9th Queen's Royal Lancers
Encyclopedia
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, or the Delhi Spearmen, were a cavalry regiment
of the British Army
. They are best known for their roles in the Indian mutiny of 1857 and for their part in the North African campaign
of World War II including the retreat to
and the battle of El Alamein
in 1942.
and were the second cavalry regiment in the British Army. They were initially known as the "9th Dragoon
s" or "Wynne's Dragoons".
In 1783 they converted into Light Dragoons, becoming the 9th Light Dragoons, and served in the Irish Rebellion
of 1798, Sir Samuel Auchmuty's expedition to the River Plate
in 1803, the occupation of Montevideo
and Wellington
's Peninsula War between 1811 and 1813.
In 1816 they were constituted Lancer
s and in 1830 were given the distinguished title of "Queen's Royal", in honour of Queen Adelaide
, consort of William IV
, hence becoming the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers.
of 1843. They subsequently took part in the First Anglo-Sikh War
of 1845-46 and the Second Anglo-Sikh War
of 1848-49 where they were often led by Sir Hope Grant
and were the first recipients of the Bronze Star Medal.
During the Indian mutiny of 1857, the 9th Lancers earned the name the Delhi Spearmen, a name which is believed to have been given to them by the mutineers themselves. 9th Lancers was present in all three of the most notable events associated with the Indian mutiny, namely, the seizure of Delhi
, the seizure of Lucknow
and the relief of Lucknow. For their actions the Lancers were awarded twelve Victoria Crosses, more than any other cavalry regiment. They were described by an ally as:-
Prominent officers of the 9th Lancers who lost their lives during the Indian rebellion of 1857 include http://members.tripod.com/~Glosters/IM2.htm:
The Lancers were posted to Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878–1880
during which they were issued with Martini-Henry
carbines in place of their pistols. On 19 October 1878 they left Sialkot
, India
and, under the command of Major R. Cleland, marched to the mouth of the Khyber Pass
where they joined Sir Frederick Maude
's division. The division then moved to Narkoo via Ali Masjid
and Dakka where it was to remain until June 1879. In January 1879 one squadron left the regiment to join the Kurrum Valley Field Force under Sir Frederick Roberts
. The Treaty of Gundamak was signed and on 2 June 1879 the regiment, less one squadron, returned to Sialkot.
was massacred. Hostilities recommenced two weeks later and the Lancers were ordered to go to Kabul as part of the Kabul Field Force
. Their detached squadron had entered the Kurrum Valley as early as March and now formed the advance-guard for this advance on Kabul, which started on 27 September.
At daybreak on 6 October, Captain Apperly took twenty Lancers from Charasia to reconnoitre the pass. They were almost immediately fired upon and so began the "Action of Charasia". The day ended with the British in possession of all of the main positions in the vicinity.
One hundred and two Lancers were sent in a cavalry force to cut off the retreat of the enemy who were thought to have abandoned Sherpur. The town was found deserted, with seventy five guns left abandoned by the enemy, who were spotted on the Asmai Heights
overlooking Kabul.
On 9 October the Lancers set off in pursuit of the Afghans, who had left Kabul during the night leaving their guns, tents and camp equipment. The pursuit lasted twenty-one miles but, apart from a small band of twenty, the Afghans could not be caught.
Kabul was now in British hands and on 13 October 1879 the whole of General Robert
's force marched into the city.
On 10 December they escorted four-horse artillery guns and were rejoined by squadrons led by Brigadier-General Massy and Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland. On 11 December they encountered a 10,000 strong Afghan army near Kila Kazi which was led by Mahomed Jan. Roberts
arrived and, deeming it to be of the utmost importance to delay Mahomed's advance on Kabul as much as possible, gave the order for a full cavalry charge.
The woefully outnumbered cavalry consisted of 126 men of the 9th Lancers and 44 of the 14th Bengal Lancers and they were met with ferocious fire from the 10,000 Afghans. General Roberts described the ensuing events:-
Captain Stewart-Mackenzie was ordered to make a second charge but this had no better effect than the first. Losses were heavy and the 9th Lancers lost 18 men and 34 horses, with another 13 men and 37 horses wounded.
