The Bihar Light Horse was a
mounted infantry 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 ...
. It was raised on 8 December 1862 as the Soubah Behar Mounted Rifles Volunteer Corps by
indigo planters of the
Tirhoot
Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...
and
Chapra
Chhapra can refer to the following:
* Chapra (''Buddha''), a fictional character in the manga series ''Buddha''
Places
* Chapra, Nadia (community development block), in Nadia district, West Bengal, India
** Chapra, Nadia, census town in Chapra, ...
districts in
Bihar in the aftermath of the
Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment formed a part of the cavalry reserve in the
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire.
The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...
(until 1895) and 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 ...
(until 1947). The regiment was disbanded on the eve of Indian independence on 15 August 1947.
The regiment was roughly equivalent to a
battalion in strength (~ 400 men).
History
When the
Indian rebellion of 1857 broke out in India, Fred Collingridge of the Doudpur factory proposed the formation of a defence force for the British residents of Muzaffarpur. 53 Englishmen under the command of Minden James Wilson chose the civil surgeon, Dr. A. Simpson's bungalow for a defence post, calling it "Fort Pill Box" in his honour. In 1862, Collingridge and C. T. Metcalfe, a Joint Magistrate, submitted an application for the raising of a Mounted Volunteer Corps to the Commissioner of the
Behar division. Sanction was obtained and on 8 December 1862, the Soubah Behar Mounted Rifles Volunteer Corps was formed. The first commandant was Major James Furlong.
The regiment was renamed the Bihar Light Horse Volunteer Corps on 29 February 1884. Its motto, adopted on 1 April 1917, "''Nec Aspera Terrent''" (They are not frightened of hardships). It ceased to exist as a Volunteer Corps, becoming the Bihar Light Horse Auxiliary Force, in October 1920.
Uniforms
In 1862, the uniform consisted of a light grey coat with red
pipings; grey breeches with jackboots; a helmet with red plume and blue
puggry; waist belt, frog,
cartouche box; Cap pocket revolver case fitted on to a sword belt.
In 1875, the uniform became dark blue with white facings, white helmets, blue pantaloons with white stripes and knee boots. Hot weather uniform was white.
Khaki uniforms were worn for the first time on 25 January 1894.
Second Boer War
54 officers and men of the regiment were granted leave in 1900 to travel to
South Africa to fight in the
Second Boer War. For bravery in battle, Captain J. B. Rutherford was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order. Sergeant Major C. M. C. Marsham and Corporal Percy Jones received the
Distinguished Conduct Medal.
References
Sources
* ''In Memory of the Bihar Light Horse'', available a
Bihar Light Horse{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Military units and formations established in 1862
British Indian Army cavalry regiments
1862 establishments in India