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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=13th Lancers
|abbreviation=
| image=13 Lancers2.jpg
| image_size = 160
|caption=
|dates=1804–present
|country={{flag|British India}} {{flag|Pakistan}}
|allegiance={{flag icon|United Kingdom}} [[British Crown]] 1804–1947 [[File:Flag of the President of Pakistan.svg|23px]] [[President of Pakistan]] 1947–present
|branch={{army|British India}} {{army|Pakistan}}
|type= Armoured Regiment
|role=
|size=
|command_structure=
|equipment=

|Past Commanders=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_2=

|nickname=The Spearhead Regiment
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=Elephant
|battles=[[Second Anglo-Maratha War]] 1804-05 [[First Afghan War]] 1839-42 [[Second Sikh War]] 1848-49 [[Indian Mutiny]] 1857-58 [[Second Afghan War]] 1878-80 [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]] 1885-87 [[First World War]] 1914-18 [[Third Afghan War]] 1919 [[Second World War]] 1939-45 [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours =
}}
The '''13th Lancers''' is an armoured regiment of [[Pakistan Army]]. It was formed in 1923 as 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers by the amalgamation of [[31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers]] and [[32nd Lancers]]. On [[Partition of India]] in 1947, the regiment was allotted to [[Pakistan]].<ref name="Ahmad 2010">Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. It is the senior-most armoured regiment of Pakistan Army.</ref>

==Formation==
The two parent regiments of 13th Lancers had a common origin in the old Bombay Squadron of Cavalry, raised for service in the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]]. The squadron was split to form the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Bombay Light Cavalry in 1817. More than a hundred years later, they were reunited to form the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Bombay Lancers in 1923.<ref name="Cadell 1938">Cadell, Sir Patrick. (1938). ''History of the Bombay Army''. London: Longmans & Green.</ref><ref name="Gaylor 1991">{{cite book|last=Gaylor|first=John|title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–91|publisher=Spellmount|year=1991}}</ref>

=={{anchor|1|31}}31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers==
The '''1st Bombay Light Cavalry''' served in the [[First Afghan War]] in 1839 when they fought in the [[Battle of Ghazni]] and took part in the march to [[Battle of Kabul (1842)|Kabul]]. During the [[Second Sikh War]] of 1848-49 the regiment took part in the [[Siege of Multan]], where they remained as the garrison for the remainder of the campaign. At the start of the [[Mutiny of 1857|Great Mutiny of 1857]], the regiment was stationed at [[Nasirabad, Ajmer|Nasirabad]], where they were the only ones to remain loyal. Artillery and infantrymen urged them to go over to them but the sowars refused and, under their officers, charged in an attempt to take the guns. They failed to do so but successfully disengaged and took part in the campaign of pacification in Central India. Burma was their next overseas posting in 1885, where they fought in the [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]]. The [[Duke of Connaught]] ([[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] (1850-1942), the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria), then Commander-in-Chief of the [[Bombay Army]], became their [[Colonel-in-Chief]] in 1890. He still held the appointment in the 13th DCO Lancers on his death in January 1942.<ref name="Cadell 1938"/><ref name="Gaylor 1991"/> During the [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Kitchener]] reorganisation of the Indian Army of 1903, the Bombay cavalry had thirty added to their numbers and, the 1st (Duke of Connaught's Own) Bombay Lancers became the '''31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers'''. During the Great War, the 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers remained on the [[North-West Frontier (military history)|North West Frontier]] of [[India]]. In 1919, they served in the [[Third Afghan War]] and then went to perform garrison duties in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/>[[File:1ST BOMBAY LANCERS, FIELD SERVICE KIT 1885.jpg|thumb|right|1st Bombay Lancers (Field Service Order). Coloured lithograph by Richard Simkin, 1885.|300px]]
* 1804 Native Troop of Cavalry
* 1816 1st Native Troop of Cavalry
* 1817 1st Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
* 1842 1st Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry (Lancers)
* 1861 1st Regiment of Bombay Silladar Light Cavalry
* 1861 1st Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
* 1880 1st Bombay Lancers
* 1890 1st (Duke of Connaught's Own) Bombay Lancers
* 1903 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers

