6th Lancers (Pakistan)
| 6th Lancers (Watson's Horse) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1857–present |
| Country |
 British India Pakistan
|
| Branch |
 British Indian Army Pakistan Army
|
| Type | Armoured Regiment |
| Size | Regiment |
| Engagements |
Indian Mutiny of 1857 Bhutan War 1864–65 Second Afghan War 1878–80 Anglo-Egyptian War 1882 The Boxer Rebellion 1900 First World War 1914–18 Third Afghan War 1919 Second World War 1939–45 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | The Duke of Connaught |
| Notable commanders |
General Sir John Watson VC GCB Brigadier Francis Ingall DSO OBE |
The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamation of the 13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers (Watson's Horse) and the 16th Cavalry. The regiment and its predecessors have seen active service on the North West Frontier, in Egypt during 1882, in China during the Boxer Rebellion, the two World Wars and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. On the Partition of India in 1947, the regiment was allotted to the Pakistan Army, where it remains in service today.
The 13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers was originally raised in 1857, at Lahore, as the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry by Lieutenants H Cattley and John Watson VC. Watson was appointed the commandant but did not join until 1860. He would go on to command the regiment for eleven years and is better known for introducing changes in the riding practices of the cavalry, whereby the rider would rise in the stirrups during the trot instead of bumping along in the saddle. The regiment served in the Second Afghan War of 1878–80 and in Egypt in 1882, where it fought against Arabi Pasha at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. It so impressed the Duke of Connaught that he requested his mother, Queen Victoria, to appoint him as their Colonel-in-Chief. In 1897, the regiment was engaged in suppressing the tribal uprisings on the Northwest Frontier. During the First World War, the regiment remained on the Northwest Frontier until July 1916, when it moved to Mesopotamia for the relief of Kut-al-Amara. On its return, it served in Waziristan during the Third Afghan War in 1919.
...
Wikipedia