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The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the
Armoured Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...
of the
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- ...
. It traces its origins as a cavalry
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 conscript ...
from the times of the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, after independence as the fourth oldest and one of the senior cavalry regiments of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.


Formation

After the Anglo-Maratha War of 1803, James Skinner ("Sikander Sahib") was dismissed from service by
Daulat Rao Sindhia Shrimant Daulat Rao Shinde (also Sindhia; 1779 – 21 March 1827) was the Maharaja (ruler) of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremacy within the Maratha Empire, and war ...
and was recruited by
Lord Lake Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake (27 July 1744 – 20 February 1808) was a British general. He commanded British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the military in British India. Background He was ...
, who asked him to raise a regiment of ‘Irregular Cavalry’. On February 23, 1803 the regiment was raised at Hansi,
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...
in the service of the East India Company. The initial contingent consisted of 800 men of Perron’s Horse, who were under service of the
Scindia The Scindia dynasty (anglicized from Shinde) is a Hindu Maratha dynasty of maratha origin that ruled the erstwhile State of Gwalior. It had the Patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai. It was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal serva ...
, all of whom were old Muslims comrades of James Skinner. Skinner's Horse was mainly composed of Ranghars(
Muslim Rajputs Muslim Rajputs are the descendants of Rajputs of Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period in India onwards, retaining historically Hindu surnames suc ...
), Syeds, Moghuls, and localized Pathans from
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
,
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...
and Western U.P. Skinner was one of a certain group of officers, such as Gardner and Hearsay, who had become British leaders of irregular cavalry that preserved the traditions of cavalry of the Mughal empire, which had a political purpose because it absorbed pockets of cavalrymen who might otherwise become disaffected plunderers. A second regiment of Indian Cavalry was raised by Colonel James Skinner in 1814, which became the
3rd Skinner's Horse The 3rd Skinner's Horse was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was originally raised at Hansi by Lt.-Col. James Skinner as the 2nd Regiment of Skinner's Horse in 1814, the various changes and amalgamations are listed below. *18 ...
. On the reduction of the Indian Army in 1922, 1st and 3rd Regiments were amalgamated and became Skinner's Horse (1st Duke of York's Own Cavalry) and later the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) until 1950, following which the regiment took its present designation.


Lineage

Like many regiments of the Indian Army, the 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) underwent a series of name changes in their history- * 1803 Captain Skinner’s Corps of Irregular Horse * 1823 1st (Skinner's) Local Horse * 1840 1st Bengal Irregular Cavalry (Skinner's Horse) * 1861 1st Regiment of Bengal Cavalry * 1896 1st Regiment of Bengal Lancers * 1899 1st (The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Bengal Lancers * 1901 1st (Duke of York's Own) Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse) * 1903 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse). * 1921 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse. * 1950 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) The 3rd Skinner’s Horse also went through similar changes prior to its amalgamation with 1st Horse. * 1814 Raised at Hansi by Lieutenant Colonel James Skinner as ‘Second Corps of Lieutenant Colonel Skinner’s Irregular Horse’ * 1821 Baddeley’s Frontier Horse * 1823 4th Regiment of Local Horse * 1840 4st Bengal Irregular Cavalry * 1861 3rd Regiment of Bengal Cavalry * 1901 3rd Bengal Cavalry (Skinner's Horse) * 1903 3rd Skinner's Horse * 1921 Amalgamated to 1st/3rd Skinner's Horse.


Early history

After its formation in 1803, the regiment was involved in a number of the campaigns on the Asian sub-continent, notably the
Siege of Bharatpur The siege of Bharatpore was a siege that took place in the Indian princely state of Bharatpur (now part of Rajasthan) between December 1825 and January 1826. British troops under Lord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until ...
, the
First Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...
, the
Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the ...
, the
First Sikh War A Sikh War may mean: *The Mughal-Sikh Wars *The Afghan–Sikh Wars *The Gurkha-Sikh War (1809) *The Sino-Sikh War (1841-1842) *The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) *The Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military con ...
and the
Second Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...
. In 1842, a detachment of the regiment lost 108 men out of 180 engaged in a clash at
Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
. The 1st Skinner's Horse remained loyal during the
Indian Mutiny of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
, seeing service in the
Ravi River The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...
district and distinguishing itself at Chichawatni. It was the first Indian Army regiment sent overseas during the Boxer Rebellion and participated in the Battle of Peking. During this campaign the regiment clashed with Tartar cavalry and served alongside United States units – the first occasion where British Indian and US troops served together.


