, Pathan soldier of the 36th Jacob's Horse and Baluch Kot Daffadar of the 35th Scinde Horse, water colour on paper illustration for 'Armies of India' by Major G.F. MacMunn, published in 1911 The Scinde Horse was raised to protect the British Caravans traversing the Spice Route - from the Bolan Pass in
Afghanistan, to the Indus at Sukkur and then via
Fort Abbas to
Bikaner,
Hissar and
Delhi. The route through the
Thar Desert via
Jaisalmer was too difficult and dangerous. Since this involved corridor protection along the route, laying in ambush and also accompanying the caravans, they travelled mostly in civilian dress with weapons hidden to look inconspicuous. As a result, they were popularly called "The Scinde Irregular Horse". The term
Irregulars is carried with pride amongst Scinde horsemen to this day as they have consistently surprised the adversary both in times of war and in competitions during peace to gain an upper hand. The Irregulars have always thought "out of the box" and accomplished the seemingly impossible. ;The Badge The adversary during the early days, were the Baloochi marauders of the
hill tribe of
Jekhranis. On numerous occasions, the Irregulars raided their camps to recover the booty they had looted from the caravans. However, the Irregulars respected the Jekhranis for their skill and valour in combat, so they adopted a Badge, depicting a Baloochi warrior with his spear (
Jezail) charging on a Stallion, to remind them of a brave and valiant enemy, who they repeatedly vanquished. The Scinde Horse, apart from its unique Badge, also is perhaps the only Regiment to have retained the same badge since inception. It adopted its
Garrison Town, Khangur, West of Sukkur on the Indus, which came to be called as
Jacobabad, after its first Commandant. This name still remains and Jacobabad is now a major Garrison Town and Airbase in
Pakistan. ;
John Jacob Having been raised as a contingent from detachments of the Poona Horse and others under Captain William Ward, the Scinde Irregular Horse got its first Commandant, John Jacob, an engineer from the Bombay Artillery. John Jacob commanded and then remained a mentor of the Regiment from 1839 to 1856, in the process, achieving the Rank of Brigadier General, attained Knighthood and Governorship of the province of Scinde. Brigadier General Sir John Jacob was buried at Jacobabad, named after him. Being an engineer, during his illustrious career, he led the Regiment in the Famous Charge at Meeanee, invented a rifled gun which fired both shot and shell accurately up to 1200 yards and used a straight cavalry Sabre as a bayonet. This invention finds a place in the ‘Handbook of Ancient Firearms’. His Saddlery and Gun along with the Sabre are placed in the Officers' Mess in the Regiment. He also gave great thought to the location of his Grave and selected a spot in the flood plains of the Indus, wherein the flood waters would rise to the level of the foot of his grave and then recede due to overflow into the next area. This unique phenomenon resulted in the locals believing him to be a saint (Peer) and his grave is worshipped to this day. In fact, in 1997, the Pakistani Government spent a few lakhs of rupees to renovate the Grave and invited John Jacob's decedents at the re-inauguration. After that, they visited India as honoured guests of the Regiment. ;The Regiment John Jacob was also a very able administrator and that is why the Scinde Horse was so successful in its task and kept the region under control. There was a special bond between the Regiment and the "Bootgee" Tribe, which was formed out of mutual respect amongst the fiercest warriors in the entire Scinde and
Balochistan Provinces. While keeping the caravans safe from marauders, the Regiment ensured a fair contribution to the tribals of the lands through which the caravans passed. In those days, recruitment and salaries were uniquely determined. The remuneration was as per service and rank. It was paid out of the earnings or bounty earned by the Regiment. Since the Scinde Horse was mostly on operational tasks and effected numerous recoveries, it earned a large amount of bounty and paid its officers and men handsomely. As a result, recruitment into the regiment also had a high price, which was a record in its own right – a soldier had to bring his own horse, Groom and also pay an enrolment fee as high as 800 rupees. Despite this, there was a rush to join the Regiment and soon the Regiment expanded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Scinde Horse. The Badge remained the same while the shoulder titles were distinctive. ;The Prince of Wales' Own The Horsed Cavalry Regiments were named according to their operational role and weapons they carried. The
Cavalry Regiments carried Sabres and were further divided into Light Cavalry and Cavalry. They were employed to outflank the enemy in the battlefield and charge through his ranks to cause destruction. Whereas the Cavalry carried a Sabre and Broadsword, the Light cavalry carried only sabres and relied on swiftness and surprise to vanquish the enemy. The
Lancers Regiments, apart from Sabres, carried Lances to destroy enemy infantry hiding in trenches as well as using spears to protect themselves from the mounted troops. The
Horse on the other hand, was a very versatile and heavily weaponised Regiment. It carried a Sabre, Broadsword and also a Rifle. It was capable of fighting both mounted and dismounted. The horses were huge, rising to 17 Hands and carried additional provisions and ammunition, giving the "Horse" Regiment a capability to undertake long marches and engage the enemy at a standoff or hold blocking positions to give the main force to organise itself. The only time The Scinde Horse carried Lances, was in a ceremonial role when it was chosen to escort His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, on his visit to Delhi for the Royal Durbar in 1921. The Pennants on the Lances were Primrose and Blue. His Royal Highness, consented to become the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment and thence forth, the Regiment was Known as "The Prince of Wales' Own (PWO) Cavalry, The Scinde Horse". ;The Regimental Colours and Motto. The Regimental Battle Flashes and colours of the flag are also significant in their meaning. The Light Green, Scarlet Red and Emerald Green signify
From Green Fields, Through Blood, To the Meadows (Glory or Death) Beyond. The motto of the Regiment is therefore also significant and is:
Man Dies but the Regiment Lives, In Hindi, it goes:
Insaan Toh Mar Jaata Hai, Magar Regiment Hamesha Zinda Rehti Hai, thus putting the interest of the Regiment above all.
