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

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. 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 Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. It was formed in 1849 and later 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) and the 23rd Cavalry were amalgamated.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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, 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 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 The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. During the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai ...

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 Colonel-in-Chief is a ceremonial position in an army regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family. Some armed forces take a light-hearted approach to ...

, giving his name to the regiment, which has endured to this day. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the regiment served in the

Mesopotamian Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

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 Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. It also fought in the Actions of Istabulat,

Ramadi Ramadi ( ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which shares borders with Syri ...

, Daur and Tikrit. Later it saw service in

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

and took part in the capture of

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

.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 * 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 Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

and fought in the Battle of Kandahar. During the First World War, the regiment served in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

as part of the 11th Indian Cavalry Brigade 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 Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. Its class composition was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The regiment was mechanised in 1940. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it initially served in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and then went on to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, where it fought in the

Battle of Gazala The Battle of Gazala, also the Gazala Offensive (Italian language, Italian: ''Battaglia di Ain el-Gazala'') was fought near the village of Gazala during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, f ...

. It then moved to

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, 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 (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

(

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

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

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

in 1947, PAVO Cavalry was allotted to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The regiment was soon engaged in fighting the Indians in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, 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 P ...

. 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, 11th Cavalry took part in Pakistan Army's advance towards

Akhnur Akhnoor is a town and Municipal governance in India, municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian National Congress, Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km awa ...

in Kashmir. It then fought in the Battle of Chawinda. 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 In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 year ...

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

References

External links

General Sir Henry Dermot Daly
{{British Indian Army Cavalry Regiments 1903 - 1946 1849 establishments in British India 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 Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale