Lumsden's Horse, also known as Colonel Lumsden's Corps, was the name given to the Indian Mounted Infantry Corps, which was formed in Calcutta in 1899 by Lieutenant-Colonel

Dugald McTavish Lumsden Colonel Dugald McTavish Lumsden Order of the Bath, CB (5 March 1851–10 May 1915) was a Scottish-born British army officer who founded the cavalry unit Lumsden's Horse in India in 1899. Lumsden was the oldest of the four sons of James Lums ...

of the

Assam Valley Light Horse The Assam Valley Light Horse regiment was raised in 1891 and formed part of Indian Volunteer Force, later the Indian Defence Force and finally the Auxiliary Force (India). The regimental headquarters was at Dibrugarh in Assam. It was recruited ...

. The new corps was raised from volunteers from various existing Indian regiments, including the Assam Valley Light Horse. Colonel Lumsden contributed 50,000 rupees. The Corps left Calcutta 250 strong in February 1900 to take part in the Second Boer War, under the command of Field Marshal Lord Roberts. The Corps took part in the march to Bloemfontein, the occupation of Johannesburg and Pretoria, the pursuit of de Wet, and the Barberton & De Kaap campaigns against the Boers. Lord Curzon, Viceroy and Governor General of India placed a memorial tablet in St.Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta. It lists those of the Corps who died in action and in sickness. Lieutenant-Colonel

was formally appointed Commandant in March 1900, with Lieutenant-Colonel Eden Showers from the Surma Valley Light Horse as second in command. Showers was succeeded by Major Henry Chamney in late April 1900. This unit should not be confused with another horse regiment, the famous Guides Cavalry, which was founded by

Harry Burnett Lumsden Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Burnett "Joe" Lumsden (12 November 1821 – 12 August 1896) was a British military officer active in India. Biography Background Lumsden was born aboard the East India Company's ship ''Rose'' in the Bay of Bengal. ...

, whose surname was eventually added to that regimental title too: Queen Victoria's Own Guides Cavalry (Lumsden's).

References

* Henry H S Pearse, ''The History of Lumsden's Horse'', Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1903. {{Reflist British Indian Army cavalry regiments Military units and formations of the Second Boer War Military units and formations established in 1899