1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) explained

Unit Name:1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)
Dates:1803–present
Country:India
Allegiance: (1803-1947)
(1947–1950)
India (1950–present)
Branch: (1803–1947)
Indian Army (1947–present)
Type:Cavalry
Size:Regiment
Equipment:T-72 tanks
Colonel Of The Regiment:Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth[1]
Notable Commanders:James Skinner
Lt Gen Gurbachan Singh (Buch)
Lt Gen GS Grewal (Goody)
Maj Gen SS Grewall
Maj Gen Ajay Sood
Lt Gen RK Loomba
Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi
Lt Gen PS Mehta
Lt Gen RK Jagga
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth
Lt Gen DG Misra
Identification Symbol:1 Horse
Nickname:Yellow Boys
Motto:Himmat e Mardaan Madad e Khuda (The bravery of man is by the help of God)[2] [3]
Battles:First Afghan War
Battle of Ghazni
Battle of Jellalabad
Battle of Kabul
Bhurtpore 1842
First Sikh War
Battle of Moodkee
Battle of Ferozeshah
Battle of Aliwal
Battle of Sobraon
Second Sikh War
Battle of Ramnagar
Battle of Chillianwala
Battle of Gujrat
Second Afghan War
Kandahar 1878–80
Afghanistan1878
Boxer Rebellion
Battle of Peking
World War I
France and Flanders
Defence of Gumbaz
World War II
East African Campaign
Battle of Keren
Amba Alagi
Western Desert Campaign
Agordat
Abyssinia
Senio Flood Bank
Italian Campaign[4]
Post Independence
Operation Polo
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, after independence as the fourth oldest and one of the senior cavalry regiments of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.[5]

Formation

After the Anglo-Maratha War of 1803, James Skinner ("Sikander Sahib") was dismissed from service by Daulat Rao Sindhia and was recruited by Lord Lake, who asked him to raise a regiment of 'Irregular Cavalry'. On February 23, 1803 the regiment was raised at Hansi, Haryana in the service of the East India Company.[6] The initial contingent consisted of 800 men of Perron's Horse, who were under service of the Scindia,[7] [8] all of whom were old Muslims comrades of James Skinner.[9] Skinner was one of a certain group of officers, such as Gardner and Hearsay, who had become British leaders of irregular cavalry that preserved the traditions of cavalry of the Mughal empire, which had a political purpose because it absorbed pockets of cavalrymen who might otherwise become disaffected plunderers.[10] Herber writes: "Altogether the dress, arms and appearance would lead any one versed in Indian history to believe Skinner's Horse to be the descendants of the conquering Moguls of Timour."[11]

A second regiment of Indian Cavalry was raised by Colonel James Skinner in 1814, which became the 3rd Skinner's Horse. On the reduction of the Indian Army in 1922, 1st and 3rd Regiments were amalgamated and became Skinner's Horse (1st Duke of York's Own Cavalry) and later the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse). The regiment took its present designation in 1950.

Class composition

Early 1800s

During its early years, the 1st regiment of Skinner's Horse recruited men from Haryana and Doaba areas. The recruits was mainly composed of Ranghars(Muslim Rajputs),[12] Syeds, Moghuls, and localized Pathans from Delhi, Haryana and Western U.P.[13] with a few Rajputs and Brahmins. Thus the regiment was an predominantly Indian Muslim unit.[14]

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857

In 1864, it had three squadrons (six troops) and the composition was changed, so that there was one troop each of Muslim, Dogras, Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs and Brahmins. In 1885, a squadron (consisting of 2 troops) of Sikhs were added. In 1887, the regiment had one squadron each of Sikhs, Jats, Ranghars and half a squadron each of Rajputs and Hindustani Muslims. Later the composition was changed to one squadron each of Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs (from Eastern Punjab and Jodhpur) and Muslim Rajputs. By the end of the Great War, the regiment had four squadrons of Hindustani Muslims, one each of Moghuls, Ranghars (Muslim Rajputs), Syeds and localized Pathans recruited from Delhi, Haryana and Western United Provinces. The 3rd regiment had a similar composition. In 1927, following the amalgamation of the regiment, the troops were Jats, Rajputs and Ranghars mainly from Gurgaon, Rohtak and Hissar. Post partition, Hindustani Muslim and Ranghar squadrons of the Skinner's Horse were given to the Pakistan Armoured Corps in exchange of a Sikh Squadron from 19th King George V's own Lancers. The regiment presently recruits Jats, Sikhs and Rajputs.[12] [13] [15] [14] [16]

