Bombay Cavalryman 1817

In Sons of John Company, John Gaylor says that the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Bombay Light Cavalry (which became the 31st and 32nd Bombay Lancers, amalgamated in 1921) had a common origin in the old Bombay Squadron of Cavalry, raised for service under Lord Lake with whom it served at the siege of Bhurtpore in 1805. The Squadron was split in 1817 and, with two Troops each as a cadre, the 1st and 2nd Bombay Light Cavalry were formed.

An article by Colonel A Campbell-Ross DSO (13th DCO Lancers) in the Cavalry Journal of January 1926 states that the regiment was formed on the 5th November 1817, at Beerah, by Lieutenant-Colonel R Barclay. This is also stated in the Army List of 1920. Campbell-Ross also says that the regiment received its first instruction from the 17th Lancers of the British Army. The men were Hindus and Muslims from Hindustan.

Mooltan 1849

The storming of the city took place on 2 Jan 1849, the Bombay column attacking the southeast corner while the Bengal column assaulted a breach on the east side. By nightfall the city was in the hands of the besieging army, although the citadel was still garrisoned by the Sikhs. For most of January the citadel was bombarded and cut off so that it was only a matter of time before the 5,000 defenders capitulated. An unconditional surrender took place on 22 Jan 1849. The 1st Bombay Lancers formed part of the garrison that remained in Mooltan while the main army marched to Gujrat where the decisive battle of the Sikh War took place on 21 Feb. The Bombay troops remaining in Mooltan were subjected to heavy rainfall in August so that the area was a sea of mud. Camps had to be evacuated and the men lived in the citadel where disease caused many of them to succumb to sickness and some deaths. In 1850 the regiment joined the Rajputana Field Force at Nasirabad. In 1853 they were awarded the battle honours MOOLTAN and PUNJAB.

In July the regiment was strengthened with a fourth squadron and took part in operations in Central India and Rajputana. They fought with distinction at Gwalior in June 1858 where 6,500 sepoys revolted against the East India Company vassal ruler, Jayajirao Scindia. The fortress was considered to be impregnable and the struggle to capture it was fiercely fought, earning the regiment a special mention.

The Cyprus Polka

‘On April 17,1878, after a period of comparative inactivity the regiment received orders to hold itself in readiness for immediate embarkation on foreign service, no further details being given. It embarked at Bombay on May 1 and 2 and twenty-four days later disembarked at Malta. This strange move was necessitated by the situation in the Near East, which had constrained Lord Beaconsfield to show Russia that Great Britain had military resources other than those in Europe. Hence the appearance of this small expeditionary force from India. The stay in Malta was brief. The 1st Bombay Light Cavalry was soon transferred to the Island of Cyprus, remaining there until its return to Bombay, where it disembarked on September 21, 1878.’

The operation was called the Malta Expeditionary Force, but Malta was simply a base for assembling the force. The main purpose was the occupation of Cyprus which was being transferred from Turkish control in exchange for an agreement called The Cyprus Convention, committing the British to give help to the Ottoman Empire in the event of an attack. The issue of orders for embarkation came in April 1878 although the treaty wasn't signed until June. The force consisted of the 1st Bombay Cavalry and the 9th Bengal Cavalry. The infantry regiments were; the 2nd Gurkhas, the 13th and 31st Bengal NI, the 25th Madras NI, and the 9th and 26th Bombay NI. Also there were Madras and Bombay Sappers and Miners, and two batteries RA. The force, including followers, amounted to 8,470 with 1,384 horses and 526 ponies.

They sailed to the Mediterranean in 12 steamers towing 15 sailing ships, arriving in Valletta harbour at the end of May. On 17 June they paraded for an inspection by the Duke of Cambridge. They sailed to Cyprus, landing at Larnaca on 23 July, the whole force commanded by Sir Garnet Wolseley, the new governor of the island. The infantry were sent off to the main towns for garrison duty, the sappers and miners were busy with road building, and the cavalry were employed as escorts for officers moving around the island, and dealing with bandits. There was no serious opposition to the new administrators so it was decided to send the bulk of the force back to India. They sailed in August and the 1st Bombay Cavalry disembarked at Bombay on 21 Sep 1878 having been on foreign service for 5 months.

The Third Burma War was brought about by violations of the Treaty between Britain and Burma. King Thebaw came to the throne in 1879 and encouraged acts of aggression and instances of ‘outrage and injustice’ to British traders. He also held secret negotiations with France concerning the rights in Upper Burma. A field force was sent out in late 1885 consisting of Mountain Artillery, Sappers and Miners, and 3 brigades of British and Indian infantry; no cavalry at this stage. However, the troubles spread around the country and reinforcements were sent in 1886; 3 regiments of Bengal Infantry and the 7th Bengal Cavalry. At the end of the summer of 1886 it was clear that more cavalry was needed, so Madras, Hyderabad and Bombay supplied a regiment each, and 3 more Bengal infantry regiments and the 3rd Gurkhas were also sent in.

1st Bombay Lancers 1885

The Indian cavalry regiments now taking part were the 7th Bengal Cavalry, the 1st Madras Lancers, the 3rd Hyderabad Cavalry, and the 1st Bombay Lancers, all silladar regiments except the Madras Lancers. The 1st Bombay Lancers had 552 horses and 322 ponies, embarking at Bombay on 20 Sep 1886. They sailed to Rangoon where they were divided up into detachments, embarking again on the 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th and 15th October to reach Myingyan on 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st and 27th Oct. They operated in the Myingan and Ningyan districts.

The dacoits had a dread of cavalry so that their normal response was to run away. Col Heyland wrote;

‘It requires a hard heart and a strong sense of duty… to slay or wound with lance or sword any number of terrified, unresisting men when caught flying in the open.’

On 12 Dec 1886, a detachment of 50 men attacked 700 dacoits in a walled enclosure at Alegun in the Pokoko district. The lancers galloped up and the defenders fled. They were pursued and 200 were killed or wounded. Again on 1 April 1887 a similar number of dacoits were defending a strong walled position at Taungdwingyi. They also ran off, suffering severe consequences as 30 lancers and 17 mounted infantrymen chased them. At least four other instances of similar cavalry actions took place, causing few casualties for the army but large numbers of killed and injured dacoits.

The casualty lists for the war show two British officers invalided, two Indian troopers killed, 8 died of disease, 27 invalided. The followers suffered 2 killed in action, 3 died of disease and 9 invalided. From Sept 1886 to Sept 1887 the regiment lost a total of 86 horses, much fewer than the other cavalry regiments.