Two days later the men killed on the 11th were buried. During the burial ceremony orders were received to immediately turn out in the company of the Indian Cavalry. They fell upon the Afghans, who had been driven off the Takht-i-Shah Peak on the Siah Sung Heights, and hit them on both flanks, scattering them over the plain. One charge proved disastrous; Captain Butson, who was in command of the 9th Lancers, was shot through the heart; Captain Scott-Chisholme was shot through the thigh, the flash burning his clothes so close was the discharge of his rifle. Although most severely wounded, he remained in the saddle and brought the regiment out of the action. 5 Lancers and 4 horses were killed, and 8 men wounded. The regiment returned to cantonments at Sherpur after this battle.
On 15 December Mahomed's army reached Sherpur and started the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
.
on 25 April 1880. They accompanied a column under the command of MacPherson to come to the aid of a British force that had been surrounded by the Afghans near Char Asiab
. The enemy was routed and the British pursued the enemy for four miles.
On 8 August 1880 the Lancers left Kabul to march to the relief of Kandahar
. They were led by Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Bushman, but were part of a much larger force of 10,000 men, headed by Sir Frederick Roberts.
The Lancer's headquarters reached Robat
, 21 miles from Kandahar
, on 27 August, and established communication with the garrison via heliograph
. The rest of the British force joined them the next day and by 31 August the British were camped under the walls of Kandahar. 319 miles of extremely difficult terrain had been crossed in just over 20 days.
On 1st September the Lancers took part in the Battle of Kandahar and helped rout Ghazi Ayub Khan's army and capture his treasury, camp equipment and 33 guns. Ayub's army was pursued by the British cavalry for about 10 miles across the Argandat Valley and were 12 hours in the saddle.
with "Charasia", "Kabul" and "Kandahar" clasps.
Fifty-five Lancers were either killed in action or died of frostbite
in the Afghanistan campaign.
After Afghanistan the Lancers returned to India for a few uneventful years, where they occupied themselves with polo matches, before returning to England in October 1885.
, 1899-1902, the Lancers took part in the Battle of Modder River
, Relief of Kimberley
, and the following Battle of Paardeberg
which resulted in Cronje
’s surrender. They provided Lord Roberts’
escort for his state entry in to Bloemfontein
. They then returned to Sialkot
in the Punjab
.
of 1903 the Duke of Connaught
specially selected an escort from the 9th Lancers. This was popular with the regiment but not with all Indian spectators; the regiment had been forbidden to take part as punishment for refusing to disclose the murderers of an Indian cook. Before he died, the man had stated that his assailants were men of the 9th Lancers. It was suggested that the assailants may actually have been unsuccessful applicants for the post of cook.
Although engaged in combat for the whole of the war the Lancers only operated as a cavalry unit during 1914. This was due to the widespread use of machine guns and shelling and also the advent of the tank. For the remainder of the war they operated as infantry in the trenches.
Notable events included a Victoria Cross
for Captain Francis Octavius Grenfell for his actions in saving the guns of 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
on 24 August 1914 (he was later killed in action on 24 May 1915, as was his twin brother, Riversdale, a yeomanry officer who attached to 9th Lancers), and the regiment's participation in the final "lance on lance" action of the First World War on 7 September 1914 at Moncel in which Lieutenant Colonel David Campbell
led a charge of two troops of B Squadron and overthrew a squadron of the 1st Guard Dragoons.
By the end of the war 274 Lancers had died.
and employed in a counter-insurgency role in counties Longford and Roscommon. A number died in small-scale actions such as the Scramogue Ambush
of March 1921. In addition to the lack of conflicts, their relative inactivity was also due to the military high command struggling to decide what role cavalry regiments could perform in modern warfare. Eventually it was decided that the best use of cavalry regiments was to mechanise them, i.e. to replace their horses with tanks.
