Assam Valley Light Horse

Last updated

The Assam Valley Light Horse regiment was raised in 1891 and formed part of Indian Volunteer Force, later the Indian Defence Force and finally the Auxiliary Force (India). [1]

The regimental headquarters was at Dibrugarh in Assam. It was recruited from the European community in Assam—mostly tea planters.

A light horse regiment had a rough strength of approximately 400 men and its troops typically fought as mounted infantry rather than traditional cavalry.

A few volunteers from the regiment joined Lumsden's Horse in 1899 raised by Colonel Dugald McTavish Lumsden for service in the Boer War and similarly in 1911 a few volunteers took part in the Abor campaign of 1911–12.

It was not mobilized as a unit during World War I or World War II but individuals did serve, mainly with the British Indian Army.

The regiment was disbanded when India became independent in August 1947.

Related Research Articles

The Calcutta Light Horse was raised in 1872 and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. The regiment was disbanded following India's independence in 1947.

The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names throughout its history. Initially the unit did not recruit from the Gurkhas, although after being transferred to the British Indian Army following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, it became a purely Gurkha regiment, in due course with its regimental headquarters at Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province of British India. After 1947 the regiment was one of only four Gurkha regiments to be transferred to the British Army and this continued up until 1994, when it was amalgamated with other Gurkha regiments to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles. Over the course of its 177-year history, the regiment was awarded 25 battle honours, although prior to World War I it had only been awarded one and no battle honours were awarded to it after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumsden's Horse</span> Indian Mounted Infantry Corps

Lumsden's Horse, also known as Colonel Lumsden's Corps, was the name given to the Indian Mounted Infantry Corps, which was formed in Calcutta in 1899 by Lieutenant-Colonel Dugald McTavish Lumsden of the Assam Valley Light Horse. The new corps was raised from volunteers from various existing Indian regiments, including the Assam Valley Light Horse. Colonel Lumsden contributed 50,000 rupees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Horse (Poona Horse)</span> Indian Army regiment

The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment, known before independence as The Poona Horse, was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Presidency army of the East India Company. It was formed from the 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, raised in 1820, and the Poona Auxiliary Horse, raised about 1817–18. The latter unit was absorbed into the regular forces about 1860 and the two regiments later became the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry and the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rifle regiment</span> Military unit type and size designation

A rifle regiment is a military unit consisting of a regiment of infantry troops armed with rifles and known as riflemen. While all infantry units in modern armies are typically armed with rifled weapons the term is still used to denote regiments that follow the distinct traditions that differentiated them from other infantry units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Frontier Force Regiment</span> Military unit

The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945, the prenominal "12th" was dropped when the British Indian Army dispensed with prenominal numbering of its regiments. After the independence in 1947, it was formed into the Frontier Force Regiment, part of the army of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial Army (India)</span> Military reserve force in India

The Territorial Army (TA) is a military reserve force composed of part-time volunteers who provide support services to the Indian Army. It consists of officers, junior commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and other personnel who hold ranks identical to those in the Indian Army, and also maintains civilian occupations. The primary role of the TA is to "relieve the regular army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services" and to "provide units for the regular army as and when required".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corps of Guides (India)</span> Regiment of the British Indian Army, in service from 1846 to 1922

The Corps of Guides was a regiment of the British Indian Army made up of British officers and Indian enlisted soldiers to serve on the North West Frontier. As originally raised in 1846, The Guides consisted of infantry and cavalry. It evolved through the 20th century to become the Guides Cavalry and Guides Infantry. Once independence was granted to India and after the partition, The Guides were given over to Pakistan and became part of the Pakistan Army with all ranks including officers being recruited solely from Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal Army</span> Army of the Bengal Presidency of British India

The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire.

The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second World War, but was reformed at Dehradun in 1964 as part of the post-independence Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Colonial Auxiliary Forces</span>

The British Colonial Auxiliary Forces were the various military forces of Britain's colonial empire which were not considered part of the British military proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Light Cavalry</span> Indian Army regiment

The 8th Light Cavalry traces its origins from the 8th King George's Own Light Cavalry which was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 26th King George's Own Light Cavalry and the 30th Lancers following a re-organisation of the Indian Cavalry Corps. Both regiments were regular cavalry units that had had long and distinguished records in the British Indian Army prior to their amalgamation. During World War II the regiment was converted into an armoured car unit and served during the Burma campaign. After India gained Independence the regiment was named 8th Light Cavalry.The regiment is the third oldest armoured regiment in India and is amongst the most highly decorated regiments in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guides Cavalry</span> Military unit

The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army which was raised in 1846 as The Corps of Guides. During more than a hundred and fifty years of military service, the regiment has earned the reputation of one of the most renowned military units in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st Horse (Central India Horse)</span> Indian Army unit

The Central India Horse was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army and is presently part of the Indian Army Armoured Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regiment of Artillery (India)</span> Artillery arm of the Indian Army

The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guides Infantry</span> Military unit

The Guides Infantry, or 2nd Battalion (Guides) The Frontier Force Regiment, is an infantry battalion of the Pakistan Army. It was raised in 1846 as part of the famous Corps of Guides, a highly mobile force to act as guides to troops in the field and gather intelligence beyond the borders of British India. The corps recruited men from various backgrounds, with Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs, and Dogras forming the majority of their manpower. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Harry Burnett Lumsden, the Guides gained a formidable reputation and introduced the dust-colored "khaki" uniforms, later adopted by the British Army in India. The corps became part of the Punjab Frontier Force, known as Piffers, which maintained order on the Punjab Frontier for fifty years.

Brigadier-General Francis Stewart Montague-Bates,, (1876–1954) was a British Army officer in the early part of the 20th century, seeing active service in the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Occupation of Constantinople, the Anglo-Irish War, and the Second World War.

Colonel Lionel Augustus Grimston was an Indian Defence Force officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dugald McTavish Lumsden</span> British army officer (1851–1915)

Colonel Dugald McTavish Lumsden CB was a Scottish-born British army officer who founded the cavalry unit Lumsden's Horse in India in 1899.

References

  1. Singh, Lieutenant Colonel Surender (27 June 2020). Territorial Army: Gateway for Civilians to Army. Notion Press. ISBN   978-1-64899-704-4.