The 20th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army

Pakistan Army

The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...

. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers

14th Murray's Jat Lancers

The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army.The regiment was first raised for the East India Company by Captain Murray. Like all regiments of the Indian Army the 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers underwent many name changes in the various reorganisations. They are...

 and the 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis).

14th Murray's Jat Lancers

The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers was raised at Aligarh as the Jat Horse Yeomanry in 1857 during the Indian Mutiny by Captain J I Murray. It was composed entirely of Hindu Jats. The regiment served as part of the Bhutan Field Force during the Bhutan War of 1864-65 and in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. During the First World War, the regiment served in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...

.

1857 Jat Horse Yeomanry

1859 Murray’s Jat Horse

1861 14th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

1864 14th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry (Lancers)

1874 14th Regiment of Bengal Lancers

1901 14th Bengal Lancers (Murray’s Jat Horse)

1903 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers

15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)

The 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) was formed at Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 in 1858 by Captain C Cureton from six risallahs of Multani

Multani

Multani may refer to:* Multani language, a language spoken in India and Pakistan* Multani , a raga in Indian classical music* Multani , a Muslim community found in the Gujarat state in India...

 Pathans originally raised in 1857 by Ghulam Hasan Khan as The Multani Regiment of Cavalry. The regiment saw service in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80 and in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Persia during the First World War.

1857 Multani Regiment of Cavalry

1860 Cureton's Multani Regiment of Cavalry

1861 15th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

1871 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Cavalry

1890 15th (Cureton's Multani) Regiment of Bengal Lancers

1901 15th (Cureton's Multani) Bengal Lancers

1903 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis)

20th 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 of the entire cavalry line. The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers and 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) were amalgamated at Sialkot

Sialkot

Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...

 on 21 September 1920 to form 20th Lancers. The new class composition of the regiment was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Hindu Jats. The uniform of 20th Lancers was dark blue with scarlet facings. The badge consisted of crossed silver lances bearing pennons with a crown at the intersection above "XX" and a scroll below. At the time of re-raising in 1956, the original badge was retained but the crown was omitted. In 1937, 20th Lancers became the training regiment of 3rd Indian Cavalry Group at Lucknow. It was converted into a training centre in 1940.

On 20 June 1956, 20th Lancers was re-raised by Pakistan Army as a Reconnaissance Regiment of Pakistan Armoured Corps and equipped with M24 Chaffee

M24 Chaffee

The Light Tank M24 was an American light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and with the French in the War in Algeria and First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee, after the United States Army General Adna R...

 light tanks. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...

, the regiment served under 15 Division in the Sialkot

Sialkot

Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...

 Sector. The regiment took part in the defence of Sialkot Cantonment and Dallowali Railway Sataion. Numerous enemy tanks, and munitions were destroyed. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

, 20th Lancers formed part of a delaying force in the Shakargarh Sector and held up the invading Indian divisions for two weeks. Sowar Muhammad Hussain

Sawar Muhammad Hussain

Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua Shaheed was born in Dhok Pir Bakhsh near Jatli in Gujar Khan on June 18, 1949. He joined Pakistan Army as a driver on September 3, 1966 at a very young age of 17 years...

 was awarded a posthumous Nishan-i-Haider for outstanding gallantry.

Affiliations & Alliances

 Pakistan The Punjab Regiment

Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)

The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...

Further reading

• Gaylor, John (1991). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991. Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946771-98-1
• Harris, RG, and Warner, C. (1979). Bengal Cavalry Regiments 1857–1914. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85045-308-9.
• 15th Lancers (Cureton’s Multanis) 1858-1908. (1910). Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing.
• Sandhu, Maj Gen GS. (1981). The Indian Cavalry: History of the Indian Armoured Corps till 1940. New Delhi: Vision Books.
• Cardew, FG. (1903). A Sketch of the Services of the Bengal Native Army to the Year 1895. Calcutta: Military Department.
• Kempton, C (1996). A Register of Titles of the Units of the H.E.I.C. & Indian Armies 1666-1947. Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. ISBN 978-0-9530174-0-9