Lineage

1st Lancers

Source:[17]

3rd Skinner's Horse

Source:

Post amalgamation

Early history

After its formation in 1803, the regiment was involved in a number of the campaigns on the Indian subcontinent, notably the Siege of Bharatpur, the First Afghan War, the Second Afghan War, the First Sikh War and the Second Sikh War. In 1842, a detachment of the regiment lost 108 men out of 180 engaged in a clash at Kandahar. The 1st Skinner's Horse remained loyal during the Indian Mutiny of 1857, seeing service in the Ravi River district and distinguishing itself at Chichawatni.[3]

It was the first Indian Army regiment sent overseas during the Boxer Rebellion and participated in the Battle of Peking. During this campaign the regiment clashed with Tartar cavalry and served alongside United States units – the first occasion where British Indian and US troops served together.[20]

World War I

The 1st regiment remained at the North-West Frontier of British India throughout the war. The 3rd regiment had been stationed in Meerut when the war broke out. The regiment was a part of the 7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. The brigade received orders to mobilise on 24 October 1914.[3] It sailed from Bombay and reached Marseilles port in France by 15 December 1914.[21]

The regiment was in France till August 1916. It saw extensive action in many parts of France. It was awarded the battle honours France and Flanders for its fine performance. It was sent to Mesopotamia as a part of the 7th Meerut Cavalry Brigade Headquarters. The regiment was then ordered back to India where it concentrated in Rawalpindi in August 1916 for operations in Afghanistan.[22] A detachment of the regiment was tasked to guard the post at Gumboz and held against the attack by the Marris on 17 February 1918.[3]

The regiment won the following gallantry awards –[23]

Interwar period

After World War I, the cavalry of the British Indian Army was reduced from thirty-nine regiments to twenty-one. On 18 May 1921, the two regiments of Skinner's Horse were amalgamated at Sialkot with the new title of the 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse.[22] Each of the squadrons was equipped with one Hotchkiss gun and with .303 Short Magazine Lee–Enfield rifles. The machine gun troops of the Headquarters Squadron were equipped with the .303 Vickers machine gun. The traditional sillidar-system of most of the cavalry was abolished shortly after World War I and Indian troopers were now provided with government horses rather than having to provide the animals themselves in return for a higher rate of pay. The Skinner's Horse accordingly acquired the status of a fully regular regiment of the British Indian Army and received standard government-issue equipment for all purposes.[22] [24]

World War II

At the beginning of World War II the regiment was still mounted, but was quickly converted to act as a mechanised reconnaissance regiment and was attached to the 5th Indian Division and when the division was sent to the Sudan, formed part of Gazelle Force.[25]

During the rest of the war the regiment was attached variously to the 4th Indian Infantry Division; the British 10th Armoured Division, the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade and the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The regiment fought in East Africa, North Africa and Italy and was awarded battle honours for Agordat, Keren, Amba-Alagi, Abyssinia, Senio Flood Bank and Italy.[22] The senior Pakistani politician Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan (1915–1998), who served with Skinner's Horse in Sudan/Africa during the Second World War, has written a brief but memorable account of the regiment's service there, in his memoirs, "The Nation that Lost its Soul" (Lahore: Jang Pubs, 1995).

The regiment won the following gallantry awards –[26] [27]

Post War

The regiment was switched to tanks in 1946, receiving the Stuart tank, and a year later Churchills. In 1947 with the Indian independence, the regiment became part of the Indian Army Armoured Corps. The first Indian commander was Lieutenant Colonel RM Bilimoria, and the regiment was stationed at Ahmednagar.

Hyderabad Police ActionThe regiment took part in the annexation of Hyderabad in 1948, following which it stopped the use of Stuart tanks.[28] [29] The Churchill tank remained in use until 1957, after which the regiment was equipped with Sherman Mk IV's.
  • Indo-Pakistani War of 1965In 1965, equipped with Sherman tanks, the unit's B Squadron supported 50th Parachute Brigade near Dograi and 2 troops helped 3 Jat in the epic battle of Dograi.[7] Eight years later, in 1965 the regiment converted to the T-54 and then to the T-55.
  • Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The regiment with its T-55 tanks was part of the 2 Independent Armoured Brigade under 39 Infantry Division.[30] It took part in operations initially in Samba and then in Shakargarh sector and was awarded the battle honour Harar Kalan.[31] [7] [32]

