The 5th Cavalry was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

(1841-1895) and the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

(1895-1921) until it was amalgamated with the

8th Lancers The 8th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the Bengal Army (1846-1895) and the British Indian Army until 1921 when it was amalgamated 5th Cavalry regiment to form the 3rd Cavalry regiment. Origin and history The 8th Lancers were the last caval ...

to form the 3rd Cavalry.

History

The regiment was raised at

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

as the 7th Irregular Cavalry in 1841 as a result of the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

. In 1861 it was renamed the 5th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry. The pre-

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

Bengal Light Cavalry regiments had been lost to mutiny or disbandment, leaving the number free. In 1901 the unit was renamed to 5th Bengal Cavalry. The 1903 British Indian Army#Kitchener reforms unified the various

Presidency armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three Presidencies of British India, presidencies of the East India Company's Company rule in India, rule in India, later the forces of the the Crown, British Crown in British Raj, India, composed pr ...

, renumbering the regiments into a more cohesive sequence. The Bengal regiments took the first 19 numbers, and so the 5th Bengal Cavalry was simply renamed the 5th Cavalry. In 1914 the 5th Cavalry was part of the 4th (Rawalpindi) Brigade until October 1916 when they transferred to the 1st (Peshawar) Division for service on the North West Frontier of India. In October 1917 they left to take part in the Mesopotamian campaign. In 1921, the regiment was amalgamated with the

to form the 3rd Cavalry.

Colonels of the Regiment

5th Cavalry * 1904–1912: Gen. Sir Charles Gough * 1919: Maj-Gen. Sir Henry Macandrew *

References

*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. *Gaylor, J (1992). ''Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991.'' Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd. Military units and formations established in 1841 British Indian Army cavalry regiments Honourable East India Company regiments Indian World War I regiments 1841 establishments in British India {{India-mil-unit-stub