In spring 1936 the Lancers received a new commander, Major-General C. W. Norman, and conversion to tanks commenced. Existing NCOs received armoured training first and then passed on their knowledge to new recruits. Horses were either sold or transferred to other regiments, an event that obviously caused great sadness to a cavalry regiment. To soften the blow the officers were allowed to keep their horses for a period during which they continued to compete in horse trials and polo.
Initial training in 1936 used worn out weaponless Carden Lloyd
carriers whose overheating engines scalded the occupants with super-heated steam and broke down with alarming regularity in the plains surrounding Tidworth.
In 1937 these were replaced with ancient light tanks which had been returned as unserviceable from Egypt and still contained desert sand. These actually carried both machine guns and radios and the Lancers almost began to feel like a functioning regiment again. The radios were primitive and it was said that "the tail of a column half a mile away could hear what the Commanding Officer was saying over the air, but not over the ether!". This was a source of great frustration and the War Office was obliged on one occasion to send the Lancers a letter complaining that civilians were complaining about the language which they were picking up on their receivers in their homes.
In 1938 it was decided that the Lancers had "had their share" of the training vehicles and most were transferred to other regiments. Trucks were used in their place and the Lancers continued their training "pretending to be tanks". No heavy gunnery training could be practiced, however machine gunnery and radio practice continued.
In the spring of 1938 the 1st Mobile Division, later to become the 1st Armoured Division, was formed. It was composed of the 1st Armoured Brigade at Aldershot
and the 2nd Armoured Brigade at Tidworth. The 2nd Armoured Brigade was made up of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, Queen's Bays
and 10th Hussars and remained unchanged throughout the war.
In October 1938 Christopher Peto
took command of the Lancers. Training continued until the outbreak of war in 1939.
and served a leading part in the Battle of El Alamein. They formed part of the 2nd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division of X Corps
.
:-
Their marksmanship was renowned. Their best shot was Corporal Nicholls of B Squadron who was once personally congratulated by General Montgomery
for knocking out nine enemy tanks in one day.
.
Employed as infantry during the winter of 1944, the Lancers formed the spearhead of the 8th Army in the breakthrough to the River Po
in the Spring of 1945. B Squadron was the first to enter Venice
at the end of April 1945.
By the end of World War II 143 lancers had lost their lives.
for two years. They then moved to Detmold
, Germany where they stayed until they moved back to Tidworth
in 1960.
On 1 June 1953, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
became Colonel-in-Chief of the Lancers.
On the 11 September 1960, the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers marched to church at Tidworth for one last time, together with the 12th Royal Lancers
. The two separate regiments ceased to exist in their own right and merged to form a new regiment called the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
World War I
World War II
See also
Cavalry regiments of the British Army
There are currently nine regular cavalry regiments of the British Army, with two tank regiments provided by the Royal Tank Regiment, traditionally classed alongside the cavalry, for a total of eleven regiments. Of these, five serve as armoured regiments, and five as formation reconnaissance...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. They are best known for their roles in the Indian mutiny of 1857 and for their part in the North African campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
of World War II including the retreat to
First Battle of El Alamein
The First Battle of El Alamein was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert...
and the battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
in 1942.
Early history
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers were originally formed during the Jacobite Risings in 1715. They were formed by Major-General Owen WynneOwen Wynne
Owen Edgar Wynne was a South African cricketer who played in 6 Tests from 1948 to 1950....
and were the second cavalry regiment in the British Army. They were initially known as the "9th Dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s" or "Wynne's Dragoons".
In 1783 they converted into Light Dragoons, becoming the 9th Light Dragoons, and served in the Irish Rebellion
Irish Rebellion
Irish Rebellion may refer to:* The Irish Bruce Wars 1315–1318, an attempt by members of the O'Neill clan backed by a Scottish and Irish army to make Edward Bruce the High King of Ireland...
of 1798, Sir Samuel Auchmuty's expedition to the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in 1803, the occupation of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
and Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's Peninsula War between 1811 and 1813.
In 1816 they were constituted Lancer
Lancer
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as and subsequently by Greek, Persian, Gallic, Han-Chinese, nomadic and Roman horsemen...
s and in 1830 were given the distinguished title of "Queen's Royal", in honour of Queen Adelaide
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her.-Early life:Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany...
