Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force)
| Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1846 - Present |
| Country |
 British India Pakistan
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Armoured Regiment |
| Size | Regiment |
| Nickname(s) | The Guides |
| Motto(s) | Rough & Ready |
| Uniform | Drab; faced red |
| March | "Cavalry Brigade" |
| Engagements |
North West Frontier of India Second Sikh War 1848-49 Indian Mutiny 1857-58 Second Afghan War 1878-80 First World War 1914-18 Second World War 1939-45 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lt Gen Sir Harry Lumsden, KCSI, CB Gen Sir Sam Browne, VC, GCB, KCSI Gen Sir Henry Daly, GCB, CIE Gen Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Maj Gen Syed Wajahat Husain Brig Amir Gulistan Janjua General Muhammad Yusaf Khan Lt. Gen. Fazle Haq |
The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army which was raised in 1846 as The Corps of Guides. During more than a hundred and fifty years of military service, the regiment has earned the reputation of one of the most renowned military units in the world.
The Corps of Guides was raised at Peshawar on 14 December 1846 by Lieutenant Harry Burnett Lumsden on the orders of Sir Henry Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, capital of the enfeebled Sikh Empire. Initially composed of a troop of cavalry and two companies of infantry mounted on camels, the Guides were organized as a highly mobile force. The corps was ordered to recruit,
These were qualities that would become the hallmark of the Guides. Although the corps recruited men from all over the country and even beyond the Frontier of India, Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras later formed the bulk of their manpower.
Harry Lumsden was the perfect choice to train and lead this corps d'elite:
Lumsden left a lasting imprint on the Guides, who soon showed their mettle in numerous frontier operations. Believing that fighting troops were for service and not for show, Lumsden introduced loose and comfortable dust-coloured uniforms for the first time, which would soon become famous as "khaki" and within decades would be adopted by most of the armies of the world. In 1851, the Guides established themselves at Mardan, which would remain their cherished home until 1938.
In 1851, The Corps of Guides became part of the Punjab Irregular Force, which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force or Piffers. The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry, eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides the Corps of Guides. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed with great aplomb during the next fifty years.
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Wikipedia