was deployed in Mogadishu
, Somalia
, as part of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces (UNOSOM II
). The regiment's performance was highly commendable and it played a key role in rescuing the American Rangers
, who were trapped by Somali gunmen after the disastrous American operation on 3 and 4 October 1993.
, Tirah, Punjab Frontier, Somme 1916, Bazentin
, Flers-Courcelette
, Morval
, Cambrai 1917, France and Flanders 1914-18, Megiddo
, Sharon, Damascus, Palestine 1918
, Buthidaung, Mayu Valley, Myebon, Kangaw, Ru-Ywa, Dalet, Tamandu
, Rangoon Road, Burma 1942-45, Chawinda 1965
.
The Light Dragoons 2nd Battalion The Grenadier Guards
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
. Before 1956, it was known as 19th King George V's Own Lancers, which was a regular cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Indian Army
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 was formed in 1922, by the amalgamation of 18th King George's Own Lancers and 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse). On Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947, the regiment was allotted to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
18th King George's Own Lancers
The regiment was raised at Gwalior during the upheaval of the Indian Mutiny in 1858, as the 2nd Regiment of Mahratta Horse. In December, it was joined by a small body of independent cavalry of Punjabi Muslims called the Tiwana Horse. In 1861, it was redesignated as the 18th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry, becoming Lancers in 1886. The regiment served in the Second Afghan War during 1879-80 and took part in the 1897 Tirah CampaignTirah Campaign
The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:...
on the North West Frontier of India. 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 regiment was sent to 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...
in 1914 with the Indian Cavalry Corps
Indian Cavalry Corps
The Indian Cavalry Corps was a formation of the British Indian Army in World War I. It was formed in France in December 1914. It remained in France until March 1916, when it was broken up....
and participated in the Battles of the Somme and Cambrai. In 1918, it 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...
and took part in General Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
's brilliant campaign in Palestine
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
. The regiment fought in the Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
and the subsequent dash towards Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
- riding 550 miles in 38 days!
- 1861 18th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
- 1886 18th Regiment of Bengal Lancers
- 1901 18th Bengal Lancers
- 1903 18th Tiwana Lancers
- 1906 18th Prince of Wales's Own Tiwana Lancers
- 1910 18th King George's Own Lancers
19th Lancers (Fane's Horse)
The regiment was raised as the Fane's Horse by Captain Walter FaneWalter Fane
General Walter Fane CB was a British General who served in Central India, on the North West Frontier as well as in China during the Opium Wars. Fane raised a troop of irregular cavalry to fight in China made up of Indian volunteers and they went on to become Fane's Horse, a regiment that remains...
at Cawnpore in 1860 for service in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
. In China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the regiment fought in several sharp actions including those at Sinho, Chan-chi-wan and Pa-le-chiao. It then took part in the capture of Chinese capital of Pekin (Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
). In 1861, the regiment was redesignated as the 19th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry, becoming Lancers in 1864. It served in the Second Afghan War and fought in the Battle of Ahmad Khel in 1880. During World War I, the regiment served in France with the Indian Cavalry Corps and participated in the Battles of the Somme and Cambrai. In 1918, it took part in the Palestinian Campaign and fought with distinction in the Battle of Megiddo.
- 1861 19th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
- 1864 19th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry (Lancers)
- 1874 19th Regiment of Bengal Lancers
- 1901 19th Bengal Lancers
- 1903 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse)
19th King George V's Own Lancers
After the First World War, the number of Indian cavalry regiments was reduced from thirty-nine to twenty-one. However, instead of disbanding the surplus units, it was decided to amalgamate them in pairs. This resulted in renumbering and renaming of the entire cavalry line. The 18th King George's Own Lancers and 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) were merged to form the 18th/19th Cavalry. In 1923, the regiment was redesignated as the 19th King George's Own Lancers, and in 1937 as 19th King George V's Own Lancers. Their uniform was scarlet with white facings and blue overalls. The badge consisted of crossed lances with the cypher of King George V at the intersection, a crown above, and the title scroll below. The new class composition of the regiment was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Hindu Jats.During the Second World War, the 19th KGVO Lancers was the divisional Reconnaissance Regiment of 25th Indian Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division (India)
The 25th Indian Infantry Division was a division of the Indian Army during World War II which fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II.-History:...
and fought in the Third Arakan Campaign in Burma. In November 1944, the 25th Indian Division cleared the Mayu Range down to Foul Point and occupied Akyab Island. These actions included the decisive Battle of Kangaw and landings at Myebon
Myebon
-External links:*...
and Ru-Ywa to intercept the retreating Japanese. The regiment was actively engaged in these battles. In May, a squadron of 19th KGVO Lancers took part in the seaborne assault landing near Rangoon, which led to the capture of the Burmese capital. In April 1945 the 25th Indian Division was withdrawn to South India to prepare for the invasion of Malaya
Operation Zipper
During the Second World War, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it was never fully executed. Some of the proposed landings on Penang went...
. Although Japan surrendered in August, the operation proceeded as planned and the 25th Division along with 19th KGVO Lancers was the first formation to land in Malaya. It then proceeded to occupy the capital Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
and accepted the surrender of the Japanese Army.
