The 3rd Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

formed from the 5th and 8th Cavalry regiments in 1922. It served on the North West Frontier and during

World War I 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 ...

and

World War II 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 ...

, in British Indian service.

Early history

The 3rd Cavalry Regiment was formed from two older regiments, the 7th Irregular Cavalry, which was raised in 1841 at

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

, and the 17th Cavalry, which was raised at Sultanpur in 1846. Often re-designated, by the turn of the century they were called 5th Cavalry and 8th Lancers. The two regiments served in India and abroad and saw action in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Mesopotamia and Palestine, earning Battle Honours Afghanistan 1879–80 and Mesopotamia 1916–18. They were amalgamated in 1922, to form the 5th/8th Cavalry, re-designated in 1923 as 3rd Cavalry. They were selected to become an Indianised regiment from 1931 onwards.

5th Cavalry

Raised at Bareilly in 1841 as a result of the

First Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

the regiment also served in 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 ...

between 1878 and 1880. Like all the regiments of the Indian Army, the 5th Cavalry underwent many name changes in the various reorganisations. They are listed below: :1841 7th Irregular Cavalry :1861 5th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry :1901 5th Bengal Cavalry :1903 5th Cavalry. ;World War I At the start of World War I the 5th Cavalry was part of the 4th (Rawalpindi) Brigade in October 1916 they transferred to the 1st (Peshawar) Division for service on the North West Frontier until October 1917 when they left to take part 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 ...

8th Lancers

The 8th Lancers were the last regiment to be raised before the Indian Mutiny. They served in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

in 1857 and in the

. They were issued with lances in 1899 to become the 8th Bengal Lancers. This title was later changed to the 8th Lancers. Like all the regiments of the Indian Army, the 8th Lancers underwent many name changes in various reorganisations: * 1846: 17th Irregular Cavalry * 1847: 18th Irregular Cavalry * 1861: 8th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry * 1900: 8th Regiment of Bengal Lancers * 1901: 8th Bengal Lancers * 1903: 8th Lancers ;World War I During World War I, the 8th Lancers were part of the Jhansi Brigade at Mhow under the command of Major General Townshend. The brigade consisted of the: * 8th Lancers * 38th Central Indian Horse * 2nd Battalion,

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by ...

* 10th Jats * 99th Deccan Infantry * 107th Pioneers * 116th Mahrattas * 60th Company, RGA

World War II

In 1941, whilst still in the process of being equipped with armoured cars, 3rd Cavalry was made part of the 11th Indian Infantry Division and was deployed to Malaya to counter the Japanese advance. They were involved in the battles at

Taiping, Perak Taiping () is a town located in Larut, Matang and Selama District, Perak, Malaysia. It is located approximately northwest of Ipoh, the capital of Perak, and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town, Penang. With a population of 245,18 ...

, Sungei Pattani,

Penang Island Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...

, Perak River and the Battle of Slim River, where two Indian brigades were annihilated by the Japanese. The regiment was then captured by the Japanese after the

fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

and went into captivity until the end of the war. For the regiment's service in Malaya it was awarded the Battle Honours "North Malaya" and "Central Malaya" and Theatre Honour "Malaya 1941–42".

Post-war

Although recommended to be disbanded after the war, the regiment was instead designated a regiment of airborne reconnaissance cavalry in 1946. ;

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 ...

: During the post partition riots, Sowar Prithi Singh was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, Class II for showing bravery, when a military special train was attacked by a mob. ; Hyderabad Police Action (1948): The Regiment was part of the Smash Force (1 Armoured Brigade) which liberated Hyderabad from marauding Razakars and integrated this princely state with the Union of India. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965: The Regiment, which was part of the 2nd Independent Armored Brigade under 4 Infantry Division played an important part in the Battle of Asal Uttar. For its crucial role in the battle, the regiment won the Battle Honour "Asal Uttar" and Theatre Honour "Punjab 1965" and earned the sobriquet ''The Patton Wreckers''. Lieutenant Colonel Salim Caleb, the Commandant of the regiment was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The Regiment was part of the 7 Infantry Division under XI Corps and was equipped with Centurion tanks. It was awarded the Battle Honour "Shehjra" and Theatre Honour "Punjab 1971".

Composition

The regiment has a “fixed class” composition, drawing troops from

Rajputs Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

s and

Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...

Regimental Insignia

The Regimental insignia consists of the

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

'III' mounted with the Ashoka capital and a scroll below with the word 'Cavalry'.

References

External links

History of the 3rd Cavalry

{{Indian Army Armoured Corps , state=expanded British Indian Army cavalry regiments Military units and formations established in 1922 Armoured and cavalry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947 1922 establishments in India R