=={{anchor|2|32}}32nd Lancers==
The '''2nd Bombay Light Cavalry''' were stationed at [[Neemuch]] in 1857 and took part in the pacification of Central India. One of its officers, Captain [[James Blair (VC)|James Blair]], won the [[Victoria Cross]] during these operations. Under Kitchener's Reforms, the 2nd Bombay Lancers was redesignated as the '''32nd Lancers'''.[[File:2nd Bombay Lancers.jpg|thumb|right|2nd Bombay Lancers (Review Order). Coloured lithograph by Richard Simkin, 1885.|290px]] During the Great War, the 32nd went to [[Mesopotamia]] late in 1916 and from 1 January to 3 March 1917 two squadrons of the regiment formed part of [[III (Tigris) Corps Cavalry Regiment]], which were the first British troops to [[Fall of Baghdad (1917)|Capture Baghdad]].<ref>Brig-Gen F.J. Moberly, ''History of the Great War: The Campaign in Mesopotamia'', Vol III, London: HM Stationery Office, 1925/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1997, ISBN 978-089839289-0, p. 111; Appendix XXXVI.</ref><ref>Lt-Col J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Yeomanry: An Illustrated History' 1794–1920', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Historical Trust/Hart Books, 1994, ISBN 0-948527-03-X, pp. 182–8.</ref> In April 1917, at the Battle of Istabulat, a detachment led by the commanding officer, charged an entrenched Turkish position resulting in all the officers and most of the men becoming casualties.<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/>
* 1816 2nd Native Troop of Cavalry
* 1817 2nd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
* 1861 2nd Regiment of Bombay Silladar Light Cavalry
* 1861 2nd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry
* 1883 2nd Bombay Lancers
* 1903 32nd Lancers

==13th Duke of Connaught'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 the renumbering and renaming of the entire cavalry line. In September 1923, the 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers were amalgamated with the 32nd Lancers to form the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Bombay Lancers. This particular merger was a reunion of two regiments separated more than a hundred years before. The new badge was crossed lances with '13' on the intersection; a crown above and a scroll below, reading 'Duke of Connaught's Own.' Their uniform was blue with scarlet facings, and the new class composition was one squadron each of Pathans, Muslim Rajputs and Sikhs. In 1927, the regiment was redesignated as the [[13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers]].

The 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers were one of the first two Indian cavalry regiments nominated for mechanisation. One squadron was equipped with the [[Vickers Medium Mark I]] tank and two squadrons with armoured cars. They were deployed on frontier duties but in April 1941, left for [[Iraq]] with the [[10th Indian Division]]. They saw action against the [[Vichy French]] in [[Syria]] and also served in [[Persia]] and [[Iraq]] before joining the [[British Eighth Army]] in [[North Africa]]. In October 1942, they moved back to Persia and then to India. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the regiment moved to [[Java]] in the [[Dutch East Indies]] in support of the [[5th Indian Division|5th]] and [[23rd Infantry Division (India)|23rd Indian Division]]s, who were engaged in suppressing a revolt by the Indonesians. In August 1946 the regiment returned to [[Secunderabad]] and on Partition of India in August 1947, the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers were allotted to the [[Pakistan Army]].<ref name="Gaylor 1991"/>
* 1923 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Bombay Lancers (amalgamation of 31st and 32nd Lancers)
* 1927 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers
* 1956 13th Lancers

In 1956, Pakistan became a Republic and all titles pertaining to British royalty were dropped. The regiment was now designated as '''13th Lancers'''. During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], the regiment spearheaded the advance of the Pakistan Army towards [[Akhnoor]] in [[Kashmir]]. Fighting with ''elan'', it penetrated 23 miles inside enemy territory. During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], the 13th Lancers launched a counter-attack against invading Indian forces at Barapind near Zafarwal and suffered heavy casualties. Between 1996 and 1997, the regiment served as part of the [[United Nations|UN]] peacekeeping force of [[UNTAES]] in former Yugoslavia.<ref>''The Sabre & Lance: Journal of the Pakistan Armoured Corps''. (1997). Nowshera: The School of Armour & Mechanised Warfare.</ref><ref>Ahmed, Lt Gen Mahmud. (2006). ''History of Indo-Pak War – 1965''. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.</ref>

==Battle honours==
Ghuznee 1839, Afghanistan 1839, Mooltan, Punjaub, Central India, Afghanistan 1879–80, Burma
1885–87, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1916–18, NW Frontier, India 1917, Afghanistan 1919, Damascus, Deir ez Zor, Raqaa, Syria 1941, Gazala, Bir Hacheim, El Adem, Sidi Rezegh 1942, Gambut, Tobruk 1942, Fuka, North Africa 1940–43, Dewa-Chamb 1965, Jaurian 1965, Zafarwal 1971.<ref name="Ahmad 2010"/><ref>Rodger, Alexander. (2003). ''Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662-1991''. The Crowood Press.</ref>