, consort of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
, hence becoming the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers.
Indian Campaign
The Lancers were first posted to India during the Gwalior CampaignGwalior Campaign
The Gwalior Campaign was fought between British and Marathan forces in Gwalior in India, December 1843.- Background :The Maratha Empire controlled much of central and northern India and had fallen to the British in 1818 giving the British control over almost all of the Indian subcontinent...
of 1843. They subsequently took part in the First Anglo-Sikh War
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
of 1845-46 and the Second Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
of 1848-49 where they were often led by Sir Hope Grant
James Hope Grant
General Sir James Hope Grant GCB , British general, was the fifth and youngest son of Francis Grant of Kilgraston, Perthshire, and brother of Sir Francis Grant, President of the Royal Academy.-Military career:...
and were the first recipients of the Bronze Star Medal.
During the Indian mutiny of 1857, the 9th Lancers earned the name the Delhi Spearmen, a name which is believed to have been given to them by the mutineers themselves. 9th Lancers was present in all three of the most notable events associated with the Indian mutiny, namely, the seizure of Delhi
Siege of Delhi
The Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.The rebellion against the authority of the British East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which...
, the seizure of Lucknow
Siege of Lucknow
The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defense of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was abandoned.Lucknow was the capital of...
and the relief of Lucknow. For their actions the Lancers were awarded twelve Victoria Crosses, more than any other cavalry regiment. They were described by an ally as:-
"The beau ideal of all that British Cavalry ought to be in Oriental countries".
Prominent officers of the 9th Lancers who lost their lives during the Indian rebellion of 1857 include http://members.tripod.com/~Glosters/IM2.htm:
- Captain Robert Abercrombie Yule, killed in action in DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 19 June 1857. - Captain Lucius John French, lost life in action at AgraAgraAgra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
on 10 October 1857, and - Captain Thomas Hutchinson, wounded in Lucknow on 19 March 1858 and died on 21 March.
Afghanistan
The bulk of this Afghanistan material is sourced from Hanwell. Please include inline citations with any subsequent additions.The Lancers were posted to Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878–1880
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
during which they were issued with Martini-Henry
Martini-Henry
The Martini-Henry was a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini , with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry...
carbines in place of their pistols. On 19 October 1878 they left 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...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and, under the command of Major R. Cleland, marched to the mouth of the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
where they joined Sir Frederick Maude
Frederick Francis Maude
General Sir Frederick Francis Maude VC GCB was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
's division. The division then moved to Narkoo via Ali Masjid
Ali Masjid
Ali Masjid is the narrowest point of the Khyber Pass. It is located in the Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas , Pakistan. It is located around east of the city of Landi Kotal and has an elevation of...
and Dakka where it was to remain until June 1879. In January 1879 one squadron left the regiment to join the Kurrum Valley Field Force under Sir Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
. The Treaty of Gundamak was signed and on 2 June 1879 the regiment, less one squadron, returned to Sialkot.
Advance to Kabul
On 3 September 1879 the British Embassy to KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
was massacred. Hostilities recommenced two weeks later and the Lancers were ordered to go to Kabul as part of the Kabul Field Force
Kabul Field Force
The Kabul Field Force was a field force created in September 1879 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, under the command of General Frederick Roberts...
. Their detached squadron had entered the Kurrum Valley as early as March and now formed the advance-guard for this advance on Kabul, which started on 27 September.
At daybreak on 6 October, Captain Apperly took twenty Lancers from Charasia to reconnoitre the pass. They were almost immediately fired upon and so began the "Action of Charasia". The day ended with the British in possession of all of the main positions in the vicinity.
One hundred and two Lancers were sent in a cavalry force to cut off the retreat of the enemy who were thought to have abandoned Sherpur. The town was found deserted, with seventy five guns left abandoned by the enemy, who were spotted on the Asmai Heights
Asmai Heights
The Asmai Heights are a mountain range within Kabul Province on the outskirts of Kabul City, Afghanistan. It is known colloquially as TV Hill due to the large tv mast at its summit. The heights are the site of an ancient fort...
overlooking Kabul.
