The short answer regarding service of the 14th Horse is that it did not see combat service. The long answer follows: The Scinde Horse (14th Prince of Wales’s Own Cavalry) HQ Rawalpindi District 3/9/39 - 10/39 The Scinde Horse was one of two Indian Cavalry regiments chosen to be mechanised in February 1938. It paraded its horses for the last time on April 14th, 1938. It initially was to be equipped with all armoured cars, but on January 1st, 1939, the regiment was equipped with ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadrons in Crossley Armoured Cars with a Chevrolet chassis and ‘C’ Squadron in Vickers Mk II, IV and VI Light Tanks. ‘B’ Squadron was not allotted their tanks until August 1939, when it was sent to Peshawar to carry out field firing with the 1st Light Tank Company, RTR. The two armoured car squadrons trained with the 7th Light Tank Company, RTR. After a fortnight ‘B’ Squadron was sent to Mir Ali in Waziristan to work with the 11th Light Tank Company, RTR. ‘B’ Squadron was then sent to Razmak to be shown the system of road protection. The outbreak of the war found the regiment with RHQ at Rawalpindi under 2nd (Rawalpindi) Infantry Brigade. ‘A’ Squadron was at Manzai with 1 Troop each at Bannu and Wana. ‘B’ Squadron was at Razmak and ‘C’ Squadron was at Bannu with 1 troop at Kohat. The regiment carried out its first road protection on its own on September 8th, and on the 9th, ‘B’ Squadron took over from the 11th Light Tank Company, RTC in Razmak. HQ Waziristan District 10/39 - 10/41 In October 1939, the RHQ moved to Waziristan as a frontier armoured regiment and was located at Dera Ismail Khan. The regiment supported the Razmak Column and the 4th Indian Brigade in October 1939 on the Sham Plains. ‘A’ Squadron relieved ‘C’ Squadron in February 1940, when ‘A’ Squadron returned to Dera Ismail Khan on road duties. In June 1940, ‘A’ Squadron was sent to Manzai and was relieved again in November 1940. ‘C’ Squadron had taken up duties in Kohat district in August 1939. In February and March, the regiment was involved in operations against the Ahmedkhail Wazirs. The regiment helped raise both 45th and the 46th Cavalry in April 1941, giving up some of its Sikhs and Pathans. ‘C’ Squadron took over the tanks from the 13th Lancers in April and May 1941, giving the 13th Lancers their armoured cars. The regiment was now responsible for the entire North-West Frontier. It trained the 8th Light Cavalry and the 44th Cavalry in September 1941 to take over its frontier duties. HQ 4th Indian Armoured Brigade 10/41 - 11/41 The Scinde Horse was mobilized in October 1941 and gave up its armoured equipment, except for one Indian “Tatanagar” Carrier. It joined the 4th Indian Armoured Brigade in the Risalpur area for one month. The regiment was to be equipped with Stuart Light Tanks. HQ 1st Indian Armoured Brigade 11/41 - 1/1/42 - attached It was sent to Karachi in November 1941 as the supernumerary regiment of the 1st Indian Armoured Brigade. While there, it trained on three Stuarts and a regiment of Ford 15 CWTs. HQ 251st Indian Armoured Brigade 1/1/42 - 24/4/42 - attached The 1st Armoured Brigade was renumbered as the 251st on January 1st, 1942. By March 1942 the regiment was still deficient in tanks but up to scale in armoured carriers. Scinde Horse embarked at Karachi on April 24th, 1942 for Iraq. HQ 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade 30/4/42 - 31/8/45 The Scinde Horse arrived at Basra, Iraq on April 30th, 1942. It spent a fortnight at Shaiba Camp near Basra, and then moved to Mosul to join the 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade. It was to be equipped with ‘A’ Squadron in Stuarts and ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons in Grants. ‘A’ Squadron picked up their Stuarts shortly after arrival, so that the Regiment was organized as follows: RHQ (2 Tanks plus carriers), ‘A’ Squadron (Stuarts), ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons (Each 1 troop of tanks, a scout troop