World War I

The 1st regiment remained throughout the war in the North-West Frontier. The 3rd regiment was at
Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
when the First World War broke out. The regiment was a part of the 7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade,
2nd Indian Cavalry Division The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division was a division of the British Indian Army formed at the outbreak of World War I. It served on the Western Front, being renamed as 5th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the 5th Cavalry Divisi ...
. The brigade received orders to mobilise on 24 October 1914. It sailed from Bombay and reached Marseilles port in France by 15 December 1914. The regiment was in France till August 1916. It saw extensive action in many parts of France. It was awarded the battle honours France and Flanders for its fine performance. It was sent to Mesopotamia as a part of the 7th Meerut Cavalry Brigade Headquarters. The regiment was then ordered back to India where it concentrated in Rawalpindi in August 1916 for operations in Afghanistan. A detachment of the regiment was tasked to guard the post at Gumboz and held against the attack by the Marris on 17 February 1918. The regiment won the following gallantry awards – * Companion of the Indian Empire : Risaldar Habibur Rahman Khan (1st regiment). *
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...
: Jemadar Ami Lal (3rd regiment). *
Order of British India The Order of British India was an order of merit established in 1837 by the East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, and the Order was incorporated into the Brit ...
: Risaldar Mardan Khan, Risaldar Nathe Khan, Risaldar Major Muhammad Akham Khan (1st regiment); Risaldar Major Balwant Singh (3rd regiment). *
Indian Order of Merit The Indian Order of Merit (IOM) was a military and civilian decoration of British India. It was established in 1837, (General Order of the Governor-General of India, No. 94 of 1 May 1837) although following the Partition of India in 1947 it was ...
: Risaldar Faiz Muhammad Khan, Jemadar Muhammad Umar Faruk Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Lal Singh, Lance Dafadar Khem Singh, Jemadar Indar Singh, Dafadar Jawahir Singh (3rd regiment). *
Indian Distinguished Service Medal The Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) was a military decoration awarded by the British Empire to Indian citizens serving in the Indian armed forces and military police. When it was instituted in 1907 it was the second highest award avail ...
: Sowar Nishan Ali, Jemadar Raknuddin, Trumpeter Abdul Majid Khan, Sowar Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Lance Dafadar Ali Hussain, Jemadar Muhammad Tagi Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Gurdiyall Singh, Acting Lance Dafadar Pritam Singh, Sowar Chhaja Singh (3rd regiment). * Indian Meritorious Service Medal : Sowar Sabr Ali Khan, Sowar Abdul Shakoor Khan, Dafadar Hadiyar Khan, Dafadar Ashrafulla Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Chhaja Singh, Sowar Pakbar Singh, Dafadar Nand Singh, Lance Dafadar Nahar Singh (3rd regiment). * Croix de Guerre (French) : Dafadar Zahur Ali (3rd regiment). * Bronze Medal of Military Valor (Italian) : Dafadar Kutab Khan (3rd regiment). * Crucea Servicul Credincois (Romanian) : Sowar Pretam Singh (3rd regiment).


Interwar period

After World War I, the cavalry of the British Indian Army was reduced from thirty-nine regiments to twenty-one. On 18 May 1921, the two regiments of Skinner's Horse were amalgamated at
Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
with the new title of the 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse. Formerly The 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers had been a ''class'' regiment made up entirely of Hindustani Mussalman (Muslim) troopers, while the 3rd Skinner's Horse had consisted of one squadron each of
Jat Sikh Jat Sikh (also known by the more conventional endonym Jatt Sikh) is a sub-group of the Jat people and the Sikh religious group from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in the Punjab owing to their large land hol ...
s, Jats,
Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
s and
Ranghar Ranghar are a community of Muslim Rajputs in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; and in Sindh (Muhajirs) and Punjab in Pakistan. History and origin The Ranghar were classified as an "agricultura ...
s (Muslim Rajputs). After the amalgamation, the new regiment would only consist of only three Squadrons: Rajputs, Rangars and Jats. The Jat Sikh Squadron, which had been part of the 3rd Skinner's Horse for 72 years, was disbanded. Each of the squadrons was equipped with one Hotchkiss gun and with .303 Short Magazine Lee–Enfield rifles. The machine gun troops of the Headquarters Squadron were equipped with the .303
Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...
. The traditional ''sillidar-system'' of most of the cavalry was abolished shortly after World War I and Indian troopers were now provided with government horses rather than having to provide the animals themselves in return for a higher rate of pay. The Skinner's Horse accordingly acquired the status of a fully ''regular'' regiment of the British Indian Army and received standard government-issue equipment for all purposes.


