The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment, known before independence as The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry), was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Presidency army of the East India Company. It was formed from the 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, raised in 1820, and the Poona Auxiliary Horse, raised about 1817–18. The latter unit was absorbed into the regular forces about 1860 and the two regiments later became the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry and the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.[4]
These were amalgamated in 1921 into the present regiment, the battle honours of which tell of service in three Afghan wars, in Persia, Abyssinia and China, as well as in the Great War. The regiment has fought with distinction in the 1965 and 1971Indo-Pakistani wars, with an officer winning India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra, in each war.[5]
Commemorative postage stamp released on 11 February 2017 to celebrate the Bicentenary of the raising of the Poona Horse
In accordance with article VI of The Treaty of Poona between the British Governor-General of IndiaLord Hastings and Baji Rao II (The Peshwa of the MarathaEmpire), a force known as the Poona Auxiliary Force was to be recruited, which was raised on 15 June 1817. As per the treaty, the force would be maintained by the Maratha Peshwa, but commanded by British Officers and was supposed to be permanently stationed in the territory of Peshwas. The treaty provided authority for the British to use the force against the Peshwa when necessary. The regiment was raised under the order of Mountstuart Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay.[4]
Lt. Col J Cunnigham was the first Commandant of the regiment.
The two regiments that would go on to form the Poona Horse were the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry and the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.[6][7]
Raised at Sirur on 4 May 1820 by Major Peter Delamotte. It had 3 squadrons on its establishment, of which one was provided by 1st Regiment of Cavalry and one squadron from the 2nd Regiment of the Cavalry. The rest were inducted from suitable Indian Officers. and NCOs from 1st and 3rd Battalions of Poona Auxiliary Infantry, which were disbanded in 1820.[8]
1820 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
1861 3rd Regiment of Bombay Silladar Light Cavalry
1861 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
1876 3rd (The Queen's Own) Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
1903 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry
1911 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry
1921 33rd/34th Cavalry
1922 17th Queen Victoria's Own Poona Horse
1927 The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry)
On 2 November 1914 the regiment was sent to reinforce the 2nd Gurkhas in the Neuve Chapelle sector on arrival they discovered that the Gurkhas defences had been breached and overrun. The Poona Horse was asked to recapture the position. The Regiment launched a counterattack in daylight and without any artillery support. The Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Swanston, who was leading the attack, was killed.[10]
On 19 September 1918, the allied offensive began. The Infantry broke through the Turkish defences and the Desert Mounted Corps followed up. When they reached the Gates of Damascus, the Poona Horse, along with rest of the 14th Cavalry Brigade, were tasked with patrolling the road from Homs to Damascus Road. When they charged a party of Arabs who ran off leaving a large car behind with a European seated inside the Risaldar Major Hamir Singh, believing him to be a spy, demanded his surrender. The European turned out to be Colonel T. E. Lawrence. "El Aurens" was not amused.[10]
At 10:15 on the morning of 1 October 1918, the Regiment entered Damascus and after the rest of the Brigade. The Regiment was ordered to take Rayak and then march onto Aleppo, which they reached on 25 October just before the Armistice was signed on 30 October in Mudros Harbour, abroad the battleship HMS Agamemnon.[10]
In 1919, the 33rd Light Cavalry, now part of the 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade, was posted to Risalpur where they were brigaded with the 1st Lancers and M Battery, RHA. On 6 May 1919, they received the information that the Afghan Army had attacked the outpost at Landi Khanna, north of the Khyber Pass, and was advancing into India. The infantry attacked the Khyber Pass to push the Afghans back. Once the pass had been cleared the cavalry advanced and after some skirmishing, and two set piece battles, the Afghan Army was dispersed.[10]
In 1920, the decision was made to reduce the number of Indian Cavalry Regiments from 39 to 21. This would leave the army with 18 amalgamated regiments, plus the 27th Light Cavalry, the 28th Light Cavalry and the Guides Cavalry. This change was promulgated under Indian Army Order No 1257 22 November 1921. Based on this decision, the 33rd Light Cavalry and 34th Poona Horse were amalgamated as the 33rd/34th Cavalry, which was changed in 1922 to the 17th Queen Victoria's Own Poona Horse.[10]
The regiment's new organisation was now three sabre squadrons and a headquarters squadron, which would contain all the specialists, i.e., machine gunners, signallers etc., in one squadron.[10]
The Poona Horse was one of two Indian Army cavalry regiments selected to remain horsed while the rest of the cavalry was mechanised. This situation did not last long and just after the start of the war the regiment was mechanised.
