The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, after independence as the fourth oldest and one of the senior cavalry regiments of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.
Formation After the Anglo-Maratha War of 1803, James Skinner ("Sikander Sahib") was dismissed from service by Daulat Rao Sindhia and was recruited by Lord Lake, who asked him to raise a regiment of 'Irregular Cavalry'. On February 23, 1803, the regiment was raised at Hansi, Haryana in the service of the East India Company. The initial contingent consisted of 800 men of Perron's Horse, who were under service of the Scindia, all of whom were old Muslims comrades of James Skinner. Skinner was one of a certain group of officers, such as Gardner and Hearsay, who had become British leaders of irregular cavalry that preserved the traditions of cavalry of the Mughal empire, which had a political purpose because it absorbed pockets of cavalrymen who might otherwise have become disaffected plunderers. Herber writes: "Altogether the dress, arms and appearance would lead any one versed in Indian history to believe Skinner's Horse to be the descendants of the conquering Moguls of Timour."
A second regiment of Indian Cavalry was raised by Colonel James Skinner in 1814, which became the 3rd Skinner's Horse. On the reduction of the Indian Army in 1922, 1st and 3rd Regiments were amalgamated and became Skinner's Horse (1st Duke of York's Own Cavalry) and later the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse). The regiment took its present designation in 1950.
Class composition Early 1800s During its early years, the 1st regiment of Skinner's Horse recruited men from Haryana and Doaba areas. The recruits was mainly composed of Ranghars (Muslim Rajputs), Syeds, Moghuls, and localized Pathans from Delhi, Haryana and Western U.P. with a few Rajputs and Brahmins. Thus the regiment was a predominantly Indian Muslim unit.
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 In 1864, it had three squadrons (six troops) and the composition was changed, so that there was one troop each of Muslim, Dogras, Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs and Brahmins. In 1885, a squadron (consisting of 2 troops) of Sikhs were added. In 1887, the regiment had one squadron each of Sikhs, Jats, Ranghars and half a squadron each of Rajputs and Hindustani Muslims. Later the composition was changed to one squadron each of Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs (from Eastern Punjab and Jodhpur) and Muslim Rajputs. By the end of the Great War, the regiment had four squadrons of Hindustani Muslims, one each of Moghuls, Ranghars (Muslim Rajputs), Syeds and localized Pathans recruited from Delhi, Haryana and Western United Provinces. The 3rd regiment had a similar composition. In 1927, following the amalgamation of the regiment, the troops were Jats, Rajputs and Ranghars mainly from Gurgaon, Rohtak and Hissar. Post partition, Hindustani Muslim and Ranghar squadrons of the Skinner's Horse were given to the Pakistan Armoured Corps in exchange of a Sikh Squadron from 19th King George V's own Lancers. The regiment presently recruits Jats, Sikhs and Rajputs.
Lineage
1st Lancers Source: 1803 Captain Skinner's Corps of Irregular Horse 1823 1st Regiment of Local Horse 1840 1st Bengal Irregular Cavalry 1861 1st Regiment of Bengal Cavalry 1896 1st Regiment 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)
3rd Skinner's Horse Source: 1814 Second Corps of Lieutenant-Colonel Skinner's Irregular Horse 1821 Baddeley's Frontier Horse 1823 4th Regiment of Local Horse 1840 4st Bengal Irregular Cavalry 1861 3rd Regiment of Bengal Cavalry 1901 3rd Bengal Cavalry (Skinner's Horse) 1903 3rd Skinner's Horse
Post amalgamation
1921 1st-3rd Cavalry
Early history
After its formation in 1803, the regiment was involved in a number of the campaigns on the Indian subcontinent, notably the Siege of Bharatpur, the First Afghan War, the Second Afghan War, the First Anglo-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 served together.Christopher Rothero pages 6–7 "Skinner's Horse"
World War I
The 1st regiment remained at the North-West Frontier of British India throughout the war. The 3rd regiment had been stationed in Meerut when the 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. It sailed from Bombay and reached Marseilles port in France by 15 December 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. A detachment of the regiment was tasked to guard the post at Gumboz and held against the attack by the Marris on 17 February 1918.
