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 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. It remained in India during the First World War but took an active part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. It was on the North West Frontier in September 1939, and converted to Risalpur Training Brigade (later

155th Indian Infantry Brigade The 155th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during the Second World War. The brigade was formed by the conversion of the ''Risalpur Training Brigade'' in March 1944, and it operated as a jungle training brigade. ...

) in November 1940.

History

Formation

The Kitchener Reforms, 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

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 and other local forces into one Indian Army. 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 relegated to a secondary role. The Army was organized into divisions and brigades 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, the brigade was headquartered in the

Risalpur Cantonment Risalpur Cantonment is a cantonment adjacent to the Risalpur in Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the wor ...

and commanded the following units: *

13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamati ...

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 ...

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 * Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry ''(at Mardan)'' Of the six

brigades in the Indian Army in August 1914, the 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade was the only one that was not sent to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. 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 The 21st Lancers (Empress of India's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1858 and amalgamated with the 17th Lancers in 1922 to form the 17th/21st Lancers. Perhaps its most famous engagement was the Battle of Omdurman, where Win ...

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 The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment, known before independence as The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry), was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Presidency ...

* 22nd Machine Gun Squadron * M Battery, RHA * 1st Field Troop, 1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners In August 1918, the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers traded places with the

1st (King's) Dragoon Guards The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed the 2nd Kin ...

in 4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade 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 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: *

16th/5th Lancers The 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 16th The Queen's Lancers and the 5th Royal Irish Lancers in 1922. The reason for the uniquely atypical regimental title (wit ...

''(departed in March 1940 for the United Kingdom)'' * 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; left on 25 September 1939 for Khojak Brigade)'' * 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 ''(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 Sardar Rissala (

ISF ISF may stand for: Science and technology *Interstitial fluid * Imaging Science Foundation *Incremental sheet forming *Information Security Forum, an international information security best practices organization * Ingenieurs Sans Frontieres (Engi ...

) ''(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 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 rec ...

at Sialkot on 1 July 1940. In November, 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade was reconstituted as ''Risalpur Training Brigade'' and in March 1944 as ''

''.

Commanders

The Mardan Brigade / Nowshera Cavalry Brigade / 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade / 1st Indian Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:

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