Imperial Service Troops

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The Imperial Service Troops (IST) were forces raised by the Princely States of the British Indian Empire. These troops were available for service alongside the Indian Army when such service was requested by the British government.

They were formed in 1885 under the pretext of supporting India against the threat of Russian invasion. The IST were supplied and largely trained by officers of the Indian Army and were expanded and elected to fight alongside the British Army or the Indian Army, during the two world wars. In 1920, they were renamed the Indian States Forces.


First World War

Jodhpur Lancers

The Jodhpur Lancers were supposedly the most aristocratic unit in India that went to the Great War. Sir Pertab, the 70-year-old Maharaja Regent of Jodhpur, himself accompanied the unit to France. Jodhpur Lancers fought at France and Flanders, Palestine and Syria during the whole of the War from Aug 1914 to Feb 1920. In the Jordan valley, at Haifa, and at Aleppo, the Jodhpur Lancers acquitted themselves gloriously. [1]

Kashmir Rifles

2nd Battalion Kashmir Rifles was sent to East Africa, see Kashmir Infantry

1st Kashmir Imperial Service Mountain Battery was also in East Africa, refer External links, below.

Second World War

Cavalry

  • 1st Patiala (Rajindra) Lancers: Indian Government Service 6 November 1940 - 30 March 1946. Middle East service from 28 April 1945.
  • 3rd Gwalior Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia’s Own Lancers: Indian Government Service March 1942 - August 1945. Some service in Burma.
  • 1st (Nizam’s Own) Hyderabad Imperial Service Lancers: Indian Government Service 4 November 1940 - August 1945. Some overseas service in the Middle East.
  • 2nd (Nizam’s Own) Hyderabad Imperial Service Lancers: Indian Government Service March 1942 - December 1945. Served in Syria from January to December 1945.
  • Jodhpur Sardar Rissala. Title Change to Jodhpur Lancers – 1943. Indian Government Service 8 January 1940 - August 1945. Embarked for Persia in Persia March 1944 and served there until the end of the war.[2]

External Links

Historical books online

  • A History of The Imperial Service Troops of Native States with a Short Sketch of Events in Each State compiled by Brigr.-General Stuart Beatson 1903 Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, may be read online on the Digital Library of India website, in TIFF format, or as a pdf download.
  • History of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade during the Great War 1914-1918 London: HMSO, 1920. Includes maps IOR/L/MIL/17/6/78 Digitised Manuscripts from the India Office Records, British Library
    • The Brigade seems to have spent the War in Egypt and Palestine. The constituent regiments include the
Kathiawar Signal Troop
Hyderabad Lancers
Mysore Lancers including two troops Bhavnagar Lancers and one troop Kashmir Lancers
Patiala Lancers
Jodhpur Lancers

References

  1. ↑ Abstract of a paper A Rajput in France and Palestine: With the Jodhpur Lancers in the Great War by MS Jodha presented at the India and the Great War Conference at The United Service Institution of India New Delhi: 5-7 March 2014, now an archived webpage.
  2. ↑ dryan67 [Ryan, David]. Indian States Forces cavalry regiments WW2Forum 13 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016. David A Ryan is co author of books on the Indian Army in WW2, see the WW2Talk Forum post Indian Army: An Organisational History Retrieved 16 March 2016.

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