Memorabilia : armies of princely states

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Due to the interwoven histories of British and native India, one is bound to find odd bits of Indian States lore among common British collectibles. While digging through an assortment of British cigarette cards of the 1930's and 40's, one stumbled on a complete set of 50 cards entitled "Military Uniforms of the British Empire Overseas," produced by John Player & Sons for inclusion in Player's Cigarettes. Each card is devoted to an overseas regiment under the crown, and 29 of the 50 cards document Indian and Indian States forces. The front of the card illustrates an officer or man of the regiment, while the back presents roughly 100 words of historical data.

Illustrations and text from the 29 Indian Army cards is presented here, followed by a list of the non-Indian cards that complete the set. Indian States enthusiasts should pay particular attention to cards numbered 26 to 40, depicting native Indian forces that fought beside the British on the Northwest Frontier, in the "Great War", and elsewhere.

The following cards complete this Player's Cigarette card set. They are not shown because they represent British Empire overseas forces outside of India:

• No.1 Cape Town Highlanders
• No.2 Kimberly Regiment
• No.3 Witwatersrand Rifles
• No.4 Regiment Louw Wepener
• No.5 The Rhodesia Regiment
• No.6 The British South Africa Police
• No.7 The British South Africa Police, Native Askari
• No.8 Australian Light Horse
• No.9 Royal Australian Artillery
• No.10 Australian Infantry
• No.11 New Zealand Mounted Rifles
• No.12 Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• No.42 Nigeria Regiment
• No.43 Gold Coast Regiment
• No.44 King's African Rifles
• No.45 King's African Rifles, Somaliland Camel Corps
• No.46 Northern Rhodesia Regiment
• No.47 Trans-Jordan Frontier Force
• No.48 British Guiana Militia
• No.49 British Honduras Defence Force
• No.50 Singapore Volunteer Corps

Card No.13Aide-de-Camp to the Viceroy of India
The personal staff of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India includes both British and Indian Aides-de-Camp. The latter are selected from among the Viceroy's Commissioned Officers of Indian Army units. We show an Indian Aide-de-Camp holding the rank of Risaldar Major, or senior Indian officer, in an Indian Cavalry regiment, who for his distinguished services has been rewarded with the grant of the honorary rank of Captain. A Musalman of the Punjab, be belongs to the class which provides a larger proportion of recruits to the Indian Army than any other section of India's population. The background portrays the Viceroy's House, New Delhi.

Card No.14 The Scinde Horse
The Scinde Horse (14th Prince of Wales's Own Cavalry) is one of the twenty-one Cavalry regiments of the Indian Army. It had its origin in two regiments of Scinde Irregular Horse raised at Hyderabad in 1839 and '46 respectively. These two regiments were absorbed into the regular forces about 1860 and ultimately became the 35th Scinde Horse and the 36th Jacob's Horse. They saw active service in Northern and Central India, Persia and Afghanistan and, during the Great War, in France and Palestine. They were amalgamated in 1921. The present regiment is recruited from Pathans, Sikhs and Musalman Rajputs of the Punjab. We show the Risaldar-Major in Full Dress; a scene on the N.W. Frontier appears in the background.

Card No.15 The Poona Horse
The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry) is the descendant of 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. 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. We show a Risaldar in Full Dress—a senior Indian officer of Cavalry, who holds his commission from the Viceroy. The background portrays Fort Jamrud, on the N.W. Frontier.

 

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Card No.16 19th (K.G.O.) Lancers
The history of the 19th (King George's Own) Lancers extends back to the years immediately following the Indian Mutiny, when the 2nd Regiment of Mahratta Horse was raised at Gwalior in 1858 and Fane's Horse was raised at Cawnpore in 1860. These two units, which later became the 18th King George's Own Lancers and the 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) respectively, were amalgamated in 1922 under their present designation. They had previously seen service in Northern India, China and Afghanistan and, in the Great War, in France and Palestine. The regiment is now recruited from Sikhs, Jats and Musalmans of the Punjab. We show an Indian Musalman officer (a Captain); the background shows a view of the Khyber Pass.

Card No.17 Madras Sappers and Miners
The Sappers and Miners, as the Engineers of the Indian Army are designated, are divided into three Corps, of which Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners are the senior. The Corps was originally raised in 1780 and has taken part in almost every campaign since then in which Indian troops have shared. Its battle honours before 1914 show service in Egypt, Java, China, Persia, Abyssinia and Afghanistan, as well as in India, while in the Great War its units fought in France, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Persia and East Africa. It is recruited entirely from the Madras Presidency. We show the Subadar-Major of the Corps in Full Dress, standing in front of Government House, Madras.

