The 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was a military regiment of the British Indian Army which remained in service from the year 1857 to 1922. The army unit was a part of the Bengal Army, which was the armed forces of Bengal Presidency and was amongst the 3 main Presidency Armies in British India. The British Presidency Armies belonged to the British East India Company until the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. In the year 1903, the 3 separate presidency armies were united to form the combined British Indian Army. The 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was also known as the 17th Bengal Lancers or simply as the 17th Cavalry.
History of 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
The 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was founded as Muttra Horse by Colonel C J Robarts at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh in the year 1857. The army unit of the British East India Company entirely consisted of Afghan soldiers. The battalion continued as an exclusively Muslim regiment throughout its existence. During the restructuring and reoganisation of the British Indian Army, like all the other regiments, the 17th Cavalry was renamed a number of times. In the year 1861, it was named the 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry.
Later in the year 1865, the 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was included as a part of the Bhutan Field Force. During the Second Afghan War, the military unit functioned on the lines of communication as a division of the Kabul Field Force from 1879 to 1880. The regiment of 17th Cavalry was dissolved in the year 1882 by the British East India Company. However, the army was re-established in the year 1885. Through out World War I, the 17th Cavalry regiment discharged a cavalry unit to Africa and later participated in the Campaign of East African. The battalion also took part in the Third Afghan War in the year 1919.
The 17th Bengal Lancers regiment retained a mounted pipe band from the year 1895 to 1902. The official dress of the 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was blue with white facings. The regimental badge of the unit comprised of a silver star and a semi-lunar crescent over "XVII" containing a title scroll below. In the year 1922, the 17th Cavalry regiment was merged together with the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse) in order to form the armoured regiment of the 15th Lancers.
Designations of 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
The regiment of 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry of the British Indian Army had several designations through out its existence. These are mentioned below-
* Muttra Horse - 1857
* Muttra Police Corps - 1857
* Rohilkhand Auxiliary Police Levy - 1858
* Robarts` Horse - 1859
* 17th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry - 1861
* Disbanded - 1882
* Re-established - 1885
* 17th Regiment of Bengal Lancers - 1900
* 17th Bengal Lancers - 1901
* 17th Cavalry - 1903
