5th Horse

5th Horse
Active 1857–present
Country  British India
 Pakistan
Branch  British Indian Army
 Pakistan Army
Type Armoured Regiment
Size Regiment
Nickname(s) Probyn's Horse
Engagements Indian Rebellion of 1857
Second Opium War 1860-61
Abyssinian Campaign 1868
Second Afghan War 1878-80
First World War 1914-18 (Mesopotamia)
Second World War 1939-45 (Burma)
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Commanders
Colonels-in-Chief King Edward VII
King George V
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Field Marshal The Lord Birdwood
Notable
commanders		 General Sir Dighton Probyn, VC
General Sir Hugh Gough, VC
General Sir Alan Hartley
Lieutenant General Gul Hassan

The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) and the 12th Cavalry.[1]

11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse)

The regiment known as 11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) was originally raised on 1 August 1857 by Captain Frederick Wale as Wale's Horse during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and served at Lucknow. Captain Wale was killed in action on 1 March 1858, while leading the regiment in the pursuit of rebels, and was replaced by Major Dighton Probyn, VC. In 1860 the regiment was dispatched to China to take part in the Second Opium War. It participated in the advance on Peking and returned to India in 1861 with a good reputation. The regiment saw service in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80 and then took part in the Black Mountains Expedition; it went to Chitral and formed part of the Malakand Field Force. During the First World War, the regiment served in Mesopotamia.[1][2]

Risaldar-Major, 11th King Edward’s Own Lancers (Probyn’s Horse). Watercolour by AC Lovett, 1910

12th Cavalry

The 12th Cavalry was also raised during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, by Captain PR Hockin in October 1857. The cavalry committed a war crime by massacring "hundreds" people at Mahua Dabar in 1857.[3] It formed part of the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and served in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. During the First World War, the regiment fought in the Mesopotamian Campaign.[1][2]

Probyn's Horse (5th King Edward VII's Own Lancers)

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 the entire cavalry line. The 11th King Edward’s Own Lancers (Probyn’s Horse) and the 12th Cavalry were amalgamated at Meerut on 28 August 1921 to form 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse. The uniform of Probyn's Horse was blue with scarlet facings. The new regiment's badge consisted of the Prince of Wales's plumes. Its class composition was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The regiment was mechanised in 1940. During the Second World War, the regiment served with great distinction in Burma. On the Partition of India in 1947, Probyn's Horse was allotted to Pakistan.[1] In 1956, Pakistan became a republic and all titles pertaining to British royalty were dropped. The regiment's new designation was 5 Horse, although informally, it continues to be known as the Probyn's Horse. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, 5 Horse fought in the Battle of Khem Karan.[4]

Battle honours

Major Dighton Probyn, VC, 1867

Lucknow, Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, Abyssinia, Ali Masjid, Peiwar Kotal, Charasiah, Kabul 1879, Afghanistan 1878–80, Chitral, Malakand, Punjab Frontier, Mesopotamia 1915-18, Meiktila, Capture of Meiktila, Defence of Meiktila, Taungtha, Rangoon Road, Pyawbwe, Pyinmana, Toungoo, Pegu 1945, Burma 1942–45, Khem Karan 1965.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gaylor, John (1991). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91. Stroud: Spellmount.
  2. 1 2 Boyle, Maj CA. (1929). The History of Probyn's Horse (5th King Edward's Own Lancers). Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
  3. ↑ Found: Raj-razed town
  4. ↑ The Sabre & Lance: Journal of the Pakistan Armoured Corps. (1997). Nowshera: The School of Armour & Mechanised Warfare.
  5. ↑ Rodger, Alexander. (2003). Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press.

Further reading

External links

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