Skinner's Horse

1st and 3rd Skinners Horse

Known pre-1859 as 1st Irregular Cavalry and post-1859 as 1st (Duke of York's Own) Bengal Lancers

Biography

SKINNER, JAMES (1778-1841)
The son of Lt-Colonel Hercules Skinner and the founder of Skinner's Horse.
James Skinner Wikipedia

SKINNER, THOMAS (1800?-1843)
The son of Lt-General John Skinner. Joined the 16th Regiment of Foot as an ensign in 1816. With the rank of captain changed to 31st Regiment of Foot in 1824 and went to India in 1826. Commanded the regiment with Sir George Pollock's Army of Retribution during the 1st Afghan War and fought at the Battle of Tezin. Made CB and Brevet Colonel. Wrote Excursions in India about his travels in the Himalayas and Adventures during a Journey Overland to India about his journey to India.

Related articles

James Skinner

Second World War

Their title during WWII was Skinner's Horse (1st Duke of York's Own Cavalry).
Bannu Brigade – 3 September 1939 to 12 October 1939
The regiment was a horsed unit at the outbreak of the war and was located at Bannu under the command of the Bannu Brigade with detachments at Gambila and Tank.

Rawalpindi District – 23 October 1939 to 17 September 1940
On October 12th it left for Rawalpindi, where it arrived on October 23rd. It paraded its horses for the last time on October 28th, 1939 and was then issued with a few vehicles in poor condition. It was struck off the order of battle in November 1939 until it could complete mechanization. By December 1939, it had received thirty Morris 6-wheeled 30-CWT lorries and by May 1940 it received thirty new Chevrolet trucks. The balance of trucks had arrived by July 1940.

5th Indian Infantry Division – 17 September 1940 to March 1942
On September 17th, 1940, the unit left Rawalpindi, having been relieved by the 18th Cavalry, and entrained for Karachi. It boarded H.M.T. Devonshire on September 20th as the reconnaissance regiment (motor cavalry regiment) of the 5th Indian Infantry Division. At this time the regiment consisted of 600 all ranks, 105 15-CWT trucks, 15 3-CWT trucks, 1 water trailer, 1 3-Ton breakdown lorry and 32 Norton motorcycles. It was organized into three motor squadrons each of three motor troop and one carrier troop. HQ Squadron had a scout troop in carriers, a mortar troop and a signal troop. It embarked on September 23rd, 1940.

Skinner’s Horse arrived at Port Sudan on October 8th, 1940. It went to Derudeb and came under the command of Gazelle Force on October 16th. Gazelle Force was formed to watch the frontier with Eritrea in the Gash Delta, north of Kassala. It patrolled and set up ambushes and was involved in a major action from November 1st-11th before returning to the Gash Delta. The regiment left Gazelle Force on December 19rh and returned to the direct command of 5th Division. It rejoined Gazelle Force on January 7th and with Gazelle Force led the advance of the 4th Indian Division on January 20th, 1941. It made contact with the enemy at Keru on the 21st. It fought off Eritrean cavalry there before advancing to Agordat on the 25th. It advanced from there to Keren from February 1st-3rd and was in action in the Keren area until February 15th, when Gazelle Force was disbanded. The regiment was then relieved and sent to Barentu under the 5th Indian Division. It remained at Barentu for deception, when the division moved to Keren for operations. The regiment relieved ‘B’ Squadron of the Central India Horse at Meseile on 7 April with ‘C’ Squadron at Adigrat and ‘A’ Squadron at Quiha and at the same time rejoined a reformed Gazelle Force. On April 13th the regiment came under Flit Force and pursued the enemy to Amba Alagi, which was entered on April 20th. A patrol took Debab on April 30th and the regiment attacked Falaga Pass on May 3rd-4th. It left Flit Force on May 19th and was then sent to the rear at Dessie the next day. It was sent to Asmara on September 6th and to Massawa on September 16th, when it embarked for Egypt.

It arrived at Tel el Kabir, Egypt on September 21st, 1941 and moved to Mena in October 1941. It was sent to Cyprus on November 2nd and arrived at Famagusta on the 3rd. The regiment was stationed at Vatili, less one squadron. Its role was the anti-airborne defence on the Lornaka Plain. It took over the vehicles of the 50th Reconnaissance Regiment, which were mostly carriers in poor condition. After Christmas 1941, Skinner’s took over the 3rd Hussars’ MkVI Light Tanks, which it placed in two squadrons leaving one with carriers and 15-CWTs. On March 16th, 1942, the regiment left Famagusta for Haifa and then moved by train to Khatatba, Egypt.

