15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade
15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade | |
---|---|
British Crown Indian States rulers | |
Branch | Imperial Service Troops |
Type | Cavalry |
Size | Brigade (~ 1,700 men) |
Part of | Egyptian Expeditionary Force Imperial Mounted Division XXI Corps Australian Mounted Division Desert Mounted Corps 2nd Mounted (later 5th Cavalry Division) |
Engagements | World War I |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | William A. Watson Cyril R. Harbord |
Insignia | |
Abbreviation | ISCB |
The 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was a
In October 1914, the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade was moved by sea to Egypt to become part of the
In total, eighty-four men from the brigade were killed in action or died of their wounds and another 123 were wounded. Several memorials were erected to commemorate the brigade in the Middle East and in India. The anniversary of the brigade's most famous victory, the Battle of Haifa, is still celebrated today by its successors in the Indian Army.
Background
In 1888, the Indian Government proposed that the independent armies of the
The Imperial Service Troops included cavalry, infantry, artillery,
Brigade organisation
In October 1914, under the command of
The fighting component of the brigade was formed from three cavalry regiments, each of five
Even though the brigade was an Imperial Service unit, the cavalry regiments and brigade headquarters included attached British Indian Army Special Service Officers (SSO), but only as advisors.
Service history
1914
While waiting at Deolali to embark for Egypt, the brigade conducted regimental and brigade training programmes during which all ranks and animals were inspected, and those found unfit for service were returned to their regimental depots.
1915
By the end of 1914, no contact had been made with any Turkish forces. In January 1915 the brigade was informed that a large Turkish force had moved into the
The brigade's next action was on 22 March when two squadrons of Hyderabad Lancers were included in a force sent to assault a Turkish formation of 800 infantry and 200 cavalry supported by artillery, entrenched ten miles (16 km) east of El Kubri. After a short fight the Turkish withdrew; it had been intended that the Lancers would move to cut off their retreat but the soft terrain prevented them getting into position in time.[23] On 7 April, patrols from Kantara reported a force of about 1,200 men had opened fire on them. To counter this new threat to the canal, the whole brigade was moved to Kantarah and the next day advanced into the Sinai, but failed to locate any Turkish troops and returned to Ismailia.[23]
On 28 April a patrol from the Bikaner Camel Corps was attacked by an estimated 400 men with artillery support. In response the brigade crossed the canal that night supported by infantry and Egyptian artillery and advanced on El Hawawish, where the Turkish were believed to be located.[23] By daybreak however their guide reported he was lost, so the brigade continued alone. Bypassing El Hawaish, they made for Bir Mahadat, arriving at midday they discovered the Turkish were withdrawing to the north. Setting off in pursuit they caught up with the Turkish rearguard, which was forced to stop and fight. For the loss of two killed and eight wounded the brigade killed twenty Turkish soldiers and captured thirteen. At 20:00 on 29 April, the pursuit was called off and the brigade returned to Ferry Post on the canal.[24] Several times in the following months the brigade responded to reports of Turkish incursions, but nothing came of them until 23 November when a Mysore Lancers squadron located a Turkish camel force of about sixty men fifteen miles (24 km) east of Kantarah. Pursued by the Lancers, the Turkish withdrew, during which the Lancers killed seven men, captured twelve and wounded several more. Among the dead was the Bedouin leader Rizkalla Salim who had led most of the Turkish raids on the canal, and with his death the attacks ceased.[24]
1916–1917
From January 1916, all patrolling east of the Suez Canal was left to the
In February 1917, the brigade was ordered to relieve the British
Third battle of Gaza
On 27 September, the brigade was once again moved to the front line and given responsibility for patrolling the area between the
The brigade now came under command of XXI Corps and at 01:45 on 8 November was ordered to move west of Beit Hanun and link up with the Australian Mounted Division, which was advancing from the east. As they moved to the east of Beit Hanun, the XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment, which was still attached to the brigade, came under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, preventing the brigade from advancing further. The Turkish bombardment continued until 12:20, when they were observed withdrawing. The XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment and Mysore Lancers were ordered to encircle and cut off their retreat, however dug in Turkish positions at the Wadi Hesi once again halted the brigade advance. At 15:00 that day the brigade eventually made contact with the 4th Light Horse Brigade, completing the link up with the Australian Mounted Division.[31][32]
The morning of 9 November was spent trying to water the horses, some of which had had no water for over twenty-four hours, so the brigade did not move after the now retreating Turkish until after 11:20. Moving at their best speed, the brigade reached the high ground east of
1918
In early January, the brigade trained and re-equipped, which included the first issue of bayonets to the Lancers. On 2 April, the Hyderabad Lancers were detached from the brigade, coming under the command of the
On 14 July, the brigade's squadrons were involved in several small battles in the
Haifa
The next three weeks were taken up with regimental and brigade training, until 17 September when the brigade started returning to the front line. The Hyderabad Lancers were detached from the brigade on 22 September to escort 12,000 prisoners to
