The 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force), is an armoured regiment of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

. It was previously known as the 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry and was a regular cavalry regiment of the old

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 ...

. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) and the 23rd Cavalry.Effendi, Col MY. (2007). ''Punjab Cavalry: 11 Cavalry (Frontier Force) 1849–1971''. Karachi: Oxford University Press.

21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse)

The 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse) was raised as the 1st Punjab Irregular Cavalry by Lieutenant Henry Daly at Peshawar on 18 May 1849. It was one of five regiments of Punjab Cavalry raised to guard the North West Frontier of India, which soon became famous as part of the legendary Punjab Frontier Force or the Piffers. Over the next decades, the regiment saw extensive service on the Frontier. During the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

of 1857–58, the regiment operated in North India and took part in the Siege of Delhi and the Relief of Lucknow, where Lieutenant John Watson won the Victoria Cross. During the Second Afghan War of 1878–80, it formed part of Kandahar Field Force and fought in the Battle of Ahmed Khel. In 1890, Prince Albert Victor, the Crown Prince of Britain was gazetted as their Colonel-in-Chief, giving his name to the regiment, which has endured to this day. During the First World War, the regiment served in the Mesopotamian Campaign as part of 6th Indian Cavalry Brigade. It fought on the Tigris Front and took part in the capture of Kut al Amara and Baghdad. It also fought in the Actions of Istabulat, Ramadi, Daur and Tikrit. Later it saw service in Kurdistan and took part in the capture of

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

.North, REFG. (1934). ''The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846–1924''. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press * 1849 1st Punjab Irregular Cavalry * 1851 1st Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force * 1865 1st Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force 1st (PAVO) Punjab Cavalry 1900

* 1890 1st (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force * 1901 1st (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Punjab Cavalry * 1903 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) * 1904 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse)

23rd Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force)

The 23rd Cavalry was raised as the 3rd Punjab Irregular Cavalry by Lieutenant WG Prendergast at Lahore in 1849, and it too saw extensive service on the Frontier with the Punjab Frontier Force. During the Second Afghan War, it was part of the Kabul Field Force, and took part in Lord Roberts' famous march from Kabul to Kandahar and fought in the Battle of Kandahar. During the First World War, the regiment served in Mesopotamia as part of the

11th Indian Cavalry Brigade The 11th Indian Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Indian Army during the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and was broken up soon after the end of the war. ...

and was part of General Townsend's failed advance towards Baghdad. It then served on the Tigris Front. Later on, it moved to the Euphrates Front and fought in the Battles of Khan Baghdadi and Sharqat. One of its squadrons served in Persian Arabistan. On their return to Indian they saw service in the Third Afghan War of 1919. * 1849 3rd Punjab Irregular Cavalry * 1851 3rd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force * 1865 3rd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force * 1901 3rd Punjab Cavalry * 1903 23rd Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force)

Combined regiment

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 21st and 23rd Cavalry were amalgamated in 1921 to form 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force). The uniform of PAVO Cavalry was blue with scarlet facings. The new regiment's badge consisted of the Kandahar Star representing the five rivers of the Punjab. Its class composition was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The regiment was mechanised in 1940. During the Second World War, it initially served in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and Iran, and then went on to North Africa, where it fought in the Battle of Gazala. It then moved to Burma, where it greatly distinguished itself against the Japanese. In 1946, the regiment was sent to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

( Indonesia) to pacify the country after the surrender of the Japanese. On

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, PAVO Cavalry was allotted to Pakistan. The regiment was soon engaged in fighting the Indians in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. In 1956, Pakistan became a republic and all titles pertaining to British royalty were dropped. The regiment's new designation was 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force). During the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

, 11th Cavalry took part in Pakistan Army's advance towards Akhnur in Kashmir. It then fought in the

Battle of Chawinda {{Infobox military conflict , width = 380px , image = File:Sculpture showing Indo-Pak war.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Sculpture showing the Indo-Pakistani War {{clear {{OSM Location map , co ...

. In 1971, the regiment again served in the Chhamb Sector of Kashmir. It is the only armoured regiment of Pakistan Army to carry Battle Honours on its Regimental Colours for all three wars fought with India. * 1921 21st/23rd Cavalry (amalgamation) * 1922 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) * 1927 Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (11th Frontier Force) * 1956 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)

Badge

The badge worn by 11 Cavalry (Frontier Force) since 1974 is an amalgamation of badges of 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse) and 23rd Punjab Cavalry (Frontier Force). It consists of the Kabul to Kandahar Star taken from the badge of 23rd Punjab Cavalry that participated in the Second Afghan War. The swords are taken from the badge of 21st PAVO Cavalry, however, Christian Swords were replaced by Muslim Swords. The Arabic Numerals "١١" replaced the English Numerals "11". Quranic Verse replaced "KABUL TO KANDHAR 1880" around the Numeral "١١". The bugle on top shows association of this regiment with PIFFERS.

Battle Honours

British India:Rodger, Alexander. (2003). ''Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662–1991''. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press. * Delhi 1857 * Lucknow 1857 * Afghanistan 1878–80 * Ahmad Khel 1880 * Kandahar 1880, * Mesopotamia 1915–18 * Kut al Amara 1917 * Baghdad 1917 * Khan Baghdadi 1918 * Sharqat 1918 * Afghanistan 1919 * El Mechili 1941 (Libya) * Halfaya 1941 (Egypt) * Gazala 1941 (Egypt) * Bir Hacheim 1942 (Egypt) * Kohima 1944 (India) * Monywa 1945 (Burma) * Myinmu 1945 (Burma) * Irrawaddy 1945 (Burma) * Meiktilla 1945 (Burma) * Mandalay 1945 (Burma) * Rangoon 1945 (Burma) * Malaya 1945 * Java 1946 (Malaya) Pakistan: * Kashmir 1948 * Chhamb 1965 * Chawinda 1965 * Chhamb 1971

Affiliations & Alliances

* The 9th Battalion of the Frontier Force Regiment *

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and ...

References

External links

General Sir Henry Dermot Daly
{{British Indian Army Cavalry Regiments 1903 - 1946 British Indian Army cavalry regiments Honourable East India Company regiments Armoured regiments of Pakistan Indian World War I regiments Indian World War II regiments Military units and formations established in 1849 1921 establishments in British India R Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948