The Headquarters Squadron now had a mortar troop, signals troop, 'B' echelon administrative troop and light Aid Detachment for forward vehicle recovery and repair. The sabre Squadrons each now comprised a Squadron Headquarters, four armoured carrier troops and one rifle troop. Each troop had four Bren carriers and the rifle troop was mounted in four 15 cwt Chevrolet trucks now mechanised they become the Divisional reconnaissance regiment for the 6th Indian Division and deployed to Iraq.[10]
In 1942, the regiment was ordered to the Middle East to join the British Eighth Army. In the closing stages of the First Battle of El Alamein, the Poona Horse was the guard force for General Claude Auchinleck, the commander of the 8th Army at the tactical headquarters sited on the Ruweisat Ridge, the most prominent tactical feature of the Alamein position. This was the highlight of the Regiment's war for they were then ordered back to Iraq as part of the British Tenth Army.[10]
In September 1944 the Regiment was sent to Cyprus on garrison duties and were still there in May 1945 when Germany surrendered.[10]
The Regiment returned to India in October 1945 and were issued their first tanks, the Stuart MK IV.[10]
The Regiment with its Sherman tanks was part of the 1 Armoured Division and participated in Operation Polo leading to the integration of Hyderabad to the Union of India.[11]
Pakistani soldiers with a captured Indian Centurion Mk. 7 of the Poona Horse Regiment after the Battle of Chawinda.
It participated in Operation Ablaze and Operation Nepal (Indian 1 Corps Offensive in Sialkot Sector).[12] The regiment brought home decisive victories in the Battle of Phillora on 11 September 1965 by sheer gallantry of legendary Lieutenant Colonel A B Tarapore. The regiment spearheaded the Indian advance into Pakistan and cleared the stronghold of Phillora after a gruelling close range tank battle against Patton tanks, in which 23 enemy tanks were destroyed.[13] The regiment captured Wazirwali on 13 September 1965 and Jassoran and Butur-Dograndi on 16 September 1965.[14]
Bicentenary celebrations of The Poona Horse, February 2017
The Poona Horse under the command of 47 Infantry Brigade was ordered to establish a bridgehead across the Basantar river in the Shakargarh sector. The brigade's engineers were in the process of breaching the enemy minefields and create a safe lane that would allow the induction of the tanks. In view of the alarming activity of Pakistani artillery, the Poona Horse with its Centurion tanks decided to push through the minefield despite it being only partially cleared by that time. En route, while crossing the Basantar River, the tank troops came under fire from Pakistani tanks as well as recoil gun nests that were still holding out. They retaliated fiercely — destroying tanks, capturing gun nests and over-running enemy defences.[15] 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal, who were posthumously awarded the prestigious Param Vir Chakra was responsible for the destruction of 7 Pakistani tanks.
The following days saw Indian troops making massive gains and conducting successive military thrusts deep inside enemy territory, coming threateningly close to the Pakistan Army base at Sialkot. India's resounding victory in the Battle of Basantar resulted in the capture of a significant area ( including nearly 500 villages) under the control of Pakistan in Chhamb sector, apart from cutting off the line of retreat for Pakistani troops.[16][17]
Other operations / achievements -
The regiment had the honour to participate in the Republic Day Parade in 1981 with its Vijayanta tanks.[18]
La Bassee 1914; Armentieres 1914; Somme 1916; Bazentin; Flers-Courcelette; Cambrai 1917; France and Flanders 1914–18; Megiddo;Sharon; Damascus; Palestine 1918; Shaiba; Ctesiphon; Tigris 1916; Mesopotamia 1914–16.
The Second World War
North Africa 1940–43.
Indo-Pak Conflict 1965
Phillora; Buttur Dograndi; Punjab 1965.
Indo-Pak Conflict 1971
Basantar River; Punjab 1971.
Centurion tank of Poona Horse (on tank transporter) during the Republic Day Parade, 2022. This parade showcased equipment used during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, on its 50th anniversary, which lead to the formation of Bangladesh.
Victoria Cross : Lieutenant Frank Alexander de Pass, 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.
