1st Bengal Light Cavalry
Chronology
- 1778 1st troop of Pathans raised as the Kandahar Horse
- 1783 3rd troop became the 1st Regiment of Bengal Light Cavalry
- 1858 disbanded and transferred to the new 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry
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
John Hatfield Brooks was an officer in the 1st Regiment of Light Cavalry from 1843 till it was disbanded in 1858. Unfortunately most of the earliest years are missing, so we lack the first hand account of the Maharjpoor Campaign and the Sikh Wars. But the diary is complete from 1849. The diarist gives a vivid view of cantonment life in pre-Mutiny India, and also sheds light on the annexation of Oude. When the Indian Mutiny broke out in 1857, the Regiment was at Mhow in SW Bengal and Brooks describes in some detail the events there.
The diary continues till 1863, by which time the officers of the Regiment had transferred to the new 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry, which in turn became the 19th Hussars in the Queen's (i.e. British) Army.
External Links
Bengal Light Cavalry British Empire website