17th Cavalry
| 15th Lancers (Baloch) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Active | 1922 - 1937; 1955 - Present |
| Country |
 British India Pakistan
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Armoured Regiment |
| Uniform | Dark blue; faced buff |
| Engagements |
Bhutan War 1864-65 Second Afghan War 1878-80 First World War 1914-18 Third Afghan War 1919 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
| Battle honours | Afghanistan 1879-80, Afghanistan 1919, Khem Karan 1965. |
The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).
The 17th Cavalry was raised in 1857 at Muttra by Colonel CJ Robarts and was composed entirely of Afghans. Throughout its existence, the regiment remained an exclusively Muslim unit. In 1861, after several changes in nomenclature, it was designated the 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry. In 1865, it saw action as part of the Bhutan Field Force, while in 1879-80, the regiment operated on lines of communication during the Second Afghan War as part of the Kabul Field Force. During the First World War, it dispatched a squadron to Africa where it took part in the East African Campaign. In 1919, the regiment fought in the Third Afghan War. The regiment maintained a mounted pipe band from 1895 to 1902. The uniform of the 17th Cavalry was blue with white facings. The regimental badge consisted of a silver star and crescent over "XVII" with a title scroll below.
The 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse) was raised in 1885 as the 7th Bombay Cavalry (Jacob-ka-Risallah) from the manpower of the 3rd Scinde Horse (Belooch Horse), which had been disbanded in 1882. This regiment was also an all-Muslim unit made up of Pathans and Baluchis. Their first chance of active service came in 1919, when they served in the Third Afghan War, although one of their squadrons operated in Persia during the First World War. Prior to 1914 the regiment's dress uniform was dark blue (khaki drill for hot-weather parade and field dress), with buff facings. The badge consisted of crossed lances and pennons with "37" over crossed lances.
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 17th Cavalry and 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse) were amalgamated at Lucknow in 1922 to form the 15th Lancers. Meanwhile, an existing 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) joined the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers to form the 20th Lancers.
...
Wikipedia