The brigade deployed its forces, with one squadron from the Mysore Lancers supported by two machine-guns to capture Mount Carmel.[43] A second Mysore squadron would cover the main road while the remainder of the regiment with two machine-guns would advance along the Acre railway line. The Jodhpur Lancers would deploy in the open and wait further orders, while brigade headquarters and the remainder of the machine-gun squadron and the artillery battery would be to the north of Beled Esh Sheikh. When in position, the Jodhpur Lancers—supported by covering fire from the artillery—and the Mysore Lancers would charge the guns. At 11:45 the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry caught up with the brigade and one squadron was detached to support the Mysore Lancers on Mount Carmel. The attack was scheduled to start at 14:00 but before that, the artillery battery and reconnaissance patrols sent out to look for the Turkish positions kept up suppressing fire on them, to which the Turkish responded with counter-battery fire. The attack commenced on time; the Jodhpur Lancers advanced in squadron columns in the face of heavy Turkish rifle and machine-gun fire.[44]
The Lancers charged towards the railway line, but the terrain forced them to move to their left into a
Advance to Homs
The brigade rested for the next two days and was rejoined by the Hyderabad Lancers on 25 September. At 05:00 the next day they resumed the advance, arriving at
The next day, 2 October, was the day that British Empire forces officially entered Damascus. This was marked by a short period of rest for the British forces and the brigade advance did not resume until 05:30 on 5 October. Their first objective was
Haritan
At Homs, the brigade rested for two days and on 19 October headed for
As the attack started, the leading armoured car developed a fault and returned to their start position, due to a misunderstanding, the rest of the battery followed them, taking them out of the attack.[53] The Mysore Lancers had also started their advance but moved further east to get into a position to charge after discovering the Turkish line was longer than expected, taking them out of range of their supporting machine-guns. At 12:00 the Lancers charged the Turkish position, killing fifty men and capturing twenty, but without any fire support from their machine-gun squadron they were unable to penetrate the Turkish defences and were forced to withdraw to the rear, dismount and keep the Turkish position under observation.[52] The extent of the Turkish position had not been fully appreciated, and was now estimated to be held by a force of 3,000 infantry, 400 cavalry, up to twelve artillery guns and between thirty and forty machine-guns.[53] One group of Turkish soldiers started towards the Mysore Lancers position, but halted about 800 yards (730 m) short and started to dig new defensive trenches. Unable to progress against the larger force, the brigade kept the position under observation and at 21:00, the Turkish were seen to be withdrawing and had completely evacuated their positions by midnight. At 23:15 the 14th Cavalry Brigade arrived, setting up their own observation lines, until daylight when they took over the 15th Brigade's positions.[54][55] In the day's battle, Turkish casualties were estimated to be around 100 men, while the brigade lost four British officers, including Holden attached to the Jodhpur Lancers, one Indian officer and sixteen other ranks. Twelve officers, six of them British, and forty-four other ranks were wounded, and three other ranks were reported missing.[55][56]
That night, the Turkish forces withdrew twenty miles (32 km) to Deir el Jemel to the north-west of Aleppo. The 5th Cavalry Division was not strong enough by itself to continue the advance and halted, waiting for the Australian Mounted Division to catch up with them.[57] On 27 October, the day after their unsuccessful charge, the brigade became the division reserve and was ordered back to Aleppo. Events now overtook them; at noon on 31 October, after the Armistice of Mudros had been agreed the previous day, the war with the Ottoman Empire ended.[55]
Disbandment
After the Armistice of Mudros, the brigade remained with 5th Cavalry Division in Palestine as part of the occupation forces. However, demobilization began immediately and the brigade was broken up by January 1920.
Memorials
The main memorial to the brigade is the Teen Murti (three soldiers) memorial in New Delhi, a stone and bronze sculpture inscribed with the names of those members of the brigade killed in action. The three statues represent soldiers from the Indian States of Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur.[64][65] A memorial on the site of the fighting at Haritan is inscribed with the date of the battle, the units involved and details of the casualties.[66] The Port Tewfik Memorial was erected at the Suez Canal to commemorate the 4,000 Indian officers and soldiers killed during the Sinai and Palestine campaign who have no known grave.[67] The brigade's capture of Haifa on 23 September is remembered by the present Indian Army as Haifa Day,[68] and the Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers part in its capture was recognised by the British government, which awarded them the battle honour Megiddo.[69]
The British army commander Edmund Allenby in his despatches also commented on the contribution of the men in the brigade:
"I take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the valuable services and high soldierly qualities of the following contingents of Indian Imperial Service Troops which, through the generosity of their respective Ruling Chiefs, were placed at my disposal: — Hyderabad Lancers, Jodhpur Lancers, Kathiawar Signal Troop, Mysore Lancers."[70]
Formation
Commanders
- Brigadier-General William Arthur Watson (October 1914 – 31 March 1916)[5]
- Brigadier-General M. H. Henderson (31 March 1916 – 16 April 1917)[25]
- Brigadier-General Cyril Rodney Harbord (16 April 1917 – 1920)[26]
Units assigned
- 1st Hyderabad Lancers (October 1914 – 1918)
- Mysore Lancers (October 1914 – 1918)
- Patiala Lancers (October 1914 – May 1916)
- Jodhpur Lancers (From 11 May 1918)
- 124th Indian Cavalry Field Ambulance (October 1914 – 1918)
- 15th Kathiawar Signal Troop (October 1914 – 1918)
- 15th Imperial Service Machine Gun Squadron (From 10 June 1918)[71][72]
Units attached
- Bikaner Camel Corps (for administration only)[16]
- XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment (20 October – 9 November 1917)[29]
- Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment (4–11 May 1918)[36]
- Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (23–25 September 1918)[44]
- B Battery Honourable Artillery Company (23–25 September 1918)[41]
See also
References
- Footnotes
- ^ Zorwar Singh was one of the first four Indians to receive a commission in the British forces, as opposed to a commission in the British Indian Army.[7][8]
- Ottoman Turkish Empire. While the terms have distinct historical meanings, within many English-language sources the term "Turkey" and "Ottoman Empire" are used synonymously, although many academic sources differ in their approaches.[21]The sources used in this article predominately use the term "Turkey". .