    • The regiment won the following gallantry awards-

    In 1979, the regiment converted to the T-72 tanks.In 2003, a special service was held at the St. James' Church, Delhi, which was built by James Skinner, to commemorate the bicentenary of the regiment.[36]

    Uniforms

    The old 1st Lancers wore yellow uniforms (uniquely in the British Empire) and the old 3rd wore dark blue. The "yellow" was actually close to mustard in shade and led to the regiment being nicknamed "Canaries" or "Yellow Boys" from its formation.[37] Each regiment had the full-dress (mounted) long 'Kurta' worn with a turban and cummerbund for all ranks, also a full-dress (dismounted) or levee, dress for British officers only. These were not in general use after 1914 but could still be worn by officers on special assignments (e.g. as an aide-de-camp) or while attending court functions. The merged Skinner's Horse was assigned a dark blue full dress with yellow facings in 1922 but by 1931 the historic yellow and black had been restored. The yellow mess jacket and black waistcoat of the old 1st Bengal Lancers was adopted by the 1922 regiment of Skinner's Horse and was the cold weather mess dress until 1939. All six of these various uniforms are in the collection of the National Army Museum.

    The cap badge of the regiment prior to independence consisted of a central rose over crossed lances, with a crown between the lance-heads. A scroll below bears the inscription, 'Himmat-I-Mardan Madad-I-Khuda'. The present cap badge replaced the crown by a horse mounted by a cavalryman.[38]

    Battle and Theatre Honours

    Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839, Khelat, Afghanistan 1839, Candhahar 1842, Maharajpore, Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Aliwal, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1879-1880, Punjab Frontier, Pekin 1900, France and Flanders 1914-16, North West Frontier India 1915, Baluchistan 1918, Afghanistan 1919, Agordat, Keren, Amba Alagai, Abyssinia 1940-41, Senio Floodbank, Italy 1943-46, Harar Kalan, Punjab 1971.[4] [7]

    The regiment was awarded with the 'Guidon' on 31 March 1971 at Babina by the then President V. V. Giri.