In 1947, with the partitioning of the British Indian empire and the creation of a separate state of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the 19th King George V's Own Lancers was transferred to the Pakistan Army. The regiment exchanged its Jat squadron with the Central India Horse for its Punjabi Mussalman squadron, and gave its Sikh squadron to Skinner's Horse in return for its Mussalman squadron.
19th Lancers
In 1956, when Pakistan became a republic, all references to the British royalty were dropped and the regiment became simply the 19th Lancers. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, the regiment had the unique distinction of serving in four theatres of war. Its Recce Troop served with 12 Division in Operation Grand SlamOperation Grand Slam
Operation Grand Slam is virtually synonymous with the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. It refers to an audacious plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army, in May 1965, to attack the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, which was not only the lifeline of an entire infantry division in Jammu and Kashmir but...
, while the rest of the regiment was deployed near Kasur
Kasur
Kasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...
as part of 1 Armoured Division. From Kasur, it was later sent to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Sector and then finally to Chawinda
Battle of Chawinda
The Battle of Chawinda was a part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II....
as part of 6 Armoured Division
6th Armoured Division (Pakistan)
The 6th Armoured Division is a Pakistan Army armoured division currently based in Gujranwala, in Punjab Province.-Formation:The division was originally an armoured brigade known as the 100 Independent Armoured Brigade Group. In 1964, it was decided to use the headquarters and other assets of this...
. It was here, that 19th Lancers finally got a chance to go into action. The regiment saw heavy fighting and played an important role in blunting the Indian offensive.
In 1993-94, the regiment was deployed in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, as part of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces (UNOSOM II
UNOSOM II
United Nations Operation in Somalia II was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia, from March 1993 until March 1995....
). The regiment's performance was highly commendable and it played a key role in rescuing the American Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
, who were trapped by Somali gunmen after the disastrous American operation on 3 and 4 October 1993.
Battle Honours
Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, Ahmad Khel, Afghanistan 1878-80Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
, Tirah, Punjab Frontier, Somme 1916, Bazentin
Battle of Bazentin Ridge
The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Dismissed beforehand by one French commander as "an attack organized for amateurs by amateurs", it turned out to be "hugely successful" for...
, Flers-Courcelette
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
, Morval
Battle of Morval
The Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
, Cambrai 1917, France and Flanders 1914-18, Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)
The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
, Sharon, Damascus, Palestine 1918
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
, Buthidaung, Mayu Valley, Myebon, Kangaw, Ru-Ywa, Dalet, Tamandu
Tamandu
Tamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
, Rangoon Road, Burma 1942-45, Chawinda 1965
Battle of Chawinda
The Battle of Chawinda was a part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II....
.
Affiliations & Alliances
7th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 55th Coke's Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
The Light Dragoons 2nd Battalion The Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
Further reading
- Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2011). Battle Honours of 19th Lancers. Rawalpindi: The Author.
- Hudson, Havelock. (1937). History of the 19th King George's Own Lancers, 1858–1921. Aldershot: Gale & PoldenGale & PoldenGale and Polden was a British printer and publisher. Founded in Brompton, near Chatham, Kent in 1868, the business subsequently moved to Aldershot, where they were based until closure in November 1981 after the company had been bought by media mogul Robert Maxwell.-Early years:The firm of Gale and...
. - Pocock, Brig JG. (1962). The Spirit of a Regiment: Being the History of 19th King George V’s Own Lancers 1921-1947. Aldershot: Gale & PoldenGale & PoldenGale and Polden was a British printer and publisher. Founded in Brompton, near Chatham, Kent in 1868, the business subsequently moved to Aldershot, where they were based until closure in November 1981 after the company had been bought by media mogul Robert Maxwell.-Early years:The firm of Gale and...
. - 19th King George V’s Own Lancers: War News, September 1939 - December 1945.
- Gaylor, John. (1992). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 978-0-946771-98-1.
- Harris, RG, and Warner, C. (1979). Bengal Cavalry Regiments 1857–1914. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85045-308-9.
- Cardew, Lt FG. (1903). A Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army to the Year 1895. Calcutta: Military Department.
- Elliott, Maj Gen JG. (1968). The Frontier 1839-1947: The Story of the North-West Frontier of India. London: Cassell.
- Kempton, C. (1996). A Register of Titles of the Units of the H.E.I.C. & Indian Armies 1666–1947. Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. ISBN 978-0-9530174-0-9
- Kirby, Maj Gen S Woodburn. (1965). The War against Japan, volume 4 (The Reconquest of Burma). London: HMSO.
- Lucas, Sir Charles. (1926). The Empire at War, volume 5. London: Oxford University Press.
- Maxwell, Leigh. (1979). My God – Maiwand! Operations of the South Afghanistan Field Force 1878-80. London: Leo Cooper.
- Swinson, Arthur. (1969). North-West Frontier. London: Corgi.
- Trench, CC. (1988). The Indian Army and the King’s Enemies, 1900-1947. London: Thames and Hudson.
- Husain, Maj Gen Abrar. (2005). Men of Steel: 6 Armoured Division in the 1965 War. War Despatches of Major General Abrar Husain. Rawalpindi: Army Education Publishing House.
- Ahmed, Lt Gen Mahmud. (2006). History of Indo-Pak War – 1965. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.during 1st of ilove 19 lancer