On 9 October the Lancers set off in pursuit of the Afghans, who had left Kabul during the night leaving their guns, tents and camp equipment. The pursuit lasted twenty-one miles but, apart from a small band of twenty, the Afghans could not be caught.
Kabul was now in British hands and on 13 October 1879 the whole of General Robert
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
's force marched into the city.
Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
On 4 November 1879 the headquarters and two other squadrons of the regiment joined Captain Apperly's squadron at Sherpur cantonments. On 9 December one squadron accompanied a small infantry force under Brigadier-General MacPherson and took part in the defeat of Mir Butcha near Kila Karez.On 10 December they escorted four-horse artillery guns and were rejoined by squadrons led by Brigadier-General Massy and Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland. On 11 December they encountered a 10,000 strong Afghan army near Kila Kazi which was led by Mahomed Jan. Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
arrived and, deeming it to be of the utmost importance to delay Mahomed's advance on Kabul as much as possible, gave the order for a full cavalry charge.
The woefully outnumbered cavalry consisted of 126 men of the 9th Lancers and 44 of the 14th Bengal Lancers and they were met with ferocious fire from the 10,000 Afghans. General Roberts described the ensuing events:-
The charge was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland and Captain Neville, the former of whom fell dangerously wounded: but the ground, terraced for irrigation purposes and intersected by nullahs, so impeded our cavalry that the charge, heroic as it was, made little or no impression upon the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. The effort, however, was worthy and that it failed in its object was no fault of our gallant soldiers.
Captain Stewart-Mackenzie was ordered to make a second charge but this had no better effect than the first. Losses were heavy and the 9th Lancers lost 18 men and 34 horses, with another 13 men and 37 horses wounded.
Two days later the men killed on the 11th were buried. During the burial ceremony orders were received to immediately turn out in the company of the Indian Cavalry. They fell upon the Afghans, who had been driven off the Takht-i-Shah Peak on the Siah Sung Heights, and hit them on both flanks, scattering them over the plain. One charge proved disastrous; Captain Butson, who was in command of the 9th Lancers, was shot through the heart; Captain Scott-Chisholme was shot through the thigh, the flash burning his clothes so close was the discharge of his rifle. Although most severely wounded, he remained in the saddle and brought the regiment out of the action. 5 Lancers and 4 horses were killed, and 8 men wounded. The regiment returned to cantonments at Sherpur after this battle.
On 15 December Mahomed's army reached Sherpur and started the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment
The Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment was a battle fought in December 1879, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.On 3 September 1879 Sir Pierre Cavagnari, the British Resident in Kabul, and his escort were massacred by mutinous Afghan troops, initiating the second phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.A...
.
Charasiab
A squadron of Lancers took part in the Second Battle of CharasiabSecond Battle of Charasiab
The initial content of this article was taken from . Please add inline citations to subsequent additions.The Second Battle of Charasiab was fought on the 25th April 1880 between the British and Afghans during the Second Anglo-Afghan War....
on 25 April 1880. They accompanied a column under the command of MacPherson to come to the aid of a British force that had been surrounded by the Afghans near Char Asiab
Char Asiab
Persian: چهار آسیاب Chahār AasiābChar Asiab, Chahar Asiab, Charasiab, Charasiah or Charasia is a town, ca. 7 miles south of Kabul in the Char Asiab District....
. The enemy was routed and the British pursued the enemy for four miles.
Relief of Kandahar
Battle of Kandahar
The Battle of Kandahar, 1 September 1880, was the last major conflict of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The battle in southern Afghanistan was fought between the British forces under command of General Roberts and the Afghan forces led by Ayub Khan, inflicting nearly 3,000 casualties in...
. They were led by Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Bushman, but were part of a much larger force of 10,000 men, headed by Sir Frederick Roberts.
The Lancer's headquarters reached Robat
Robat
-External links:*...
, 21 miles from Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, on 27 August, and established communication with the garrison via heliograph
Heliograph
A heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter...
