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The 15th Lancers (''Cureton's Multanis'') was a
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
regiment of the
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
which existed from 1858 to 1921. Raised during the
1857 uprising
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
, the regiment later saw service in the
Second Afghan War of 1878–80 and the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The regiment was one of the single class regiments, with all troops being recruited from the
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
.
Cureton's Multanis had a blue uniform with scarlet facings. The badge comprised two crossed lances and a pennon with a star and crescent. The star was placed over the point of crossing of the lances and was inscribed with "XV". The crescent was placed lower down and had the words "CURETON"S MOOLTANEES" inscribed upon it.
The regiment had a tradition of giving a Muslim salute, i.e. ''
salaam
As-salamu alaykum ( ar, ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, , ), also ''Salamun Alaykum'' is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims worldwide when greet ...
'', a gesture of obeisance, instead of the regulation military salute. This departure from military regulations was permitted them by the
Lord Napier of Magdala.
Early history
During the
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...
,
risalas of
15th Lancers
The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottaba ...
horsemen had served with
Herbert Edwardes
Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes DCL (12 November 1819 – 23 December 1868) was a British administrator, soldier, and statesman active in the Punjab region of British India. He is best known as the "Hero of Multan" for his pivotal ...
and had distinguished themselves in the battles. During the
1857 rebellion, Edwards requested for their service and
Ghulam Hasan Khan with 300 horsemen reported for duty and were employed in
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
where they helped suppress the rebel
sepoy
''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...
s in that district. When peace was restored on the West of the Indus, Khan petitioned for a regiment to be formed. The British agreed to the raising of a risala of 600 sabres and Captain
Charles Cureton was placed in command.
Formally instituted in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
in 1858 from six risalas from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, it was originally raised in 1857 by Ghulam Hasan Khan as The Multani Regiment of Cavalry. The first native commandant Nawab Ghulam Hassan Khan also served as the British Political Agent to Afghanistan. In 1859 the regiment received men from Khan's ''Khakwani Risala'', from Lind's Multani Horse and from Pathan Horse risalas of Sirdar Mohhamed Afzal Khan, Shahzadeh Sultan Jan Sadozai and Muhamad Tyfoor.
The Multanis saw much action during the 1857 Uprising, mostly vigorous skirmishes including the charge on the cavalry of Prince Firoz Shah, a skilled warrior and cousin of the Mughal Badshah, which has been described as "one of the finest instances of shock action of cavalry which occurred during 1857". However, they were not awarded any battle honour for this conflict.
World War I
At the outset of World War I, 15th Lancers formed the divisional cavalry regiment of
3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...
. The formation was mobilised on 9 August 1914 and embarked at
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
at the end of the month. The division had a short halt in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
following which it embarked for France, finally disembarking in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
on 26 September, thus becoming the first British Indian cavalry regiment to land in France.
The regiment served at
Neuve Chapelle
Neuve-Chapelle ( vls, Nieuwkappel) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It was the site of a First World War battle in 1915.
Geography
Neuve-Chapelle is situated some northeast of Béthune and ...
,
Aubers
Aubers () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is west of Lille. The parish church is dedicated to St Vaast.
It was the site of a major World War I battle, the Battle of Aubers, during 1915.
Aubers is twinned with the E ...
,
Festubert
Festubert is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert.
Geography
A farming vil ...
, in the
battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...
, at
La Bassee
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
,
Messines Ridge
The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of Messines (now Mesen) in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War. The Nivell ...
,
Givenchy
Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...
and in the
battle of St Julien
During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the pre ...
.
In 1915, Cureton's Multanis were detached from the Lahore Division and sent to the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. On landing at
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
from Europe, 429 soldiers of Cureton's Multanis refused to fight fellow Muslims, i.e. the Turks, in the Holy Land of Islam but agreed to do so elsewhere.
The regiment was later sent to Persia where they carried out patrolling duties in the rugged interiors, engaging in a number of clashes with local tribes. Their primary role was to patrol the
East Persia Cordon
The Seistan Force, originally called East Persia Cordon, was a force of British Indian Army troops set up to prevent infiltration by German and Ottoman agents from Persia (Iran) into Afghanistan during World War I. The force was established to pro ...
, meant to prevent the infiltration of German and Turkish agent-provocateurs into Afghanistan. Of the soldiers who refused orders heavy penalties were awarded to 329, which were later commuted except in the case of the ring-leaders. This incident and shortage of suitable reinforcements led to the inclusion of two
Jat
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...
squadrons in 1916.
Battle honours
The battle honours of Cureton's Multanis are :
*
Afghanistan 1878–80
*
Neuve Chappelle
*
France and Flanders 1914–15
*
Persia 1916–19
Amalgamation
In the postwar reduction of cavalry, in 1921, the regiment was amalgamated with the
14th Murray's Jat Lancers
The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, also sometimes known as the Murray's Jat Horse, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army.
The regiment was first raised at Aligarh as an irregular cavalry unit in 1857 as the Jat Horse Yeomanry, for the Eas ...
at
Sialkot
Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
to form
20th Lancers. The successor regiment, 20th Lancers, was de-listed in 1937 after being converted into the
Indian Armoured Corps Training Centre at
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
, which subsequently was allotted to India. Both India and Pakistan re-raised successors to this regiment in 1956.
[Nath (2009), pp 486–488, 581–583, 731–732.]
In 1921, a new
15th Lancers
The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottaba ...
was raised by amalgamating the
17th Cavalry
The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottab ...
and
37th Lancers which was separate from Cureton's Multanis and did not bear that epithet.
Changes in designation
Cureton's Multanis had the following changes of name :
:1857 Independent Risalas of Pathan Horse
:1858 Multani Regiment of Cavalry
:1860 Cureton's Multani Regiment of Cavalry
:1861 15th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
:1871 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
:1890 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Lancers
:1901 15th (Cureton's Multani) Bengal Lancers
:1903 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)
:1921 Merged with 14th Murray's Jat Lancers to form 14th/15th Cavalry
:1922 20th Lancers
References
{{British Indian Army Cavalry Regiments 1903 - 1946
Military units and formations established in 1857
Military units and formations disestablished in 1921
British Indian Army cavalry regiments
Honourable East India Company regiments
1857 establishments in India