Order of British India : Risaldar Taj Muhammad Khan (33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry), Risaldar Major Hussain Bakhsh Khan, Risaldar Hamir Singh (34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse)
Indian Order of Merit : Jemadar Ram Karan, Dafadar Arjan Singh, Risaldar Major Santa Singh, Dafadar Bishan Singh, Sowar Buda Singh, Sowar Mazhar Khan, Dafadar Nihal Singh (33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry), Sowar Madho, Jemadar Prem Singh, Lance Dafadar Abdul Karim (34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse)
Indian Distinguished Service Medal : 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry – 14 medals, 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse – 29 medals
Indian Meritorious Service Medal : 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry – 13 medals, 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse – 43 medals
Croix de Guerre (French) : Dafadar Ahmed Khan (34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse)
Croix de guerre (Belgium) : Dafadar Nadir Ali Khan, Dafadar Nasir Muhammad Khan (34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse)[23]
Lieutenant General Hanut Singh, PVSM, MVC: Commanded the regiment during the 1971 Indo Pak War and was popularly known as 'the Doyen of Mechanised Warfare in India' and 'Soldier Saint'. He commanded II Corps during Operation Brasstacks.[37][38]
Lieutenant General Niranjan Singh Cheema: Squadron Commander in the regiment during the 1965 war, raised 67 Armoured Regiment and retired as Chief of Staff, Northern Command.[3]
Lieutenant General Neville Foley: Director-General, Mechanised Forces and Member of Parliament.[39]
Lieutenant General Moti Dar, PVSM, AVSM: Commissioned into the Poona Horse in June 1958. On promotion to the rank of the Lieutenant Colonel, he raised and commanded 82 Armoured Regiment. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command between January 1994 and July 1995 and Vice Chief of the Army Staff between July 1995 and July 1996.[40]
Lieutenant General Surrinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command from September 1993 to August 1996.[41]
Lieutenant General Balraj Takhar, PVSM, VSM: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command.[42]
Lieutenant General Ajai Singh, PVSM, AVSM: Director General, Mechanised Forces; GOC of 4 Corps and Governor of Assam between 2003 and 2008.[43][44]
Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Sidhu, PVSM, AVSM, VSM : Director General, Mechanised Forces.[45]
Lieutenant General Rajan Bakshi, PVSM, UYSM, ADC : General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command.[46]
Lieutenant General Rajeev Vasant Kanitkar, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM : General Officer Commanding XXI Corps and Quarter Master General
Major General Vikram Dev Dogra, AVSM: First serving Indian Army Officer and only general in the world to do Ironman Triathlon twice.[47]
34th Poona Horse : A Squadron – Rathore Rajputs from Jodhpur, B Squadron - Rathore Rajputs from Jodhpur, C squadron - Punjabi Mussalmans from Jhelum, D Squadron - Kaimkhanis from Shekhawati (Jaipur).
The class composition of the new amalgamated Regiment was to be as follows : (a) Headquarters Wing or Squadron; (b) A Squadron of Rathore Rajputs - purely from 34th Poona Horse; (c) B Squadron of Kaimkhanis - half squadron each from both the Regiments; (d) C Squadron of Jats - purely from 33rd Light Cavalry.
Following the partition of India, the Kaimkhanis moved to Pakistan and were replaced by a squadron of Sikhs, which came from the 13th Lancers.[10]
Following amalgamation, the sanction for the crest and badge of Poona Horse came on 29 December 1928 vide Gazette of India No 1759. It consisted of the Royal and Imperial CypherofQueen Victoria within the Garter with the words Honi soit qui mal y pense, surmounted by a Tudor Crown and having below a scroll with the words Queen Victoria's Own Poona Horse.[10]
The present badge consists of an oval belt containing the motto of the regiment in Devanagari script ‘रण वीर जय सदा’ within the oval is the ‘hand of God’; the oval is surmounted by the lions of Ashoka; below oval, and curling up towards its sides, a scroll within which is embossed ‘THE POONA HORSE’.
The ‘hand of God’ comes from 8 February 1857, when the regiment wrote history at the famous 'Battle of Kooshab' against the ShahofPersia and captured the Standard of the 1st Khusgai Regiment of the Fars, acclaimed with courageous and fearless soldiers and Shah's personal bodyguards. The Standard of Persian Army now surmounts the Regiment's Standard, and it is etched in Persian with the words 'Yaad Ullal Fauk Idaheem' (the hand of God is above all things).[4]
Motto
The motto of the regiment is ‘रण वीर जय सदा’ (Ran Vir Jai Sada); which translates to ‘the gallant warrior, ever victorious’.
Shoulder title
The shoulder title is in brass and consists two crossed swords overlayed by the ‘hand of God’ and a scroll with the words 'Poona Horse'. When combat fatigues are worn, the shoulder title consists of the numeral and letter ‘17H’.
^ abSainik Samachar, Volume XVII, Number 8. New Delhi: Additional Director General (Media & Communications) Directorate of Public Relations South Block. 1970. p. 8.
British India
India
British Indian Army
Indian Army