The regiment won the following gallantry awards – Companion of the Indian Empire : Risaldar Habibur Rahman Khan (1st regiment). Military Cross : Jemadar Ami Lal (3rd regiment). Order of British India : Risaldar Mardan Khan, Risaldar Nathe Khan, Risaldar Major Muhammad Akham Khan (1st regiment); Risaldar Major Balwant Singh (3rd regiment). Indian Order of Merit : Risaldar Faiz Muhammad Khan, Jemadar Muhammad Umar Faruk Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Lal Singh, Lance Dafadar Khem Singh, Jemadar Indar Singh, Dafadar Jawahir Singh (3rd regiment). Indian Distinguished Service Medal : Sowar Nishan Ali, Jemadar Raknuddin, Trumpeter Abdul Majid Khan, Sowar Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Lance Dafadar Ali Hussain, Jemadar Muhammad Tagi Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Gurdiyall Singh, Acting Lance Dafadar Pritam Singh, Sowar Chhaja Singh (3rd regiment). Indian Meritorious Service Medal : Sowar Sabr Ali Khan, Sowar Abdul Shakoor Khan, Dafadar Hadiyar Khan, Dafadar Ashrafulla Khan (1st regiment); Dafadar Chhaja Singh, Sowar Pakbar Singh, Dafadar Nand Singh, Lance Dafadar Nahar Singh (3rd regiment). Croix de Guerre (French) : Dafadar Zahur Ali (3rd regiment). Bronze Medal of Military Valor (Italian) : Dafadar Kutab Khan (3rd regiment). Crucea Servicul Credincois (Romanian) : Sowar Pretam Singh (3rd regiment).
Interwar period After World War I, the cavalry of the British Indian Army was reduced from thirty-nine regiments to twenty-one. On 18 May 1921, the two regiments of Skinner's Horse were amalgamated at Sialkot with the new title of the 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse. 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 traditional sillidar-system of most of the cavalry was abolished shortly after World War I and Indian troopers were now provided with government horses rather than having to provide the animals themselves in return for a higher rate of pay. The Skinner's Horse accordingly acquired the status of a fully regular regiment of the British Indian Army and received standard government-issue equipment for all purposes.
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. 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).
The regiment won the following gallantry awards – Distinguished Service Order (DSO) : Lieutenant Colonel IF Hossack. Military Cross : Captain RP Prentice, Lieutenant RE Coaker. Indian Order of Merit : Risaldar Mohd Yunus Khan. Indian Distinguished Service Medal : Risaldar Amar Singh, Lance Dafadar Dip Chand, Lance Dafadar Mohd Sharif Khan, Lance Dafadar Bhure Khan, Sowar Munshi Singh, Sowar Raj Singh, Sowar Sardar Singh. Mentioned in dispatches : Lieutenant Colonel IF Hossack, Lieutenant Colonel T Scott, Captain HT Addams Williams, Lieutenant RE Coaker, Risaldar Major Bhanu Singh, Risaldar Mohammed Yunus Khan, Lance Dafadar Bhure Khan, Lance Dafadar Abdul Hakim, Lance Dafadar Munshi Khan, Lance Dafadar Feroze Khan, Lance Dafadar Ikram-ud-din, Sowar Raj Singh.
Post War
The regiment was switched to tanks in 1946, receiving the Stuart tank, and a year later Churchills. In 1947 with the Indian independence, the regiment became part of the Indian Army Armoured Corps. The first Indian commander was Lieutenant Colonel RM Bilimoria, and the regiment was stationed at Ahmednagar.
Hyderabad Police Action The regiment took part in the annexation of Hyderabad in 1948, following which 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. Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 In 1965, equipped with Sherman tanks, the unit's B Squadron supported 50th Parachute Brigade near Dograi and 2 troops helped 3 Jat in the epic battle of Dograi. Eight years later, in 1965 the regiment converted to the T-54 and then to the T-55. Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The regiment with its T-55 tanks was part of the 2 Independent Armoured Brigade under 39 Infantry Division. It took part in operations initially in Samba and then in Shakargarh sector and was awarded the battle honour Harar Kalan.
The regiment won the following gallantry awards- Vir Chakra : Captain Vikram Deuskar. Sena Medal : Dafadar Rup Singh, Lance Dafadar Gurdial Singh, Sowar Nathu Lal Mentioned in dispatches : 2nd Lieutenant Virender Kumar Jetley, 2nd Lieutenant A Khullar, 2nd Lieutenant Bhupinder Singh Mandare, Risaldar Bhan Singh In 1979, the regiment converted to the T-72 tanks. In 2003, a special service was held at the St. James' Church, Delhi, which was built by James Skinner, to commemorate the bicentenary of the regiment.
Uniforms