1st Bengal European Light Cavalry
This was one of the new regiments created in 1858 in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny with European (i.e. British) troopers rather than Indian ones. The officers were drawn from those surviving from the old 1st Bengal Light Cavalry (which had mutinied at Mhow) and the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry (which had been the first cavalry regiment to mutiny at Meerut in May 1857)
Chronology
- 1858 raised as the 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry for service in the Indian Mutiny
- 1862 renamed the 19th Hussars
Service in British India
- 1858-62 India
- 1891 Bangalore
- 1896 Secunderabad
- 1919 Muttra
Recommended Reading
The Diary of an Indian Cavalry Officer, 1843-63: Before, During, and After the Mutiny by John Hatfield Brooks, Pagoda Tree Press, 2003 ISBN 9781904289166 and ISBN 1904289169
The diarist was an officer in the regiment. The book also contains at plate 14 a photograph of Captain Brooks which may well be the only picture we have of the Regiment's uniform.
External Links
Bengal Light Cavalry British Empire website