12th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
| 12th Cavalry (Frontier Force) | |
|---|---|
William Vousden Guy Melfort Baldwin |
The 12th Cavalry Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in the British Indian army in 1922 by the amalgamation of 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) and 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force).[2][3]
22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force)
The 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) was raised in 1849 at
- In an engagement with the rebels, Captain Browne, whilst advancing upon the enemy's position, pushed on with one orderly sowar upon a 9-pounder gun and attacked the gunners, preventing them from re-loading and attacking the infantry who were advancing to the attack. In the conflict which ensued, Captain Browne received two sword cuts, one on the left knee and one which severed his left arm at the shoulder, but not before he had cut down one of his assailants. The gun was eventually captured and the gunner killed.
It was the loss of his arm that caused Browne to invent the famous Sam Browne belt, still in the use of many of today's armies. The original belt is on display in the India Room at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Meanwhile, Captain Dighton Probyn was also awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry, while serving with the 2nd Punjab Cavalry. His citation reads:
- On many occasions during the period 1857–1858 in India, Captain Probyn performed gallant and daring acts. On one occasion, at the Battle of Agra, when his squadron charged the rebel infantry, he was sometimes separated from his men and surrounded by five or six sepoys. He defended himself and, before his own men had joined him, had cut down two of his assailants.
Officers of the 2nd Punjab Cavalry, 1880.
During the
Name changes
- 1849 2nd Punjab Irregular Cavalry
- 1851 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force
- 1861 2nd Regiment of Punjab Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force
- 1901 2nd Punjab Cavalry
- 1903 22nd Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 1904 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force)
25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
The 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) was raised by Captain Robert Fitzgerald as the 5th Punjab Irregular Cavalry at
For their excellent record in the Indian Mutiny and the Second Afghan War, the 5th Punjab Cavalry was among the units honoured during the
Name changes
- 1849 5th Punjab Irregular Cavalry
- 1851 5th Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force
- 1861 5th Regiment of Punjab Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force
- 1901 5th Punjab Cavalry
- 1903 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
12th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
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 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) and 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) were amalgamated in 1921 to form 12th Cavalry. The uniform of 12th Cavalry was scarlet with blue facings. The badge showed a mounted figure within a circle carrying the title 'Sam Browne's Cavalry XII FF' with a crown above. Its class composition was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. In 1937, 12th Cavalry became the training regiment of 2nd Indian Cavalry Group at
On the
Captains Ahmed Arsalan Asaf and Nadeem Ahmad Raja were the Siachin Warriors of 12th Cavalary, Asaf participating in Operation Naveed Top during the Siachen conflict in April 1989.
Captain Mearaj Muhammad of the 12th Cavalary was killed on 4 June 2009 while fighting with
Name changes
- 1921 22nd/25th Cavalry (amalgamation)
- 1922 12th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 1927 Sam Browne's Cavalry (12th Frontier Force)
- 1940 1st Indian Armoured Corps Centre
- 1947 Pakistan Armoured Corps Centre
- 1955 12th Cavalry (Frontier Force) (re-raised)
Affiliations & Alliances
The Frontier Force Regiment
9th/12th Royal Lancers
References
- ^ Rodger, Alexander. (2003). Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press.
- ^ "SAM BROWNE'S CAVALRY(12th Frontier Force)". Defense Journal. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d Gaylor, John (1991). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91. Stroud: Spellmount.
- ^ a b c North, REFG. (1934). The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846-1924. DI Khan: Commercial Steam Press
- ^ "No. 26947". The London Gazette. 14 March 1898. p. 1638.
- ^ The Sabre & Lance: Journal of the Pakistan Armoured Corps. (1997). Nowshera: The School of Armour & Mechanised Warfare.
Further reading
- Regimental Record, 5th Regiment, Punjab Cavalry. (1886). Lahore: W. Ball & Co.
- Regimental Record, 25th Cavalry (FF), 1886–1912. (1912).
- Journal of the late General Sir Sam Browne, VC, GCB, KCSI 1849–98. (1937). Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons.
- Dey, RSBN. (1905). A Brief Account of the Late Punjab Frontier Force, From its Organization in 1849 to its Re-distribution on 31st March 1903. Calcutta.
- Elliott, Maj Gen JG. (1968). The Frontier 1839–1947: The Story of the North-West Frontier of India. London: Cassell.
- Gaylor, John. (1991). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–1991. Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946771-98-1
- Hayauddin, Maj Gen M. (1950). One Hundred Glorious Years: A History of the Punjab Frontier Force, 1849–1949. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press.
- Kempton, C. (1996). A Register of Titles of the Units of the H.E.I.C. & Indian Armies 1666–1947. Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. ISBN 978-0-9530174-0-9
- North, REFG. (1934). The Punjab Frontier Force: A Brief Record of Their Services 1846–1924. Dera Ismail Khan: Commercial Steam Press, HQ Waziristan District.
- Trench, CC. (1988). The Indian Army and the King’s Enemies, 1900–1947. London: Thames and Hudson.
External links
- Sam Browne's Cavalry (12th Frontier Force) by John Gaylor at The Defence Journal
- 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) at The British Empire