Card No.18 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
The Subadar-Major shown in our picture belongs to the 4th Battalion, which was originally raised in 1800 as a battalion of the 8th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. It fought through the Great War, rendering gallant service in Iraq as the 116th Mahrattas, and received its present designation in the great post-war reorganization of 1922. It is composed entirely of Mahrattas, sturdy fighters from the uplands of the Bombay Presidency round Poona and Satara. In the days of the East India Company, the Mahrattas put up a stout resistance to the Company's forces in the two Mahratta Wars of 1775 and 1802. The background portrays the Gateway of India, Bombay.

Card No.19 6th Rajputana Rifles
The 6th Rajputana Rifles consists, like most of the eighteen Indian Infantry Regiments, of five active and one training (the l0th) battalions. The oldest of these battalions dates back to 1775, when it formed a unit of the old Bombay Army. One or other of them saw fighting in almost every campaign since that date in which Indian troops have been employed both in and out of India, and their Great War battle honours cover France, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Persia and East Africa. They are composed of Rajputs and Jats from Rajputana, and Musalmans from the Punjab, the Subadar-Major shown in Full Dress in our picture being a Rajput. The War Memorial Arch, New Delhi, appears in the background.

 

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Card No.20 7th Rajput Regiment
The Subadar shown in Full Dress in our picture is an Indian officer belonging to the 1st Battalion (Queen Victoria's Own Light Infantry), which was originally raised in 1798. For distinguished service in 1803 under General Lake it was permitted to carry a third honorary colour, and an additional Indian officer is still included in its strength to carry this colour. During the Great War it upheld its reputation in Egypt and Iraq. It is one of the fifteen Indian cavalry and infantry units which have been selected for Indianisation. No further junior British officers will be posted to these units, though senior British officers will remain with them till Indian officers are available to take their places. The background shows the Kutab Minar, Delhi.

Card No.21 8th Punjab Regiment
Our picture shows a Subadar-Major, holding the honorary rank of Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, in Full Dress. Raised in 1798 as a part of the Madras Native Infantry, this battalion remained a portion of the Madras Army till it was reconstituted in 1903 as the 89th Punjabis with its present composition of Sikhs and Punjabi Musalmans. During the Great War it saw service in Egypt, Gallipoli, France, Iraq, Salonika and the Black Sea. This officer is a Musalman from the Northern Punjab, and he has been awarded the Order of British India in recognition of distinguished service. The background shows Lahore Fort, Navlakha.

 

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Card No.22 13th Frontier Force Rifles
Our illustration shows a British Major (in Full Dress) of the 1st Battalion (Coke's), which was raised in 1849 by Captain Coke as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. Shortly after this date it became part of the Punjab Frontier Force which was maintained till the beginning of this century as a local force for the protection of the North-West Frontier. Under Lord Kitchener's regime this localization ceased and all infantry battalions of the Indian Army now share the guarding of the Frontier, as well as all other duties which fall to their lot. Coke's Bines saw fighting in the Great War in East Africa and on the North-West Frontier.

Card No.23 17th Dogra Regiment
Our picture shows the Subadar-Major (the senior Indian officer of the l0th Battalion) in Full Dress. In each Indian Infantry Regiment the 10th is the Training Battalion, which trains the recruits and acts as record office for the three, four or five active battalions of the Regiment. The Dogra Regiment is recruited entirely of Dogra Rajputs, who are high caste Hindus descended from the original Aryan invaders of India. They inhabit the foothills of the Himalayas between the Jhelum and Sutlej rivers in the Punjab. It is one of the few regiments which is composed of a single class, the majority being made up of class squadrons or companies. The Victoria Memorial, Calcutta, appears in the background.

Card No.24 10th Gurkha Rifles
The 120 Infantry battalions of the Indian Army includle twenty of Gurkhas. These are divided into ten Regiments of Gurkha Rifles, each with two battalions. The most senior of these dates back to the end of the Nepal War in 1815. The 10th is the youngest, having been formed in 1890, but during the Great War it earned a reputation equal to that of the older regiments in Gallipoli, Egypt and Iraq. These regiments are composed entirely of Gurkhas, sturdy and cheerful little hillmen of Mongolian stock, who are subjects of the allied kingdom of Nepal. The rifleman shown in Full Dress in the picture is wearing the famed kukri, or Gurkha knife.