World War II

At the beginning of World War II the regiment was still mounted, but was quickly converted to act as a mechanised reconnaissance regiment and was attached to the 5th Indian Division and when the division was sent to the Sudan, formed part of
Gazelle Force A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, ''Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...
. During the rest of the war the regiment was attached variously to the
4th Indian Infantry Division The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, ...
; the British 10th Armoured Division, the
3rd Indian Motor Brigade The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was formed in 1940 by the Indian Army during World War II. In 1941, the brigade was surrounded at Mechili by Axis forces during Operation Sonnenblume and suffered many casualties breaking out of the encirclement. On ...
and the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The regiment fought in East Africa,
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and was awarded battle honours for Agordat, Keren, Amba-Alagi, Abyssinia, Senio Flood Bank and Italy. The senior Pakistani politician Sardar
Shaukat Hayat Khan Major Shaukat Hayat Khan ( Punjabi, ; 24 September 1915 – 25 September 1998) was an influential politician, military officer, and Pakistan Movement activist who played a major role in the organising of the Muslim League in the British-controlle ...
(1915–1998), who served with Skinner's Horse in Sudan/Africa during the Second World War, has written a brief but memorable account of the regiment's service there, in his memoirs, "The Nation that Lost its Soul" (
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
: Jang Pubs, 1995). The regiment won the following gallantry awards – * Distinguished Service Order (DSO) : Lieutenant Colonel IF Hossack. *
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...
: Captain RP Prentice, Lieutenant RE Coaker. *
Indian Order of Merit The Indian Order of Merit (IOM) was a military and civilian decoration of British India. It was established in 1837, (General Order of the Governor-General of India, No. 94 of 1 May 1837) although following the Partition of India in 1947 it was ...
: Risaldar Mohd Yunus Khan. *
Indian Distinguished Service Medal The Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) was a military decoration awarded by the British Empire to Indian citizens serving in the Indian armed forces and military police. When it was instituted in 1907 it was the second highest award avail ...
: Risaldar Amar Singh, Lance Dafadar Dip Chand, Lance Dafadar Mohd Sharif Khan, Lance Dafadar Bhure Khan, Sowar Munshi Singh, Sowar Raj Singh, Sowar Sardar Singh. * Mentioned in dispatches : Lieutenant Colonel IF Hossack, Lieutenant Colonel T Scott, Captain HT Adams Williams, Lieutenant RE Coaker, Risaldar Major Bhanu Singh, Risaldar Mohammed Yunus Khan, Lance Dafadar Bhure Khan, Lance Dafadar Abdul Hakim, Lance Dafadar Munshi Khan, Lance Dafadar Feroze Khan, Lance Dafadar Ikram-ud-din, Sowar Raj Singh.


Post War

The regiment was switched to tanks in 1946, receiving the Stuart tank, and a year later Churchills. In 1947 with the Indian independence, the regiment became part of the
Indian Army Armoured Corps The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Tracing its origins from the first regiment formed in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the British Indian Army' ...
. The first Indian commander was Lieutenant Colonel RM Bilimoria, and the regiment was stationed at Ahmednagar. Post partition, the Hindustani Muslim and Ranghar squadrons of the Skinner’s Horse were transferred to the Pakistani Armoured Corps in exchange of a Sikh Squadron from
19th King George V's Own Lancers 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 King ...
. The present regimental composition is of Jats, Rajputs and Sikhs. ;
Hyderabad Police Action Operation Polo was the code name of the Hyderabad "police action" in September 1948, by the then newly independent Dominion of India against Hyderabad State. It was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-rule ...
The regiment took part in the annexation of Hyderabad in 1948, following which it stopped the use of Stuart tanks. The Churchill tank remained in use until 1957, after which the regiment was equipped with Sherman Mk IV's. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 In 1965, equipped with Sherman tanks, the unit’s B Squadron supported 50th Parachute Brigade near Dograi and 2 troops helped 3 Jat in the epic
battle of Dograi The Battle of Dograi was a military engagement from 20 to 22 September 1965, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It took place in the area of Dograi village on the outskirts of Lahore in Pakistani Punjab. Background Dograi is a strategical ...
. Eight years later, in 1965 the regiment converted to the
T-54 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...
and then to the
T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tank ...
. ;
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
The regiment with its T-55 tanks was part of the 2 Independent Armoured Brigade under 39 Infantry Division. It took part in operations initially in Samba and then in
Shakargarh Shakargarh ( ur, ), the capital of Shakargarh Tehsil, is a city in the north-eastern part of Narowal District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It borders Jammu, India to the north and Sialkot to the west Its literacy rate is more than 85% wh ...
sector and was awarded the battle honour ''Harar Kalan''. The regiment won the following gallantry awards- *
Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards a ...
: Captain Vikram Deuskar. *
Sena Medal The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for s ...
: Dafadar Rup Singh, Lance Dafadar Gurdial Singh, Sowar Nathu Lal * Mentioned in dispatches : 2nd Lieutenant Virender Kumar Jetley, 2nd Lieutenant A Khullar, 2nd Lieutenant Bhupinder Singh Mandare, Risaldar Bhan Singh In 1979, the regiment converted to the
T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...
tanks. In 2003, a special service was held at the St. James' Church, Delhi, which was built by James Skinner, to commemorate the bicentenary of the regiment.


