The 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry 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 in 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 ...

. It was formed in 1842 and in 1921 was amalgamated with the

7th Hariana Lancers The 7th Hariana Lancers was a cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1846 and in 1921 was amalgamated with the 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry to form the 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry. The unit was formed in 1846 as a regi ...

to form the

18th King Edward's Own Cavalry The 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. Following the independence of India, the regiment was allotted to the Indian Army and redesignated as the 18th Cavalry. Formation Tracing its origins ...

History

The 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry was raised at Fatehgarh in 1842 by Lt W H Ryves as the 8th Regiment of Bengal Irregular Cavalry. Their first action was in 1843 during the Gwalior Campaign in central India for which they earned the battle honour '' Punniar''. In 1845 they were involved in the First Anglo-Sikh War and participated in the '' Battle of Moodkee'', the '' Battle of Ferozeshah'' and the '' Battle of Sobraon''. They were next in action in Egypt during the

1882 Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

where they were awarded the battle honours ''

Egypt 1882 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 ...

'' as a theatre honour and for the '' Battle of Tel-El-Kebir''. It was while on service in Egypt that khaki was worn by all ranks for the first time. During World War I they were part of the

2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade The Sialkot Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1904 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 1st India ...

1st Indian Cavalry Division The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a division of the British Indian Army which was formed at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front, and was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the ...

which arrived in France in November 1914. They were involved in the First Battle of Ypres and other actions on 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 ...

but notably in the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Cambrai. The brigade formation was: *

17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lanc ...

* 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry *

19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) The 19th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Before 1956, it was known as 19th King George V's Own Lancers, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, by the amalgamation of 18th K ...

* Brigade Signal Troop They moved to Egypt in March 1918 and were transferred to

22nd Mounted Brigade The North Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 22nd Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. ...

. They took part in

Allenby Allenby is a surname of English origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby (1861–1936), British Army field-marshal ** Named for the above: **Allenby Street, Tel Aviv, Israel **Allenby Bridge between J ...

's campaign in Palestine. The regiment then spent the period 1919-20 in West Asia on occupation duties. It returned to India in October 1920, landing at Bombay from where it took a train to Ferozepore which it reached on 15 October 1920. In 1921, the regiment was amalgamated with the

to form the 6th/7th Cavalry. This was quickly changed in 1922 to

Regimental titles

The regiment underwent a number of changed in title until amalgamation in 1921: * 18428th Irregular Cavalry * 18616th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry * 18836th (The Prince of Wales's) Bengal Cavalry * 19016th (Prince of Wales's) Bengal Cavalry * 19036th Prince of Wales's Cavalry * 19066th

King Edward King Edward may refer to: Monarchs of England and the United Kingdom * Edward the Elder (–924) * Edward the Martyr (–978) * Edward the Confessor (–1066) * Edward I of England (1239–1307) * Edward II of England (1284–1327) * Edward III o ...

's Own Cavalry

Battle honours

The regiment was awarded the following battle honours: : Punniar,

Moodkee Mudki, also spelled as Moodkee, is a town in Punjab state of India. This town lies in Ferozepur district. Mudki has been famous for the Battle of Mudki, which took place in 1845 between the British and Sikh armies. In memory of Sikh soldiers who ...

, Ferozeshah, Sobraon,

, Tel-el-Kebir, Punjab Frontier Battle honours for the First World War were awarded in 1926 to the successor regiment. These included: :

Somme 1916 __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

, Morval, Cambrai 1917,

France and Flanders 1914–18 The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of import ...

, Megiddo,

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Palestine 1918 for the service of the 6th Cavalry.

References

Bibliography

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External links