 

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Card No.25 Indian Mountain Artillery
The Indian Mountain Artillery batteries, which number twenty-one, are units of the Royal Artillery, and their number is on the increase, as new batteries are formed to take the place of the Light Batteries which are disappearing from the British Army. In the rough country of the Indian frontiers, where hills are steep and roads are few, there is still room for artillery carried on mules, which can cover ground impassable to mechanized or horse-drawn guns. There is in addition an Indian Regiment of Artillery which came into being in 1935 and which consists at present of one field brigade. This will ultimately be officered entirely by Indians. Our illustration shows a Subadar Major in Full Dress.

Card No.26 Alwar State Forces
The Alwar State Forces, of which our picture shows the Commandant in Full Dress, consist of two troops of Lancers and one active and one training battalion of Infantry. The forces of the Indian Princes which are classed as Indian States Forces are organized on the same lines as the corresponding units of the regular Indian Army. The active units of the Alwar Forces served in the Great War, the Lancers on the North-West Frontier and in Afghanistan, and the Infantry battalion in Egypt and Palestine. Alwar, which is situated in Rajputana, has a population of three quarters of a million.

Card No.27 Bahawalpur State Forces
Bahawalpur is a Musalman state lying to the south-west of the Punjab with an area of 15,000 square miles and a population of about one million. The Nawab of Bahawalpur maintains as Indian States Forces one troop of Bodyguard Lancers and one-and-a-half battalions of Infantry. The Major shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs to the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry (Sadiq Battalion). The Bahawalpur troops have more than once been loaned for Imperial purposes, and in the Great War the Sadiq Battalion served in Egypt, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as on the North-West Frontier of India. The Sadiq Oarh Palace is shown in the background.

Card No.28 Baria State Forces
The officer shown in Full Dress in the picture is the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Baria State Forces, which consist of about 150 men organized as one troop of Cavalry and two platoons of Infantry. Baria is a Rajput State in Western India covering about eight hundred square miles and with about 160,000 inhabitants. The Raja of Baria, who takes a great personal interest in his forces, was promoted in 1937 to the homorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army. The background shows the Secretariat, Devgad Baria.

 

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Card No.29 Bikanir State Forces
The Bikanir State Forces number about 1,800, consisting of one battery of Artillery, two motor machine-gun sections, two squadrons of Lancers, an Infantry battalion, and the Ganga Risala, a Captain of which is shown in our picture in Full Dress. This famous Camel Corps rendered good service in the early days of the Great War in the fighting east of the Suez Canal. Bikanir is one of the largest of the Rajputana States, but much of it is desert, and its population numbers less than one million. The Maharaja of Bikanir holds the honorary rank of General in the British Army and is an extra Aide-de-Camp to the King. The Old Palace and Fort, Bikanir, are shown in the background.

Card No.30 Dhrangadhra State Forces
Dhrangadhra is one of the smaller states of Kathiawar in Western India, covering an area of about twelve hundred square miles and having a population of about 90,000. The Maharaja of Dhrangadhra maintains a Bodyguard of two mounted troops and two companies of Infantry known as the Dhrangadhra Makhwan Infantry. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is the Commandant of the Infantry. The State forces are mostly composed of Rajputs, but have an admixture of other Hindus and also of Musalmans. The Delhi Gate, Dhranpadhra, appears in the background.

Card No.31 Gwalior State Forces
Gwalior is one of the largest and most important of the Indian States. Situated in Central India, it has a population of three-and-a-half million and covers twenty-six thousand square miles. The Maharaja of Gwalior maintains more Indian State Forces than almost any other Prince and they are organized into a Cavalry brigade, consisting of three regiments of Lancers, a battery of Horse Artillery and a Transport Corps, and an Infantry brigade of four Infantry battalions and a Mountain Battery. In addition there is an Infantry training battalion and half a company of Sappers. Our picture shows a Captain of the Mountain Battery, in Full Dress, standing in front of Gwalior Fort.