- Citations
- ^ Jaipur 1967, pp. XV–XVI
- ^ Jaipur 1967, p. XVII
- ^ a b Raugh 2004, p. 171
- ^ a b Duckers 2008, p. 33
- ^ a b c d e HMSO 1920, pp. 2–3
- ^ Gudmundsson 2005, pp. 52–53
- ^ "No. 27813". The London Gazette. 4 July 1905. p. 4636.
- ^ Sharma 1996, p. 22
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 18
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 4
- ^ Roy 2011, p. 213
- ^ HMSO 1910, p. 21
- ^ Sumner 2008, p. 10
- ^ Roy 2011, p. 151
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 2–4
- ^ a b c d e HMSO 1920, p. 6
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 3
- ^ a b Preston 1921, p. 8
- ^ a b Carver 2004, p. 8
- ^ "No. 31476". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 July 1919. p. 9538.
- ^ Fewster, Basarin, Basarin 2003, pp. xi–xii
- ^ "No. 29632". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 June 1916. p. 6166.
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, p. 7
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 8
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, p. 9
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, pp. 10–11
- ^ "Imperial Mounted Division War Diary" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 13
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, p. 14
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 14–15
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 16
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 52
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 17
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 19
- ^ "Australian Mounted Division War Diary" (PDF). Australian War Museum. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, pp. 20–21
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 22–23
- ^ "No. 30994". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1918. p. 13109.
- ^ Preston 1920, p. 154
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 24
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, p. 25
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 232
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 234
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 26
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 26–27
- ^ Preston 1921, pp. 234–236
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 28
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 273
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, pp. 28–29
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 288
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 291
- ^ a b HMSO 1920, p. 30
- ^ a b Preston 1921, p. 292
- ^ Preston 1921, p. 293
- ^ a b c HMSO 1920, p. 31
- ^ "Hyla Napier Holden". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- ^ "No. 31087". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 December 1918. p. 15188.
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 28
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 32–33
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 34–35
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 36–37
- ^ "Find War Dead (note screen needs completing with regiment name and war)". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ HMSO 1920, pp. 38–43
- ^ "Teen Murti". University Scholars Programme Project. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ Punja 1990, p. 118
- ^ HMSO 1920, p. 37
- ^ Commonwealth War Graves Commission. "Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial". Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ Eyadat, Fadi (24 September 2010). "On 'Haifa Day,' India salutes WWI troops". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "Spectacular 61st Cavalry parade marks Raising Day in Jaipur". The Hindu. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "No. 31498". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 August 1919. p. 10194.
- ^ "Indian Cavalry in Palestine". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 21 May 1919. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ General Edmund Allenby (4 February 1922). "Supplement to the London Gazette, 4 February 1920" (PDF). London Gazette. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-330-49108-2.
- Duckers, Peter (2008). The British-Indian Army, 1860–1914. Shire Album Series. Vol. 412. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7478-0550-2.
- OCLC 473418.
- History of the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade during the Great War 1914–1918. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office(HMSO). 1920.
- Fewster, Kevin; Basarin, Vecihi; Basarin, Hatice Hurmuz (2003). Gallipoli: The Turkish Story. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-045-5.
- Gudmundsson, Bruce (2005). The British Expeditionary Force 1914–15. 16 of Battle Orders. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-902-8.
- Perry, F.W. (1993). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-23-X.
- Preston, Richard Martin (1921). The Desert Mounted Corps: An Account of the Cavalry Operations in Palestine and Syria, 1917–1918. London: Constable and Company. ISBN 978-1-146-75883-3.
- Raugh, Harold E (2004). The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-925-6.
- Roy, Kaushik (2011). The Indian Army in the Two World Wars. History of Warfare. Vol. 70. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18550-0.
- Punja, Shobita (1990). An Illustrated Guide to Museums of India. Michigan: Guidebook Company. ISBN 978-962-217-143-5.
- Sharma, Gautam (1996). Nationalisation of the Indian Army (1885–1947). Bombay: Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7023-555-2.
- Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 1914–1947. Osprey Elite Series. Vol. 75. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-196-1.
External links