5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade

Br.-Gen. G. de S. Barrow The **5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade** was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in November 1914, it served on the Western Front as part of the [2nd](2nd-indian-cavalry-division) and [1st Indian Cavalry Division](1st-indian-cavalry-division)s until it was broken up in March 1918. ## History Uniquely amongst the six Indian cavalry brigades sent to the Western Front in the First World War, the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade was not a pre war formation.{{efn|The other five Indian cavalry brigades sent to the Western Front in the First World War were: - [2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade](2nd-sialkot-cavalry-brigade) of [2nd (Rawalpindi) Division](2nd-rawalpindi-division) - [3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade](3rd-ambala-cavalry-brigade) of [3rd (Lahore) Division](3rd-lahore-division) - [7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade](7th-meerut-cavalry-brigade) of [7th (Meerut) Division](7th-meerut-division) - [8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade](8th-lucknow-cavalry-brigade) of [8th (Lucknow) Division](8th-lucknow-division) - [9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade](9th-secunderabad-cavalry-brigade) of [9th (Secunderabad) Division](9th-secunderabad-division) The only remaining pre-war cavalry brigade[1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade](1st-risalpur-cavalry-brigade) of [1st (Peshawar) Division](1st-peshawar-division)stayed in India throughout the war.}} The brigade was formed on 11 November 1914 from units in [5th (Mhow) Division](5th-mhow-division) and the [6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons](6th-inniskilling-dragoons) from Muttra. In company with the [7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade](7th-meerut-cavalry-brigade), it departed Bombay on 19 November 1914 and landed at Marseille on 14–16 December. It joined the [2nd Indian Cavalry Division](2nd-indian-cavalry-division) which was formally constituted on 14 December. The division concentrated around Orléans on 20–24 December and moved up to the Front on 1–4 January 1915. While in France, the brigade was known by its geographical rather than numerical designation so as to avoid confusion with the British [5th Cavalry Brigade](5th-cavalry-brigade-united-kingdom) also serving on the Western Front at the same time. On 15 September 1915, the brigade swapped places with the [3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade](3rd-ambala-cavalry-brigade) of [1st Indian Cavalry Division](1st-indian-cavalry-division). Other than the Battle of Cambrai when it helped to hold the German counter-attack, it was not involved in battle. Instead, it was held in reserve in case of a breakthrough, although it did send parties to the trenches on a number of occasions. They would hold the line, or act as Pioneers; such parties were designated as the **Mhow Battalion**. On 1 December 1917, Lance-Daffadar Gobind Singh of the [28th Light Cavalry](28th-light-cavalry), attached to [2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)](2nd-lancers-gardner-s-horse), won the Victoria Cross during the Battle of Cambrai. ;Dissolved In March 1918, the brigade was broken up in France. The British units (6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery) remained in France, 11th Machine Gun Squadron was broken up on 14 April 1918 and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt. On 22 July 1918 the 6th Mounted Brigade was redesignated as [10th Cavalry Brigade](10th-cavalry-brigade-british-indian-army) and the division as [4th Cavalry Division](4th-cavalry-division-british-indian-army). ## Order of battle The 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade commanded the following units on the Western Front: - [6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons](6th-inniskilling-dragoons) *(joined from Muttra, [7th (Meerut) Division](7th-meerut-division))* - [2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)](2nd-lancers-gardner-s-horse) *(joined from Jubbulpore, [5th (Mhow) Division](5th-mhow-division))* - [38th King George's Own Central India Horse](38th-king-george-s-own-central-india-horse) *(joined from Jhansi, 5th (Mhow) Division)* - X Battery, Royal Horse Artillery *(joined in December 1914 from XIII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery at Mhow, 5th (Mhow) Division; transferred on 15 September 1915 to [3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade](3rd-ambala-cavalry-brigade) when the brigades swapped places)* - A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery *(joined on 15 September 1915 from 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade)* - Signal Troop - 11th Machine Gun Squadron *(from 29 February 1916)* ## Commanders The 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders: ::data[format=table] | From | Rank | Name | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | 11 November 1914 | Major-General | H.D. Fanshawe | | | 14 December 1914 | Colonel | M.E. Willoghby | *temporary* | | 7 January 1915 | Brigadier-General | G. de S. Barrow | | | 23 July 1915 | Brigadier-General | N.W. Haig | Broken up in March 1918 | :: ## Notes ## References ## Bibliography - {{cite book - {{cite web |access-date=1 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705211343/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201900-2011.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2015 - {{cite book ## References 1. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 2. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 3. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 4. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 5. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 6. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 7. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 8. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 9. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 10. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 11. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 12. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 13. {{London Gazette. (15 May 1919) 14. {{London Gazette. (11 January 1918) 15. Baker, Chris. ["Cavalry units of the Machine Gun Corps"](http://www.1914-1918.net/mgccav.html). *The Long Long Trail*. 16. Becke. 1936 17. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 18. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 19. ["The Ypres Sailient"](http://www.cwgc.org/ypres/content.asp?id=33&menu=subsub). *Commonwealth War Graves Commission*. ::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_(Mhow)_Cavalry_Brigade) and is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the [article history page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_(Mhow)_Cavalry_Brigade?action=history). ::