10th Indian Motor Brigade – March 1942 to April 1943
At Khatatba, 1st Horse came under the command of the 10th Indian Motor Brigade, which was organized along the lines of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. ‘A’ and ‘C’ Squadrons were organized as motor squadrons, while ‘B’ Squadron formed an anti-tank squadron. ‘B’ Squadron included one troop of each of the other two squadrons. The regiment was sent to Ras-el-Alem with ‘B’ Squadron at the Baggush Box in May 1942. By June 20th, 1942, it was relieved by the Free French and moved to the west of Alexandria with the brigade, forming a blocking force on the Cairo-Alexandria road during July 1942. While located there it did vehicle training and then moved to Khatatba and Quassasin by July 29th. It was issued with 2/3-ton trucks there and then returned to the Cairo-Alexandria road. It returned to Mena on August 13th and was dispatched to Persia on September 14th, 1942 via Baghdad. It moved into Persia at Khanaqin and paused briefly at Kermanshah.

It arrived at Malayar on the road to Hamadan on September 28th and was sent three weeks later to Andimishk via Kurramabad. It trained there for the next three months. Between February 15th and April 1943, the unit served under the brigade at Qum.

34th Indian Infantry Brigade (ex-Abadan Sub Area) – April 1943 to June 1943
It left the 10th Motor Brigade in April and went to guard Hamdiya Farm, a government farm, on April 12th. It was equipped, at this point in time, with a number of soft-skinned vehicles from 3rd Indian Motor Brigade along with hard Indian pattern carriers.

60th Indian Infantry Brigade – Attached – June 1943 to August 1943
In June 1943 the 1st Horse rejoined the10th Indian Motor Brigade, now renamed as the 60th Indian Infantry Brigade. It remained with the brigade until August 1943.

39th Indian Infantry Brigade (ex-Ahwaz Sub-Area) – August 1943 to December 1943
In August, one squadron relieved one squadron of Central India Horse in the oilfields. Early in November 1943, it relieved the Central India Horse and was sent to the oilfields at Masjid-i-Suliman, with HQ and ‘B’ Squadrons at Haft Kel and ‘C’Squadron located at Agha Jari, Gach Sarum and Pazanum.

10th Indian Infantry Division – December 1943 to 31 August 1945
It joined the10th Indian Infantry Division in December 1943. On April 3rd, 1944 it left the area, handing over to the Poona Horse and concentrated at Ahwaz by April 8th. It then moved to Basra where it received a complete complement of Humber Armoured Cars, jeeps and White Scout Cars as normally provided for a divisional reconnaissance regiment. It also had AEC Armoured Cars in a Heavy Troop.

It arrived at Baghdad on April 16th with the division, moved to Qassasin, Egypt on May 3rd, to Alexandria on May 23rd and finally landed at Taranto, Italy on May 27th, 1944. It fought with the division in the advance to Florence in July 1944. ‘A’ Squadron was detached to the 4th Indian Division from July 8th-18th. When 10th Division took over the X Corps sector on August 14th, the regiment held the left sector. The regiment occupied Tolla. On September 19th, it remained behind under the X Corps when the 10th Division left to relieve the 4th Indian Division. It rejoined the division on October 29th. It was attached to 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade from November 23rd to December 3rd, 1944. In January 28th, 1945, it came under the command of RecForce and held the Senio line under the V Corps near Lago until March 12th, when it returned to the division. In the final offensive, Skinner’s held the right flank of the 10th Indian Division with a squadron at Porto Nove under the XIII Corps. It led the advance beyond the Idice and by April 23rd it reached the Reno River.

After the final offensive the regiment moved to Trieste with the division from May 25th to August 28th, 1945. The division then moved to Milan and left Italy at Taranto on November 22nd, 1945.

External Links

• Skinner's Horse British Empire website
  
• Skinner's Horse Wikipedia
  
• 3rd Skinner's Horse Wikipedia
  
• James Skinner Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  
• Thomas Skinner Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  
• James Skinner from the National Army Museum website
• Skinner’s Horse Thread from Gentleman’s Military Interest Club, with images
• Soldiers of the Queen, Issue 82 September 1995 has drawings of 3rd Skinner’s Horse uniforms on the cover. Click to enlarge. www.victorianmilitarysociety.org.uk
• Full dress kurta, 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse), 1902-1914 UK National Army Museum

Historical Books Online

• Military memoir of Lieut-Col. James Skinner, C. B.: for many years a distinguished officer commanding a corps of irregular cavalry in the service of the H. E. I. C. by James Baillie Fraser 1851 Volume 1, Volume 2 Google Books
• "Ist Bengal Cavalry" from Incidents in India and Memories of the Mutiny; with some records of Alexander's Horse and the 1st Bengal Cavalry, page 98 by F W. Pitt 1896 Archive.org