Card No.32 Hyderabad State Forces
His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad is the Ruler of the premier Indian State, which has a population of over fourteen million, and covers 83,000 square miles in Southern India. He maintains three regiments of Lancers organized as a Cavalry Brigade and, in addition, three Infantry battalions, a Horse Artillery Battery and a Transport Section. His forces number nearly five thousand in all. A regiment of Hyderabad Lancers served with the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade on the Suez Canal and in Palestine during the Great War. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is the commander of the Cavalry Brigade; the Char Minar, Hyderabad, appears in the background.

Card No.33 Indore State Forces
Our picture shows in Full Dress a Major of the 1st Battalion Maharaja Holkar's Infantry. This corps, with Holkar's Mounted Escort (a bodyguard unit of one squadron), and a Transport Corps of ponies, mules and carts make up the Maharaja of Indore's forces. The Transport Corps rendered noble service in the Great War in France, Macedonia, Egypt and Gallipoli, being present at the Suvia landing, while the Mounted Escort served in Iraq. Indore is a large State in Central India covering more than nine thousand square miles and having a population of 1,300,000. The background shows the Daryao Mahal Palace, Indore.

 

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Card No.34 Jaipur State Forces
Jaipur is one of the larger States of Rajputana, having an area of fifteen thousand square miles and a population of more than two-and-a-half million. The Maharaja of Jaipur maintains a regiment of Lancers, three battalions of Infantry and a Transport Corps. The last named is the only one of these units which dates back to before the Great War. It saw service on the North-West Frontier in 1895-7 and in the Great War was continuously employed throughout the Mesopotamian Campaign. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a Captain on the Headquarters Staff of the Jaipur State Forces. He is a Rajput, as are the majority of their officers and men. The background portrays the Residency Gate, Jaipur.

Card No.35 Jodhpur State Forces
The Jodhpur State Forces consist of one regiment of Lancers, an Infantry battalion and a Transport corps. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs to the Sardai Infantry battalion. The Jodhpur Lancers proceeded to France with the first units of the Indian Cavalry at the very outset of the Great War and fought with distinction alongside them throughout the operations both in France and Palestine. Jodhpui, the home of the Rathore Rajputs, is the largest state of Rajputana, covering 35,000 square miles and having a population of over two million. The city itself possesses an up-to-date aerodrome which has become an important point in the air route across Northern India. The Fort, Jodhpur, is shown in the background.

Card No.36 Kashmir State Forces
The Maharaja of Kasnmir maintains a larger number of State Forces than any other Ruler of an Indian State. These forces are organized into the Jammu and Kashmir Brigades, the latter of which is commanded by the officer shown in our picture, in Full Dress. They comprise one Bodyguard Cavalry regiment, two Mountain Batteries, seven active and one training battalions of Infantry and a Transport unit consisting of both pack and mechanized transport. Several of these units served with distinction on the North-West Frontier of India and overseas during the Great War. Jammu and Kashmir lie to the north of the Punjab and cover nearly 85,000 square miles. The population exceeds 3,500,000. The background shows a view of Srinagar.

Card No.37 Mysore State Forces
The State Forces maintained by the Maharaja of Mysore consist of one regiment of Lancers, one squadron of Mysore Horse and three Infantry battalions, only one of which, however, is a complete active unit. Both of the mounted units were raised from the ruins of the Army of Tippoo Sultan after the fall of Seringapatam. The Mysore Lancers, to which the officer shown in Full Dress in our picture belongs, served on the Suez Canal and in Palestine with the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade throughout the Great War. Mysore is one of the two largest States in Southern India, having an area of 30,000 square miles and a population of 6,500,000. The background shows the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade Memorial, New Delhi.

Card No.38 Nawanagar State Forces
Nawanagar is one of the two largest of the Kathiawar States in Western India. It covers an area of four thousand square miles and has a population of 400,000. The Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar maintains as his State Forces a regiment of Lancers consisting of two squadrons and a company of Infantry. Both of these units are composed almost entirely of Rajputs, to which race he himself belongs. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a member of the headquarters Staff of the State Forces. The present ruler is a nephew of his predecessor, who was better known in this country as the great cricketer "Ranji." The background shows the Pratab Vilas Palace, Jamnagar.

Card No.39 Tehri-Garwal State Forces
The Tehri-Garhwal State Forces, of which our picture shows the Commandant, consist of half a Company of Sappers and Miners, two platoons of Pioneers and two platoons of Infantry. The last two units are of recent creation, but the Sappers and Miners did good work during the Great War in France and Iraq. Tehri-Garhwal is a Hindu State of 350,000 inhabitants covering over four thousand square miles in the foothills of the Himalayas to the north of the United Provinces. The Garhwalis, who inhabit the British Indian district of Garhwal as well as the State of Tehri-Garhwal, earned a reputation second to none in the Great War.