Uniforms

The old 1st Lancers wore yellow uniforms (uniquely in the British Empire) and the old 3rd wore dark blue. The "yellow" was actually close to
mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...
in shade but led to the regiment being nicknamed "Canaries" or "Yellow Boys" from its formation. Each regiment had the full-dress (mounted) long '
Kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...
' worn with a
turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promin ...
and
cummerbund A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets (or ''tuxedos''). The cummerbund was adopted by British military officers in colonial India, where they saw it worn by sepoys (Indi ...
for all ranks, also a full-dress (dismounted) or levee, dress for British officers only. These were not in general use after 1914 but could still be worn by officers on special assignments (e.g. as an aide-de-camp) or while attending court functions. The merged Skinner's Horse was assigned a dark blue full dress with yellow facings in 1922 but by 1931 the historic yellow and black had been restored. The yellow mess jacket and black waistcoat of the old 1st Bengal Lancers was adopted by the 1922 regiment of Skinner's Horse and was the cold weather mess dress until 1939. All six of these various uniforms are in the collection of the
National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...
. The cap badge of the regiment prior to independence consisted of a central rose over crossed lances, with a crown between the lance-heads. A scroll below bears the inscription, 'Himmat-I-Mardan Madad-I-Khuda'. The present cap badge replaced the crown by a horse mounted by a cavalryman.


Battle and Theatre Honours

Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839, Khelat, Afghanistan 1839, Candhahar 1842, Maharajpore, Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Aliwal, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1879-1880, Punjab Frontier, Pekin 1900, France and Flanders 1914-16, North West Frontier India 1915, Baluchistan 1918, Afghanistan 1919, Agordat, Keren, Amba Alagai, Abyssinia 1940-41, Senio Floodbank, Italy 1943-46, Harar Kalan, Punjab 1971. The regiment was awarded with the 'Guidon' on 31 March 1971 at Babina by the then President V. V. Giri.


Notable personnel

* General Sir
Crawford Trotter Chamberlain General Sir Crawford Trotter Chamberlain (1821–1902) was a senior officer in the Indian Staff Corps. Early life Born in London on 9 May 1821, was the third son of Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet by his second wife. Sir Neville Bowles Cham ...
* General Sir
William Orfeur Cavenagh General Sir Orfeur Cavenagh (8 October 1820 – 3 July 1891) was the last India-appointed Governor of the Straits Settlements, who governed the Settlements from 1859 to 1867. Family background Cavenagh was the third son of James Gordon Cave ...
* Lieutenant General GS Grewal : General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command * Lieutenant General Rakesh Kumar Loomba : General Officer-Commanding III Corps, Director General of Military Intelligence * Lieutenant General
Praveen Bakshi Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC was the 25th General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command of the Indian Army and assumed office on 1 August 2015 after Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai. He retired on 31 Jul ...
: 25th General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command *Lieutenant General Rajni Kant Jagga : General Officer-Commanding
XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ...
, Director General of Mechanised Forces * Lieutenant General PS Mehta : General Officer-Commanding XXI Corps


Affiliate regiments

* –
Light Dragoons The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northern England, from the counties of Northu ...
The affiliation of the regiment with Light Dragoons dates back to 1842, when the two regiments fought in the Afghan war together.


Notes


References

* Kempton, Chris. ''The Register of Titles of the Units of the HEIC and Indian Armies 1666 to 1947.'' British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. * Fraser, J. Baillie (editor): ''Military Memoir of Lieut. Col. James Skinner.'' Cambridge University Press. *


Further reading

* Holman, Dennis (1961). ''Sikander Sahib; the life of Colonel James Skinner, 1778–1841.'' Heinemann, London. * Rothero, Christopher (1979). ''Skinner's Horse''. Almark Publishing Co. Ltd. * Skinner, Lt-Col M A R (1985). ''Sworn to Die''. Lancer, India * Roberts, Major H. ''A Short History of the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse),(1803–1908)'' * Mason, Philip (1980). ''Skinner's Horse''. Harper Collins. . * Skinner, James (2006). ''The Recollections of Skinner Of Skinner's Horse - James Skinner And His 'Yellow Boys' - Irregular Cavalry In The Wars of India between the British, Mahratta, Rajput, Mogul, Sikh & Pindarree Forces''. Leonaur. . * Daniels, Major A. M. (1925). Skinner’s Horse: The History of the 1st Duke of Yorks Own Lancers. N&M Press. .


External links


Cavalry Uniforms of the late 19th Century
{{DEFAULTSORT:1st Duke Of York's Own Skinner's Horse Military units and formations established in 1803 Honourable East India Company regiments British Indian Army cavalry regiments Armoured and cavalry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947 Bengal Presidency 1803 establishments in the British Empire