==Notable officers==
* [[James Blair (VC)|General James Blair]], [[Victoria Cross|VC]], [[Order of the Bath|CB]] (Victoria Cross recipient; [[Resident (title)|Resident]] at [[Colony of Aden|Aden]] 1882-85)
* [[Robert Cassels|General Sir Robert Cassels]], [[Order of the Bath|GCB]], [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] (Commander-in-Chief in India 1935-41)
* [[Frank Messervy|General Sir Frank Messervy]], [[Order of the Star of India|KCSI]], [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire|KBE]], [[Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] & [[Medal bar|Bar]] (World War II Commander & First Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army 1947-48)
* [[Roy Bucher|General Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher]], [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire|KBE]], [[Order of the Bath|CB]], [[Military Cross|MC]] (Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army 1948-49)
* [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] (President 1978-88 and [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] 1976-88)
* [[Jehangir Karamat|General Jehangir Karamat]], [[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI (M)]], [[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military|TBt]] ([[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] 1996-98)
*Lt Gen Zarrar Azim
*Maj Gen Khurshid Alam
*Maj Gen Mian Nadeem Ijaz Ahmad,HI(M),SI(former DGMI Pakistan Army)
*Maj Gen Zahid
*Maj Gen Shakir ullah Khattak
* Brigadier [[Mervyn Cardoza]], Tamgha-e-Khidmat, Director Logistics 1971
*Col [[Shuja Khanzada Shaheed]], Tamgha-e-Basalat, Interior Minister Punjab, Pakistan.
*Gen [[Naveed Mukhtar]], DG ISI, Ex-Corps Commander Karachi, Pakistan.
* Risaldar [[Rao Hasan Ali]], squadron commander in 13th Lancers, British Indian Army during World War II; participated in 13th Lancers operations in Europe, Egypt, Battle of Al-Alamein, Malaysia.
* Honorary Captain [[Naseem Ahmed]], participated in 13 Lancers operations in 1971 IndoPak War.
*E. John Jacob, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Kerala, India (1913-1978)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/e_john_jacob.php|title = Kerala State - Everything about Kerala}}</ref>
* Brigadier Saad Muhammad SI(M)
* PA-618 Maj Muhammad Akram Khan Arbab, DOB - 1918, Date Of Commission - 1942, Residence of Tehkal Bala, Peshawar. Fought in Baghdad with 13th Lancers in second world war. Later joined 19 KGVOs Lancers, fought 1948 and 1965 as war reservist as sqn comd of 32 TDU later 32 Cavalry Pak Army.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Ahmad, Lt Col Rifat Nadeem. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre.
* Ahmed, Lt Gen Mahmud. (2006). ''History of Indo-Pak War – 1965''. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.
* Cadell, Sir Patrick. (1938). ''History of the Bombay Army''. London: Longmans & Green.
* Cloughley, Col Brian. (1999). ''A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections''. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
* Gaylor, J. (1992). ''Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991.'' Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd. {{ISBN|978-0-946771-98-1}}
* 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}}
* Newport-Tinley, Col GF. (1910). ''A Brief Sketch of His Majesty’s 31st Duke of Connaught’s Own Lancers, Indian Army''. Bombay: Bombay Gazette Electrical Printing Works.
* Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). ''The Pakistan Army 1947-49'', Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.
* Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1984). ''The Pakistan Army: War 1965'', Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.
* Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1990). ''The Pakistan Army 1966-71''. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club.

==External links==
*[http://www.defencejournal.com/nov99/13th-duke.htm 13th Duke of Connaught’s Own Lancers by John Gaylor at The Defence Journal]

{{Pakistan Armoured Corps}}
{{British Indian Army Cavalry Regiments 1903 - 1946}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=Armoured regiments of Pakistan, British Indian Army cavalry regiments, Honourable East India Company regiments, Military units and formations established in 1804, 1804 establishments in Asia
|description=
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[[Category:Armoured regiments of Pakistan]]
[[Category:British Indian Army cavalry regiments]]
[[Category:Honourable East India Company regiments]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1804]]
[[Category:1804 establishments in Asia]]

13th Lancers - Revision history

CleanupBot at 04:27, 8 July 2023