 

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Card No.40 Udaipur (Mewar) State Forces
The officer shown in Full Dress in the picture belongs to the Mewar Bhopal Infantry. The Udaipur (Mewar) State Forces consist of one squadron of Lancers and two battalions of Infantry. The Maharaja of Udaipur rules over some thirteen thousand square miles of Rajputana with a population of more than a million-and-a-half, mostly Rajputs. Udaipur itself is a place of great beauty and historical interest, and is one of the chief centres of attraction for visitors to Northern India. The Tower of Victory, Chitorgar, appears in the background.

Card No.41 The Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles are composed of three local classes, Chins, Kachins and Karens. The officer shown in Full Dress in our picture is a Kachin, hailing from the Sino-Burmese border. Until the separation of Burma from India in April, 1937, this regiment formed part of the Indian Army, having been raised as the 70th Burma Rifles during the Great War. It consists of three active battalions and a training battalion which, with the Frontier Battalions of the Burma Military Police, make up the new Burma Defence Force.

 

[Chronos]

Hey man. A great thread. Please keep it going

 

[third eye]

The Jodhpur Lancers

Already celebrated as the "Jo Hukums", which literally means "As you command", for their reckless courage and discipline in following orders, however dangerous, the Jodhpur Lancers arrived in Egypt in early 1918, a part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division, Desert Mounted Corps. After three months of training near Cairo they moved into the Jordan Valley. There, in more familiar terrain at last, they would cover themselves with glory. Indeed, bored with the trenches of France and itching for some real cavalry fighting, they showed their mettle in their very first action, at Abu Tulul on 14th July. Two squadrons of the Lancers led by Harji's son, Major Thakur Dalpat Singh, attacked a large body of Turks on a ridge, spearing many and capturing many more. The Eastbourne educated Dalpat, like his father a great favorite of Sir P's, outpaced his troop and single-handedly attacked a machine-gun emplacement, succeeding in capturing a senior officer. For this he was awarded the Military Cross. Not the only one decorated that day. In all the Lancers received six Indian Orders of Merit and seven Distinguished Service Medals for their success at Abu Tulul.

Yet, it was only the beginning. The Commander-in-Chief, Egypt Expeditionary Force, Sir Edmund Allenby's historic offensive into Palestine and Syria began on 19th September,1918. Four days later the Jodhpur Lancers with the 15th Cavalry Brigade, including the Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers, moved into position to capture strategic Haifa. This charming coastal town, now in Israel, was both strongly defended and easily defensible, commanded as it is by Mount Carmel (hailed for its beauty in the Song of Solomon) in the south-west and protected by the River Kishon in the north-east.

At 1400 hrs on 23rd September the battle began. Under heavy Turkish machine-gun fire, negotiating quicksand on the banks of the Kishon which they had to cross on the one hand, and the not-so-gentle slopes of Carmel on the other, the Jodhpur Lancers charged into Haifa. (The Mysore Lancers were sent in to "mop up" and the Hyderabad Lancers were held in reserve. Cover fire was provided by the Sherwood Rangers.) Interestingly the attack was led by 'B' squadron which consisted solely of Jodha Rathores. 'A' squad, the Mertias followed and 'C' squad, with its mixed forces, came in later.

Such raw courage the world had rarely seen. Nor had death and pain ever been treated with such disdain. Here were descendants of men who had fought at Khanua and Sumel and Dharmat and Merta and Malpura, all legendary Rathore charges, but this was perhaps the finest of them all. Indeed this charge at Haifa is described by many as the most remarkable cavalry action ever in the history of war and, as the historian Charles C.Trench remarks in his book, 'The Indian Army and the King's Enemies',."Only the Jo Hukums could have done it." That day the Jo Hukums had to be restrained as they galloped through the streets of Haifa, even after all the machine-gun posts had fallen, towards the placid and unknowing Mediterranean, spearing and butchering the unfortunate Turks who crossed their path, civilians even, for they had seen too many of their brothers fall. And among the dead was their beloved commander, Major Thakur Dalpat Singh.

 

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HH Maharaja Sadul Singhji of Bikaner, interacting with the troops of Bikaner State Forces, in Mesopotamia, 1943, WW II