The 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade 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 ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
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 ...
formed in 1906 as a result of the
Kitchener Reforms
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 cou ...
. It remained in India during 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 ...
but took an active part in the
Third Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War; fa, جنگ سوم افغان-انگلیس), also known as the Third Afghan War, the British-Afghan War of 1919, or in Afghanistan as the War of Independence, began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan inv ...
in 1919.
It was on the
North West Frontier in September 1939, and converted to Risalpur Training Brigade (later
155th Indian Infantry Brigade) in November 1940.
History
Formation
The
Kitchener Reforms
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 cou ...
, carried out during
Lord Kitchener's tenure as
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...
(1902–09), completed the unification of the three former
Presidency armies
The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presidenc ...
, the
Punjab Frontier Force
The Punjab Irregular Force (PIF) was created in 1851 to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British East India Company Presidency armies of the three Presidencies o ...
, the
Hyderabad Contingent
The Nizam's Contingent, later Hyderabad Contingent, was the army funded by the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of a Princely state of India.http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTemp12PLM8C.aspx?MnId=l7m6i4kBQ6GVWWXGRMx4Yg&ParentID=RSk ...
and other local forces into one
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
. Kitchener identified the Indian Army's main task as the defence of the
North-West Frontier against foreign aggression (particularly Russian expansion into Afghanistan) with
internal security
Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility fo ...
relegated to a secondary role. The Army was organized into
divisions and
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
s that would act as field formations but also included internal security troops.
The brigade was formed on 1 January 1906 as Mardan Brigade
and in June 1907 it was renamed as Nowshera Cavalry Brigade.
In 1910, it was renamed again, this time as 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade.
Other than a period from September 1920 until 1927 when it was simply numbered as 1st Indian Cavalry Brigade, it retained this identity until finally broken up in November 1940.
First World War
At the outbreak of 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 brigade was
headquartered
Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top ...
in the
Risalpur Cantonment and commanded the following units:
*
13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers
*
14th Murray's Jat Lancers
*
1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse
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, afte ...
*
Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Cavalry
*
M Battery, Royal Horse Artillery
M (Headquarters) Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the Headquarters Battery of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. As of 2015, it is based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England. Th ...
*
Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry ''(at
Mardan
Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...
)''
Of the six
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 ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
s in the Indian Army in August 1914, the 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade was the only one that was not sent to the
Western Front. It remained in India throughout the war,
guarding the Frontier (with particular responsibility for the post at Mardan).
[ A large number of units rotated in and out of the brigade throughout the war.][
]
Third Anglo-Afghan War
Under mobilization plans drawn up in July 1918, IV Corps, with 1st (Peshawar) Division under command, would have included 1st and 10th Indian Cavalry Brigade
The 10th Indian Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It remained in India throughout the war.
History
The Headquarters 10th Indian Cavalry Brigade w ...
s with:[
* 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers
* ]1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse)
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, afte ...
* 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry
* 22nd Machine Gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
Squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
* M Battery, RHA
* 1st Field Troop, 1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
In August 1918, the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers traded places with the 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards in 4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade
C4, C04, C.IV, C-4, or C-04 may refer to:
Places
* Caldwell 4 or NGC 7023 or Iris Nebula, a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus
* Circumferential Road 4 or C-4, an arterial road of Manila, Philippines
* Ken-Ō Expressway (includes so ...
and the latter mobilized with the brigade in May 1919. At Dakka on 16 May, the 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards made the last recorded charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
by a British horsed cavalry regiment.
Second World War
The brigade was on the North West Frontier in September 1939 under the command of Peshawar District. It commanded the following units at the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
:
* 16th/5th Lancers ''(departed in March 1940 for the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
)''
* Probyn's Horse (5th King Edward VII's Own Lancers) ''(transferred in January 1940 to 1st Indian Motor Brigade)''
* The Guides Cavalry (10th Queen Victoria's Own Frontier Force) ''(at Mardan
Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...
; left on 25 September 1939 for Khojak Brigade
The 20th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II.
History
The brigade was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Divisi ...
)''
* 5th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment
The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...
''(at Mardan)''
* 1st Cavalry Brigade Signals Troop
A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...
''(transferred in January 1940 to 1st Indian Motor Brigade)''
The following units were attached:[
* Royal Deccan Horse (9th Horse) ''(October 1939 to January 1940)''
* ]13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers
The 13th Lancers is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1923 as 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers by the amalgamation of 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers and 32nd Lancers. On Partition of India in 1947, the regiment was ...
''(November 1939 to February 1940 and April 1940 onwards)''
* Jodhpur
Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...
Sardar Rissala ( ISF) ''(January to October 1940)''
The brigade lost most of its units to the 1st Indian Motor Brigade (designate) in early 1940. In the event, 1st Indian Motor Brigade was actually formed as 1st Indian Armoured Brigade 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 ...
on 1 July 1940. In November, 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade was reconstituted as ''Risalpur Training Brigade'' and in March 1944 as '' 155th Indian Infantry Brigade''.
Commanders
The Mardan Brigade / Nowshera Cavalry Brigade / 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade / 1st Indian Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:[
]
See also
* List of Indian Army Brigades in World War II
The Indian Army during World War II fought on three continents Europe, Africa and Asia. They also had to supply formations for home service. This list details the Cavalry, Armoured and Infantry brigades formed by the Indian Army during World War I ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* {{oob unit , id = 10075 , name = 1 (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade
C01
C01
Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army
Military units and formations established in 1906
Military units and formations disestablished in 1940
1906 establishments in India