15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)
| 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1858–1921 |
| Country | First World War 1914–18 |
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The 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) was a
Cureton's Multanis had a blue uniform with scarlet facings. The badge comprised two crossed lances and a pennon with a star and crescent. The star was placed over the point of crossing of the lances and was inscribed with "XV". The crescent was placed lower down and had the words "CURETON"S MOOLTANEES" inscribed upon it.[1]
The regiment had a tradition of giving a Muslim salute, i.e. salaam, a gesture of obeisance, instead of the regulation military salute. This departure from military regulations was permitted them by the Lord Napier of Magdala.[1]
Early history
During the
Formally instituted in Lahore in 1858 from six risalas from Punjab, it was originally raised in 1857 by Ghulam Hasan Khan as The Multani Regiment of Cavalry. The first native commandant Nawab Ghulam Hassan Khan also served as the British Political Agent to Afghanistan. In 1859 the regiment received men from Khan's Khakwani Risala, from Lind's Multani Horse and from Pathan Horse risalas of Sirdar Mohhamed Afzal Khan, Shahzadeh Sultan Jan Sadozai and Muhamad Tyfoor.[1]
The Multanis saw much action during the 1857 Uprising, mostly vigorous skirmishes including the charge on the cavalry of Prince Firoz Shah, a skilled warrior and cousin of the Mughal Badshah, which has been described as "one of the finest instances of shock action of cavalry which occurred during 1857". However, they were not awarded any battle honour for this conflict.[1]
World War I
At the outset of World War I, 15th Lancers formed the divisional cavalry regiment of
In 1915, Cureton's Multanis were detached from the Lahore Division and sent to the
Battle honours
The battle honours of Cureton's Multanis are :[1]
- Afghanistan 1878–80
- Neuve Chappelle
- France and Flanders 1914–15
- Persia 1916–19
Amalgamation
In the postwar reduction of cavalry, in 1921, the regiment was amalgamated with the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers at Sialkot to form 20th Lancers. The successor regiment, 20th Lancers, was de-listed in 1937 after being converted into the Indian Armoured Corps Training Centre at Lucknow, which subsequently was allotted to India. Both India and Pakistan re-raised successors to this regiment in 1956.[4]
In 1921, a new
Changes in designation
Cureton's Multanis had the following changes of name :[1]
- 1857 Independent Risalas of Pathan Horse
- 1858 Multani Regiment of Cavalry
- 1860 Cureton's Multani Regiment of Cavalry
- 1861 15th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
- 1871 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
- 1890 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Lancers
- 1901 15th (Cureton's Multani) Bengal Lancers
- 1903 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)
- 1921 Merged with 14th Murray's Jat Lancers to form 14th/15th Cavalry
- 1922 20th Lancers
References
- ^ ISBN 978-81-902097-7-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-7094-013-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78093-820-2.
- ^ Nath (2009), pp 486–488, 581–583, 731–732.