8th Lancers
Encyclopedia
This regiment was one of the (until 1922) forty cavalry regiments of the British Indian Army. It had originally been part of the army of the East India Company
before passing into the reorganised Bengal Army
of the post-Mutiny period and ultimately into the unified Indian Army of 1904. As the 3rd Cavalry it is now part of the modern Indian Army.
in 1857 and in the 2nd Afghan War. They were issued with lances in 1899 to become the 8th Bengal Lancers, later changed to the 8th Lancers.
As the 8th Cavalry the regiment spent World War I on internal security duties in India although it was sent to Palestine in 1920. On returning to India in 1921 they were merged with another reiment to take the title, which they still retain, of 3rd Cavalry.
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
before passing into the reorganised Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
of the post-Mutiny period and ultimately into the unified Indian Army of 1904. As the 3rd Cavalry it is now part of the modern Indian Army.
Origin and history
The 8th Lancers were the last cavalry regiment to be established before the Great Mutiny of 1857, being raised by Captain W. H. Ryves at Sultanpore in 1846. The regiment served in PeshawarPeshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in 1857 and in the 2nd Afghan War. They were issued with lances in 1899 to become the 8th Bengal Lancers, later changed to the 8th Lancers.
As the 8th Cavalry the regiment spent World War I on internal security duties in India although it was sent to Palestine in 1920. On returning to India in 1921 they were merged with another reiment to take the title, which they still retain, of 3rd Cavalry.
Titles
Like all regiments of the Indian Army, the 8th Lancers underwent many name changes in the various reorganisations. They are listed below.- 1846 17th Irregular Cavalry
- 1847 18th Irregular Cavalry
- 1861 8th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
- 1900 8th Regiment of Bengal Lancers
- 1901 8th Bengal Lancers
- 1903 8th Lancers
- 1904 8th Cavalry
- 1922 3rd Cavalry3rd CavalryThe 3rd Cavalry was a regular cavalry Regiment in the British Indian Army formed from the 5th and 8th Cavalry regiments in 1922.The which served on the North West Frontier and during World War I and World War II.-Early history:...
following amalgamation with the 5th Cavalry