. The rest of the British force joined them the next day and by 31 August the British were camped under the walls of Kandahar. 319 miles of extremely difficult terrain had been crossed in just over 20 days.
On 1st September the Lancers took part in the Battle of Kandahar and helped rout Ghazi Ayub Khan's army and capture his treasury, camp equipment and 33 guns. Ayub's army was pursued by the British cavalry for about 10 miles across the Argandat Valley and were 12 hours in the saddle.
End of the Afghanistan War
The Lancers were given the Afghanistan MedalAfghanistan Medal (United Kingdom)
The Afghanistan Medal was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and local Indian units in Afghanistan between 1878–1880. This was the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the first being from 1839–1842....
with "Charasia", "Kabul" and "Kandahar" clasps.
Fifty-five Lancers were either killed in action or died of frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
in the Afghanistan campaign.
After Afghanistan the Lancers returned to India for a few uneventful years, where they occupied themselves with polo matches, before returning to England in October 1885.
Boer War
During the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, 1899-1902, the Lancers took part in the Battle of Modder River
Battle of Modder River
The Battle of Modder River was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899...
, Relief of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, and the following Battle of Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
which resulted in Cronje
Piet Cronje
Pieter Arnoldus Cronjé, commonly known as Piet Cronjé was a general of the South African Republic's military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars of 1880-1881 and 1899-1902....
’s surrender. They provided Lord Roberts’
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
escort for his state entry in to Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
. They then returned to 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...
in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Controversy in India
In the Delhi DurbarDelhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar , meaning "Court of Delhi", was a mass assembly at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the coronation of a King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire. The 1911...
of 1903 the Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
specially selected an escort from the 9th Lancers. This was popular with the regiment but not with all Indian spectators; the regiment had been forbidden to take part as punishment for refusing to disclose the murderers of an Indian cook. Before he died, the man had stated that his assailants were men of the 9th Lancers. It was suggested that the assailants may actually have been unsuccessful applicants for the post of cook.
First World War
Notable events included a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for Captain Francis Octavius Grenfell for his actions in saving the guns of 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
on 24 August 1914 (he was later killed in action on 24 May 1915, as was his twin brother, Riversdale, a yeomanry officer who attached to 9th Lancers), and the regiment's participation in the final "lance on lance" action of the First World War on 7 September 1914 at Moncel in which Lieutenant Colonel David Campbell
David Campbell (British Army officer)
General Sir David Graham Muschet "Soarer" Campbell GCB was a cavalry officer of the British Army, amateur sportsman, and later Governor of Malta....
led a charge of two troops of B Squadron and overthrew a squadron of the 1st Guard Dragoons.
Between the wars
The Lancers were involved in little action between the wars. They were stationed in Ireland during the Irish War of IndependenceIrish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and employed in a counter-insurgency role in counties Longford and Roscommon. A number died in small-scale actions such as the Scramogue Ambush
Scramogue Ambush
The Scramogue Ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army on 23 March 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. It took place in the townland of Scramogue, County Roscommon.-Background:...
of March 1921. In addition to the lack of conflicts, their relative inactivity was also due to the military high command struggling to decide what role cavalry regiments could perform in modern warfare. Eventually it was decided that the best use of cavalry regiments was to mechanise them, i.e. to replace their horses with tanks.
In spring 1936 the Lancers received a new commander, Major-General C. W. Norman, and conversion to tanks commenced. Existing NCOs received armoured training first and then passed on their knowledge to new recruits. Horses were either sold or transferred to other regiments, an event that obviously caused great sadness to a cavalry regiment. To soften the blow the officers were allowed to keep their horses for a period during which they continued to compete in horse trials and polo.
Initial training in 1936 used worn out weaponless Carden Lloyd
Carden Loyd tankette
The Carden Loyd tankettes were a series of British pre-World War II tankettes, the most successful of which was the Mark VI, the only version built in significant numbers...
carriers whose overheating engines scalded the occupants with super-heated steam and broke down with alarming regularity in the plains surrounding Tidworth.
