| 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) | |
|---|---|
 Skinner's Horse party, folio from 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album by Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 1843. | |
| Active | 1803 - 1946, and to date |
| Country | India |
| Allegiance |
United Kingdom (till 1947) India (post 1947) |
| Branch |
British Indian Army (till 1947) Indian Army (post 1947) |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Nickname(s) | Yellow Boys |
| Engagements |
First Afghan War Battle of Ghazni Battle of Jellalabad Battle of Kabul (1842) Bhurtpore1842 First Sikh War Battle of Moodkee Battle of Ferozeshah Battle of Aliwal Battle of Sobraon Second Sikh War Battle of Ramnagar Battle of Chillianwallah Battle of Gujrat Second Afghan War Kandahar 1878 - 80 Afghanistan1878 Boxer Rebellion Battle of Peking World War I France and Flanders Defence of Gumboz World War II East African Campaign Battle of Keren Amba Alagi Western Desert Campaign Agordat Abyssinia Senio Flood Bank Italian Campaign |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
George VI of the United Kingdom 1937 - 1950 |
| Notable commanders | James Skinner |
The 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) was a unit of the British Indian Army from 1922 to independence and thereafter a unit of the Indian Army.
Its foundation was when it was raised in 1803 as Skinner's Horse by James Skinner (Sikander Sahib) as an irregular cavalry regiment in the service of the East India Company, the regiment became (and remains) one of the seniormost cavalry regiments of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.
There were two regiments of Indian Cavalry raised by Colonel James Skinner in 1803. They became the 1st Bengal Lancers and the 3rd Skinner's Horse. On the reduction of the Indian Army in 1922, they were amalgamated and became Skinner's Horse (1st Duke of York's Own Cavalry).
Early history[]
After formation in 1803 the regiment was involved in a number of the campaigns on the Asian sub-continent, notably the First Afghan War, the Second Afghan War, the First Sikh War and the Second Sikh War. In 1842 a detachment of the regiment lost 108 men out of 180 engaged in a clash at Kandahar. The 1st Skinner's Horse remained loyal during the Indian Mutiny of 1857, seeing service in the Ravi River 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 had served together[1]
World War I[]
The regiment was at Meerut when the First World War broke out. The regiment was a part of the 7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. The brigade received orders to mobilise on 24 October 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.[2] A detachment of the regiment was tasked to guard the post at Gumboz.
Between the wars[]
After World War I, the British Indian Army was scaled down. On 18 May 1921, two regiments were amalgamated at Sialkot with the new title of the 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse.[2] The 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers which had been only Muslims and the 3rd Skinner's Horse consisted of one squadron each of Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs and Rangars (Muslim Rajputs). After the amalgamation, the regiment would only consist of only three Squadrons: Rajputs, Rangars and Jats. The Sikh Squadron, which had been part of the 3rd Skinner's Horse for 72 years, was disbanded.[2]
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 regiment acquired the status of a regular force of the British Indian Army and was equipped with the latest weapons which helped in later campaigns across the globe.[2]
An Indian Pattern Carrier Mk IIA named 'Dhar IV', North Africa, 10 April 1942. Possibly Skinner's Horse by the Divisional Emblem
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. During the rest of the war the regiment was attached variously to the 4th Indian Infantry Division; the British 10th Armoured Division, the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade and the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The regiment fought in East Africa, North Africa and Italy and was awarded battle honours for Agordat, Keren, Amba-Alagi, Abyssinia, Senio Flood Bank and Italy.[2] The senior Pakistani politician Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan (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: Jang Pubs, 1995).
Post World War II[]
The regiment was switched to tanks in 1946, receiving the Stuart tank, and a year later Churchills. In 1947 with Indian Independence the regiment became part of the Indian Army Armoured Corps. The first Indian commander was Lt Col RM Bilimoria, and the regiment was stationed at Ahmadnagar. The regiment took part in the Hyderabad Police Action in 1948, following which action 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. Eight years later in 1965 the regiment converted to the T-54 and then to the T-55. In 1979 the regiment converted to the T-72 tank.
James Skinner (who raised the regiment) built St. James' Church, Delhi. In 2003, a special service was held there to commemorate the bicentenary of the regiment.[3]
Name Changes[]
Like many regiments of the Indian Army, the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) underwent a series of name changes in their history.
- 1823 1st (Skinner's) Local Horse
- 1840 1st Irregular Cavalry (Skinner's Horse)
- 1861 1st Regt. of Bengal Cavalry
- 1896 1st Regt. 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.
- 1947 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)
Uniforms[]
The old 1st Lancers wore yellow uniforms (unique in the world) and the old 3rd wore blue. The "yellow" was actually close to mustard in shade but led to the regiment being nicknamed "Canaries" or "Yellow Boys" from its formation.[4] Each regiment had the full-dress (mounted) long 'Kurta' worn with a turban and cummerbund, also a full-dress (dismounted) or levee, dress. 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 mess jacket and 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 uniforms are in the collection of the National Army Museum.
Awards & Honours[]
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Notes[]
- ↑ Christopher Rothero pages 6-7 "Skinner's Horse"ISBN 0 85524 310 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "global security". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/skinners-horse.htm. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
- ↑ Bicentennial plaque at St James' Church
- ↑ W.Y. Carman, page 176 "Indian Army Uniforms - Cavalry", Morgan Grampian: London 1968
References[]
- Chris Kempton. The Register of Titles of the Units of the HEIC and Indian Armies 1666 to 1947.
- J. Baillie Fraser (editor): Military Memoir of Lieut. Col. James Skinner.
- Luscombe, Stephen; Griffin, Charles. "Land Forces of the British Empire: 1st Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse)". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927193450/http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/indiancavalry/skinners.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
Further reading[]
- Sikandar Sahib by Denis Holman
- Skinner's Horse by Christopher Rothero
- Sworn to Die by Lt-Col M A R Skinner
- A Short History of the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse),(1803 - 1908) by Major H Roberts
- Skinner's Horse, by Philip Mason. Harpercollins. 1980. ISBN 0-06-013036-9.
External links[]
The original article can be found at 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse and the edit history here.