9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade

::Battle of Armentières ::Battle of Givenchy ::Battle of the Somme (1916) :::Battle of Bazentin :::Battle of Flers–Courcelette ::Battle of Cambrai (1917) Br.-Gen. C.L. Gregory The **Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade** was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1907 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as **9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade** at the outbreak of the First World War and departed for France. It served on the Western Front as part of the [1st](1st-indian-cavalry-division) and [2nd Indian Cavalry Division](2nd-indian-cavalry-division)s until it was broken up in March 1918. ## History The Kitchener Reforms, carried out during Lord Kitchener's tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India (1902–09), completed the unification of the three former Presidency armies, the Punjab Frontier Force, the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces into one Indian Army. Kitchener identified the Indian Army's main task as the defence of the North-West Frontier against foreign aggression (particularly Russian expansion into Afghanistan) with internal security relegated to a secondary role. The Army was organized into divisions and brigades that would act as field formations but also included internal security troops. The **Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade** was formed on 17 September 1907 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. The brigade formed part of the [9th (Secunderabad) Division](9th-secunderabad-division). ;9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade At the outbreak of the First World War, the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was still part of the 9th (Secunderabad) Division. It was mobilized in August 1914 as the **9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade** with the first elements of Indian Expeditionary Force A. It was composed of one British ([7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards](7th-princess-royal-s-dragoon-guards)) and two Indian ([20th Deccan Horse](20th-deccan-horse) and [34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse](34th-prince-albert-victor-s-own-poona-horse)) cavalry regiments; it sailed with N Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade Field Ambulance, H Section Ammunition Column and 1st Field Troop, [1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners](1st-king-george-s-own-sappers-and-miners). It paused briefly in Egypt before arriving in France on 12 October 1914 where it was attached to the Indian Corps and then to the [1st Indian Cavalry Division](1st-indian-cavalry-division) in November. While in France, the brigade was known by its geographical rather than numerical designation so as to avoid confusion with the British [9th Cavalry Brigade](9th-cavalry-brigade-united-kingdom) also serving on the Western Front at the same time. Among the brigade's engagements in 1914 were the Battle of La Bassée, the Battle of Armentières and the Battle of Givenchy. On 24 November, Lieutenant Frank de Pass of the [34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse](34th-prince-albert-victor-s-own-poona-horse) won the Victoria Cross at Festubert. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Deccan_Horse,_Bazentin_Ridge_1916.jpg" caption="[[Battle of Bazentin Ridge]], [[Battle of the Somme]]: the [[20th Deccan Horse]] drawn up in ranks in the Carnoy Valley waiting for the opportunity to attack."] :: The brigade was assigned to the [2nd Indian Cavalry Division](2nd-indian-cavalry-division) on 23 December 1914 In 1916, the brigade took part in the Battle of the Somme, notably the Battle of Bazentin (1417 July) and the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (1522 September). In 1917, the brigade took part in the Battle of Cambrai, notably the Tank Attack (2021 November) and the German Counter-attacks (30 November3 December). At other times 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 **Secunderabad Battalion**. ;Dissolved In March 1918, the brigade was broken up in France. The British units ([7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards](7th-princess-royal-s-dragoon-guards) and N Battery, Royal Horse Artillery) remained in France and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt. On 22 July 1918 the 7th Mounted Brigade was redesignated as [14th Cavalry Brigade](14th-cavalry-brigade-british-indian-army) and the division as [5th Cavalry Division](5th-cavalry-division-british-indian-army). ## Orders of battle ::data[format=table] | In India in August 1914 | |---| | Perry|1993|p=108}} | :: ::data[format=table] | Western Front | |---| | Perry|1993|pp=18,19}} | :: ## Commanders The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade / 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders: ::data[format=table] | From | Rank | Name | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | 17 September 1907 | Brigadier-General | M.F. Rimington | | | May 1911 | Brigadier-General | E.B. Burton | | | July 1912 | Brigadier-General | R. Wapshare | | | 7 January 1913 | Major-General | F.W.G. Wadeson | | | 1 May 1916 | Brigadier-General | C.L. Gregory | Brigade broken up in March 1918 | :: ## Notes ## References ## Bibliography - {{cite book - {{cite book - {{cite book - {{cite book | author-link = Philip Haythornthwaite - {{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 - {{cite book ## References 1. {{harvnb. Haythornthwaite. 1996 2. The late Lieutenant General H.G. Hart. ["Hart's Annual Army List for 1909"](https://archive.org/stream/hartsannualarmy1909lond#page/110/mode/2up). *John Murray*. 3. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 4. At this time, just the [[3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade]] had reached the Front: the other two brigades of the division{{snd[[2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade. 2nd (Sialkot)]] and [[8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade. Perry. 1993 5. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 6. ["7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards at regiments.org by T.F.Mills"](http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/DG7.htm). 7. ["The Royal Deccan Horse (9th Horse) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills"](http://regiments.org/regiments/southasia/cav/1921-09.htm). 8. ["The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills"](http://regiments.org/regiments/southasia/cav/1921-17.htm). 9. {{harvnb. Gaylor. 1996 10. On 24 April 1918, these were merged with the [[7th Mounted Brigade]] and joined the new [[2nd Mounted Division (British Indian Army). Becke. 1936 11. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 12. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 13. {{harvnb. Perry. 1993 14. Baker, Chris. ["Cavalry units of the Machine Gun Corps"](http://www.1914-1918.net/mgccav.html). *The Long Long Trail*. 15. Mackie. 2015 16. {{harvnb. 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