In 1937 these were replaced with ancient light tanks which had been returned as unserviceable from Egypt and still contained desert sand. These actually carried both machine guns and radios and the Lancers almost began to feel like a functioning regiment again. The radios were primitive and it was said that "the tail of a column half a mile away could hear what the Commanding Officer was saying over the air, but not over the ether!". This was a source of great frustration and the War Office was obliged on one occasion to send the Lancers a letter complaining that civilians were complaining about the language which they were picking up on their receivers in their homes.
In 1938 it was decided that the Lancers had "had their share" of the training vehicles and most were transferred to other regiments. Trucks were used in their place and the Lancers continued their training "pretending to be tanks". No heavy gunnery training could be practiced, however machine gunnery and radio practice continued.
In the spring of 1938 the 1st Mobile Division, later to become the 1st Armoured Division, was formed. It was composed of the 1st Armoured Brigade at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
and the 2nd Armoured Brigade at Tidworth. The 2nd Armoured Brigade was made up of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, Queen's Bays
2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
The 2nd Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 by King James II. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in 1959....
and 10th Hussars and remained unchanged throughout the war.
In October 1938 Christopher Peto
Christopher Peto
Sir Christopher Henry Maxwell Peto, 3rd Baronet DSO was a Brigadier in the British Army during World War II and a post-war British Conservative Party politician.-Early life:...
took command of the Lancers. Training continued until the outbreak of war in 1939.
B.E.F. Belgium & France
The Lancers landed in France to cover the retreating French, Belgian and British armies on 20 April 1940.North Africa
The Lancers served as part of the famous Eighth ArmyEighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
and served a leading part in the Battle of El Alamein. They formed part of the 2nd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division of X Corps
X Corps (United Kingdom)
The X Corps was a British Army formation in the First World War and was later reformed in 1942 during the North African campaign of the Second World War as part of the Eighth Army.- First World War :...
.
Retreat to El Alamein
According to General Sir Richard McCreeryRichard McCreery
General Sir Richard Loudon McCreery GCB, KBE, DSO, MC , was a British career soldier, who was Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, at the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein and later commanded the British Eighth Army in Northern Italy during...
:-
"The 9th Lancers took part in many decisive battles, none more so perhaps than the long withdrawal from Knightsbridge, south of Gazala, to El Alamein. Many think that Egypt was saved when the Eighth Army defeated Rommel's last big attack in the Western Desert at the end of August 1942. Actually, Egypt was saved earlier during those first few critical days of July when Rommel drove his tanks and self-propelled guns and trucks forward along the Ruweisat Ridge in close formations, to be stopped by the 25-pounders and the remnants of the 2nd Armoured Brigade with their "thin-skinned" Crusader tanks. In this critical action the 9th Lancers took the principal part. Throughout that long withdrawal from Knightsbridge, when the fluctuating Battle of Gazala had finally swung against the Eighth Army, past Sollum and Matruh to the Ruweisat Ridge, only seventy miles from Alexandria, the 2nd Armoured Brigade with the 9th Lancers always there but often reduced to only a handful of tanks, fought on skilfully and with gallant endurance and determination. Egypt was then saved indeed and with the arrival of the 9th Australian Division from Syria about the 6th of July, the tide of the whole war was turned." .
Battle of El Alamein
According to General Sir Richard McCreery:-
"Right well did the intensive training of the 9th Lancers with the Sherman bear fruit in the great battle which followed. As the world knows, the breakthrough at El Alamein did not come quickly. Rommel had had two months to build up defenses and minefields in depth. However, in the ten days "dog-fight" tank crews with their new 75-mm guns were knocking out far more enemy tanks than our infantry appreciated at the time."
Their marksmanship was renowned. Their best shot was Corporal Nicholls of B Squadron who was once personally congratulated by General Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
for knocking out nine enemy tanks in one day.
Italy
The Lancers landed in Italy in 1944. In September they saw action at San Savino in the battle for the Gothic LineGothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
.
Employed as infantry during the winter of 1944, the Lancers formed the spearhead of the 8th Army in the breakthrough to the River Po
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
in the Spring of 1945. B Squadron was the first to enter Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
at the end of April 1945.