    Notable personnel

    Affiliate regiments

    Deployments

    1st Lancers

    3rd Skinner's Horse

    Post Amalgamation

    Commandant

    1st Lancers

    3rd Skinner's Horse

    Post Amalgamation

    Honorary Colonel

    1st Skinner's Horse

    References

    Further reading

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Gazette of India No 45. 2020-11-07. 2020-11-24.
    2. Web site: A home in the hills for Col James Skinner . . 2015-10-15. 2021-03-10.
    3. Book: Jackson, Donovan. India's Army. 1940. Sampson Low, Marston & Co Ltd. 26–34.
    4. Book: The Indian Army List, July – 1940. 1940. Defence Department, Government of India. 643.
    5. Web site: Army chief visits Skinner's Horse. 2010-10-02. 2021-03-10.
    6. Web site: Land deals by kin of James Skinner, founder of Skinner's Horse regiment, under ED scanner. 2020-08-14. 2021-03-10.
    7. Web site: Yellow Boys - Skinner's Horse. 2020-09-10.
    8. Web site: James Skinner: From Half-Born Mercenary to Sikandar Sahib. 2020-06-25. 2021-03-20.
    9. Book: A History of the British Cavalry, 1816–1850 . 1 1816–1919 . The Marquess of Anglesey. 1993 . Pen & Sword Books . 9781473814981 .
    10. Book: Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870 . Christopher Alan Bayly, C. A. Bayly . 1996 . Cambridge University Press . 9780521663601 .
    11. Book: Tours in Upper India and in Parts of the Himalaya Mountains . 375 . Edward C. Archer . 1833 .
    12. Book: Imperial Rule in Punjab: The Conquest and Administration of Multan, 1818-1881 . J. Royal Roseberry . 165 . 1987 . Riverdale Company . 9780913215234 .
    13. Book: Unbattled Fears: Reckoning the National Security . 2021 . Sumit Walia . 125. Lancer Publishers . 9788170623311 .
    14. Web site: Yellow Boys - Skinner's Horse . Sumit Walia . 2010 .
    15. Book: A History of the British Cavalry, 1816–1850 . 1 1816–1919 . The Marquess of Anglesey. 1993 . Pen & Sword Books . 9781473814981 .
    16. Book: Gautam, PK. Indigenous Historical Knowledge: Kautilya and His Vocabulary, Volume III. 2016. IDSA/Pentagon Press . 978-81-8274-909-2. 153.
    17. Web site: 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse. 2021-03-10.
    18. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For April I -1919 . 1919.
    19. Book: Army Department, Government of India . The Indian Army List 1922 April . April 1922.
    20. Christopher Rothero pages 6–7 "Skinner's Horse"
    21. Web site: Skinner's horse in the first world war 1914-18. 2014-10-01. 2021-03-20.
    22. Web site: global security. 29 June 2008 .
    23. Book: India, Adjutant General of . List of Honours Awarded to the Indian Army August 1914 to August 1921. 1930. Committee Indian War Memorial Delhi.
    24. Book: Gaylor, John. 11. Sons of John Company. 1992. Spellmount . 0-946771-98-7.
    25. Book: The Fighting Fifth – History of the 5th Indian Division. Director of Public Relations, War Department, Government of India.
    26. Book: The Tiger Strikes. 1942. Director of Public Relations, India Command, Government of India. 148.
    27. Book: The Tiger Kills. 1944. Director of Public Relations, India Command, Government of India. 309.
    28. Web site: Obituary: Lt-Col Michael Skinner. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-lt-col-michael-skinner-1094142.html . 1 May 2022 . subscription. . 2011-10-23. 2021-03-10.
    29. Web site: Operation Polo: The Liberation Of Hyderabad at Bharat Rakshak Volume 2-3, November-December 1999. 2021-03-21.
    30. Book: Gill, JH. An Atlas Of 1971 India Pakistan War - Creation of Bangladesh. 2003. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. 86.
    31. Web site: Skinner's Horse Commemoration Stamp Release. 1978-11-25. 2021-03-21.
    32. Web site: Harhar Kalan, The little known story of One Battle Honour. 2014-07-12. 2021-03-21.
    33. Web site: Gazette of India, No 34. 1972-08-19. 2022-01-19.
    34. Web site: Gazette of India, No 10. 1974-03-09. 2021-03-19.
    35. Web site: Gazette of India, No 19. 1974-05-11. 2021-03-19.
    36. https://www.flickr.com/photos/markbowyer/1422633648/ Bicentennial plaque at St James' Church
    37. W.Y. Carman, page 176 "Indian Army Uniforms – Cavalry", Morgan Grampian: London 1968
    38. Web site: National Army Museum Online Collection. 2021-03-10.
    39. Web site: Former Western Command chief dies of COVID in Delhi. 2021-05-21. 2021-06-23.
    40. Web site: Lt. Gen. Loomba new Military Intelligence chief. The Hindu. 2009-08-31. 2021-03-21.
    41. News: Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi takes charge of army's Eastern Command. The Economic Times. 2018-07-11.
    42. Web site: Desert Corps of Army celebrates Raising Day. 2018-02-27. 2021-10-03.
    43. Web site: Mehta is 1st Sikh officer from Kashmir to become Lt General. 2014-10-25. 2021-03-21.
    44. News: . His Majesty King Abdullah II Al-Hussein of Jordan visits armoured regiment at Hissar . PIB - Press Information Bureau . 2 December 2006.
    45. Web site: Battle of Kabul 1842. 2021-03-10.
    46. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For July I 1890.
    47. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For January I -1895 . 1895.
    48. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For April I 1899.
    49. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For January I -1902 No 5 . 1902.
    50. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For Oct I 1908.
    51. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For Oct I 1909.
    52. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For April I -1912 . 1912.
    53. Book: Army Headquarter India . The Quarterly Indian Army List For January I -1920.
    54. Book: Army Headquarters India . The Quarterly Indian Army List For April I -1920.
    55. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For July -1921 . 1921.
    56. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For Jan I 1893.
    57. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For January I -1911 . 1911.
    58. Book: Army Headquarter India . The Quarterly Indian Army List For January I -1920.
    59. Book: Army Headquarters India . The Quarterly Indian Army List For April I -1920.
    60. Book: Army Department, Government of India . The Indian Army List 1921 April . April 1921.
    61. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For Jan -1922 . 1922.
    62. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For April I -1915 . 1915.
    63. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For January I -1917 . 1917.
    64. Book: Army Department, Government of India . The Indian Army List 1921 April . April 1921.
    65. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For Oct I 1895.
    66. Book: Military Department . The Quarterly Indian Army List For July I 1905.
    67. Book: Authority Of The Council . Indian Army List For October I -1913 . 1913.
    68. Book: Army Department, Government of India . The Indian Army List 1921 April . April 1921.

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