The Secunderabad 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 A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

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 1907 as a result of the

Kitchener Reforms 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 cou ...

. It was mobilized as 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and departed for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It served on the Western Front as part of the 1st and 2nd Indian Cavalry Divisions until it was broken up in March 1918.

History

The

, 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 presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presidenc ...

, 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 The Nizam's Contingent, later Hyderabad Contingent, was the army funded by the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of a Princely state of India.http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTemp12PLM8C.aspx?MnId=l7m6i4kBQ6GVWWXGRMx4Yg&ParentID=RSk ...

and other local forces into one

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. 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 Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility fo ...

relegated to a secondary role. The Army was organized into divisions and

s that would act as field formations but also included internal security troops. The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was formed on 17 September 1907 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. The brigade formed part of the

9th (Secunderabad) Division The 9th (Secunderabad) Division was an infantry division formation of the British Indian Army. It was part of the Southern Army and was formed in 1904 after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India between 1902 and 1909. He i ...

. ;9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade At the outbreak of the

, the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was still part of the 9th (Secunderabad) Division. It was mobilized in August 1914 as the 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade with the first elements of

Indian Expeditionary Force A The British Indian Army, Indian Army during World War I was involved World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war. ...

. It was composed of one British (

7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte in 1788. ...

) and two Indian ( 20th Deccan Horse and 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse)

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s; it sailed with

N Battery, Royal Horse Artillery N Battery (The Eagle Troop) Royal Horse Artillery is a Tactical Group Battery of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They are currently based in Albemarle Barracks in Northumberland and equipped with the 105 mm Light Gun. The battery is commo ...

, Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade Field Ambulance, H Section

Ammunition Column An Ammunition Column was a support echelon of a British or Dominion brigade or division during the First World War and consisted of dedicated military vehicles carrying artillery and small arms ammunition for the combatant unit to which the column ...

and 1st Field

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners 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 reco ...

. It paused briefly in Egypt before arriving in France on 12 October 1914 where it was attached to the

Indian Corps The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps stru ...

and then to the 1st Indian Cavalry Division in November. At this time, just the 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade had reached the Front: the other two brigades of the division 2nd (Sialkot) and 8th (Lucknow)had been held up after arrival in France by horse sickness and did not reach the Front until 810 December. While in France, the brigade was known by its geographical rather than numerical designation so as to avoid confusion with the British 9th Cavalry Brigade also serving on the Western Front at the same time. Among the brigade's engagements in 1914 were the

Battle of La Bassée The Battle of La Bassée was fought by German and Franco-British forces in northern France in October 1914, during reciprocal attempts by the contending armies to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, which has been called the Race to th ...

, the

Battle of Armentières The Battle of Armentières (also Battle of Lille) was fought by German and Franco-British forces in northern France in October 1914, during reciprocal attempts by the armies to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, which has been called ...

and the

Battle of Givenchy A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. On 24 November,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Frank de Pass Frank Alexander de Pass VC (26 April 1887 – 25 November 1914) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth f ...

of the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Festubert Festubert is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert. Geography A farming v ...

The brigade was assigned to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division on 23 December 1914 and remained with it until broken up in Match 1918. In 1916, the brigade took part in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, notably the Battle of Bazentin (1417 July) and the

Battle of Flers–Courcelette The Battle of Flers–Courcelette (, 15 to 22 September 1916) was fought during the Battle of the Somme in France, by the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army and Reserve Army, against the German 1st Army, during the First World War ...

(1522 September). In 1917, the brigade took part in the Battle of Cambrai, notably the Tank Attack (2021 November) and the German Counter-attacks (30 November3 December). At other times it was held in reserve in case of a breakthrough, although it did send parties to the trenches on a number of occasions. They would hold the line, or act as Pioneers; such parties were designated as the Secunderabad Battalion. ;Dissolved In March 1918, the brigade was broken up in France. The British units (

and

) remained in France and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt. On 24 April 1918, these were merged with the

7th Mounted Brigade The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 7th Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign before be ...

and joined the new

2nd Mounted Division The 2nd Mounted Division was a yeomanry ( Territorial Army cavalry) division that served in the First World War. At the outbreak of war it was assigned to defence of the Norfolk coast. In March 1915 it formed a 2nd Line duplicate of itself, the ...

. On 22 July 1918 the 7th Mounted Brigade was redesignated as 14th Cavalry Brigade and the division as 5th Cavalry Division.

Orders of battle

Commanders

The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade / 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * *{{cite web, url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/2_ind_cav_div.htm , title=2nd Indian Cavalry Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell , access-date=2016-03-05 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517085102/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/2_ind_cav_div.htm , archive-date=17 May 2008 , df=dmy C09 Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army Military units and formations established in 1907 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918

History

Orders of battle

Commanders

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links