By the end of World War II 143 lancers had lost their lives.
Post-war
The Lancers returned to England in 1947 and were stationed at EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
for two years. They then moved to Detmold
Detmold
Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
, Germany where they stayed until they moved back to Tidworth
Tidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
in 1960.
On 1 June 1953, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
became Colonel-in-Chief of the Lancers.
On the 11 September 1960, the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers marched to church at Tidworth for one last time, together with the 12th Royal Lancers
12th Royal Lancers
The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. In 1960, it was amalgamated with 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers .-History:...
. The two separate regiments ceased to exist in their own right and merged to form a new regiment called the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
Regimental postings
- Scotland 1715
- Ireland 1798
- River Plate 1803
- Montevideo
- Peninsula 1808-14
- Gwalior Campaign - Punniar 1843
- First Sikh War - Sobraon 1845-6
- Second Sikh War - Chillianwallah 1848-9
- Second Sikh War - Goojerat
- Second Sikh War - Punjaub
- Indian Mutiny - Delhi 1857-8
- Indian Mutiny - Lucknow
- Second Afghan war - Charasiah
- Second Afghan war - Kabul 1879
- Second Afghan war - Kandahar 1880
- Boer war - Modder RiverBattle of Modder RiverThe Battle of Modder River was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899...
- Boer war - Relief of KimberleySiege of KimberleyThe Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
- Boer war - PaardebergBattle of PaardebergThe Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
World War I
- Mons
- Le Cateau
- Retreat from Mons
- Marne 1914
- Aisne 1914
- La Bassee 1914
- Messines 1914
- Armentieres 1914
- Ypres 1914,15
- Gravenstafel
- St. Julien
- Frezenberg
- Bellewarde
- Somme 1916,18
- Pozieres
- Fleurs-Courcelotte
- Arras 1917
- Scarpe 1917
- Cambrai 1917,18
- St. Quentin
- Rosieres
- Avre
- Amiens
- Albert 1918
- Hindenburg Line
- Pursuit to Mons
World War II
- France (B.E.F) - Somme 1940
- France (B.E.F) - Evacuation from Dunkirk 1940
- North Africa - The Gazala Line 1942
- North Africa - Retreat to El Alamein 1942
- North Africa - Ruweisat Ridge 1942
- North Africa - The Battle of El Alamein 1942
- North Africa - El Hamma 1943
- Italy - San Savino - Coriano Ridge 1944
- Italy - Defence of Lamone 1944
- Italy - Bridgehead 1945
- Italy - Argenta Gap 1945
Tanks used during WW2
- Cruiser A10 Mk. II
- Cruiser A10 Close Support
- Crusader I,II and IIICrusader tankThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign...
- General Stuart or "Honey"Stuart tankThe M3 Stuart, formally Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II and supplied to British and Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. into the war—and used thereafter by U.S...
- Light Mk. VI B
- Light Mk. VI C
- Cruiser Mk. IV A13Cruiser tankThe cruiser tank was a British tank concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the Second World War....
- Cruiser A9 Mk. I
- General GrantM3 LeeThe Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called "General Lee", named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and the modified version built with a new turret was called the "General Grant", named after U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant.Design commenced...
- M4 ShermanM4 ShermanThe M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
76 mm
Medals
- 14 Victoria Cross (12 Indian Mutiny, 1 Boer war & 1 World War I).
See also
- :Category:9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers
- :Category:9th Queen's Royal Lancers soldiers
External links
- History of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers 1715–1991
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
- 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) Charitable Association
- Regimental Museum
- 9th Queen's Royal Lancers Old Comrades Association
- Victorian Photographs and history of the 9th Lancers
- Ben Instone's war as featured on the BBC's WW2 People's War
- WW2 African Campaign Photos including El Alamein
- 9th Lancers Paintings
- Canterbury WW1 Memorial
- Exeter Cathedral Indian Mutiny Memorial
- Photo of Exeter Cathedral Indian Mutiny Memorial
- Portsmouth Royal Garrison Church Indian Mutiny Memorial