The Regimental War Cry: The Scinde Horse Spirit is epitomised in its unique War Cry which spurs the Scinde Horse soldiers to decimate the enemy –
Jai Mata Ki! Jai Chhatrapati Ki! Har Har Mahadev! Bole So Nihal – Sat Sri Akal! Hat Ja ___ Here I Come!!! The Regimental religious chant (Jayakar) is
Bole So Nihal – Sat Sri Akal! Bole So Abhay – Bol Sri Krishan Baldev Ki Jai! Jayakar Bajrang Bali – Har Har Mahadev! Wahe Guruji Ka Khalsa – Wahe GuruJi Ki Fateh! ;
Battle of Meeanee On the 17th of February 1843, as part of
Sir Charles Napier's advance guard of his expeditionary force to conquer the province of Scinde, the Scinde Horse came across the forward elements of the combined forces of the Waziri tribals of Sind, led by Mir Nuseer Khan, entrenched in the Fulaillee Nala, near
Meeanee, 23 miles ahead of Hyderabad, the capital town of Sind. Along with the Scinde Horse, there were amongst others,
5 Raj Rif (Napiers Rifles), the
Cheshire Regiment and the
Poona Horse, bringing up the rear, with the
Madras Engineers providing engineering support. Not to be deterred, the regiment reconnoitred the area and made an outflanking move through dense forest and broken country, most unsuitable for horses. In an unparalleled outflanking manoeuvre in which over 70 horses died of fatigue, the Scinde Horse surprised the enemy by appearing at their rear and routed them in a cavalry charge, capturing the principal standard of Mir Nuseer Khan in the process. Seeing their Standard captured, the enemy capitulated and Sind was conquered. Sir Charles Napier cryptically signalled back "Pecavi" (I have Sinned (Sind)). As a reward for this cavalry charge, unsurpassed in the annals of warfare, the regiment was presented eight cavalry standards (one per troop) and also allowed to retain Mir Nuseer Khan's principal standard, with the ‘Hand of Allah’ atop it, as its main Standard. This hand of Allah has played a major role in looking after the Regiment in times of need, ever since. The Scinde Horse has had the unique privilege of carrying Nine Standards on parade. Unlike the
charge of the 600 who rode to their death in Crimea, showing foolhardy bravado, the 640 (8 Troops) Scinde horsemen showed both unsurpassed courage and tactical acumen in routing the enemy and winning an entire campaign. Unfortunately, there was no Tennyson to write a ballad for this successful charge, instead of the one he wrote for the fatal Charge of the Light Brigade. ;The charge at Khushk-e-Nakhud The Scinde Horse was tasked as the rear guard for the forces returning from the
First Afghan Campaign. On 26 Feb 1878, it was at Khushk-e-Nakhud near the Afghan border that the regiment had taken an administrative halt and was carrying out saddlery inspection, that the early warning elements reported a large body of Afghan tribesmen approaching the camp. The men hastily gathered their weapons and mounted their horses, without saddles to engage the approaching enemy. The regiment, led by Maj Reynolds, charged the enemy before it could form up near the camp and routed them, killing many times their own numbers. Unfortunately, Maj Reynolds was martyred in this charge. Maj Douglas Giles, who was there, reduced an eyewitness account in a famous painting, 10' x 6', completing it in 1883. This painting was popularly displayed in the Louvre in Paris, from 1913 to 1921, till it found its final place in the Officers' Mess. It is unique in that it has every eye-catching detail. The colours used are from natural pigments and regain their brightness when exposed to the sun. In the Officers' Mess Ante Room, this painting is faced by a lone Horseman's Silver Trophy, representing Maj Reynolds. Ever after this Battle, The Scinde horseman never removes his sword from his person. "Taiyar-bar-Taiyar" they call it. That is why, in the Officer's Mess, now-a-days, where normally, the Belt is removed on entry, symbolising removal of the Sword, Scinde horsemen continue to wear their belt at all times. ==35th Scinde Horse==