of 5 sections of 3 carriers, and a mortar troop of 3 sections of 2 mortars). In June 1942, the Regiment moved to the Bisitun area near Kermanshah, Iran. When Egypt was invaded in July, the Regiment moved to the oilfields at Kirkuk, but returned to the Bisitun area in early August. In early November 1942, the brigade moved to Shaiba Camp near Basra, Iraq and the Regiment was reequipped entirely with Grants. It trained at Shaiba until May 1943, when it moved to East Qaiyara, south of Mosul with the brigade. It moved to Burg-el-Arab, Egypt at the end of October 1943. In December 1943, it reequipped with Shermans there and trained. It moved to Qatana outside of Damascus in Syria in March 1944 and did tactical training in March and April. It moved to Aleppo in May, then to Lebanon on internal security duties in June at Insariya near Beirut. After Christmas 1944, the brigade moved into barracks at Tripoli. The Regiment moved to Jebel Mazar, Damascus in May 1945 for training with the 1st British Armoured Division. It was called out to Mezze from June 1st to 6th, 1945 for internal security duties. It remained in Syria until the end of the war with the brigade and, in January 1946, it embarked at Haifa for India.
dryan67 - might be easier for your typing if you provided Jerry with the details of the book/source TD
Actually, this is my writing. These summaries of Commonwealth units have been prepared over the years. The major source is the regimental history: Brooke, Lt. Col. K.R. The Scinde Horse (14th Prince of Wales’s Own Cavalry) 1922-1947. Haslemere: Deighton’s Embassy Press, 1957.
Here is what I have on the 11th Cavalry: Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry (11th Frontier Force) HQ 4th Indian Cavalry Brigade 3/9/39 - 10/39 At the start of the war, the Regiment was a horsed regiment at Bolarum. It left the 4th Cavalry Brigade in October 1939, when the brigade disbanded. HQ Sialkot Brigade Area 10/39 - 1/7/40 It moved to Sialkot in October 1939 and, in early 1940, it started to mechanize at Sialkot, having been chosen as a Frontier Armoured Regiment. HQ 3rd Indian Motor Brigade 1/7/40 - 8/4/41 The Regiment’s role was changed on July 1st, 1940 to a Motor Regiment, although it had already received a few Vickers Light Tanks. It joined the newly formed 3rd Indian Motor Brigade at Sialkot. Later in July, it had to send its Dogra squadron to the Central India Horse and this deficiency was made up of mechanically untrained recruits. The few Vickers tanks and Chevrolet armoured cars were withdrawn and vehicles for a motor cavalry regiment were received. The Brigade mobilized on December 1st, 1940 and, on January 26th, 1941, it left Bombay under the Brigade as part of Convoy BNF.1. PAVO Cavalry arrived at Suez on February 6th, 1941 and moved to Tahag Camp, where it was equipped with Canadian Ford 15-CWT trucks. The Bbrigade moved to Mersa Matruh to train on March 9th and then to positions at El Mekili on April 3rd. It was attacked by the Afrika Corps on April 5th and fought at El Mekili through April 8th by which time the Brigade was overrun. The remnants of the regiment withdrew on April 8th and, by April 10th, 1941, the Regiment was at El Adem, where it relieved survivors of the 2nd Royal Lancers. HQ 2nd Support Group 11/4/41 - 17/4/41 On April 11th at El Adem, the Composite 11th Cavalry was formed that consisted of the remnants of the Regiment along with the remnants of the 2nd Royal Lancers taken under command to form a total of one complete squadron. The composite regiment came under the command of the 2nd Support Group. The same day, it went to Sollum followed by Mersa Matruh on April 12th, where it was given the duties of wide patrolling. The Support Group was sent back to Egypt on April 17th. HQ 7th Australian Infantry Division 18/4/41 - 20/4/41 The Composite 11th Cavalry came under the command of the 7th Australian Infantry Division on April 18th, when the division assumed command of the Mersa Matruh Fortress. The regiment continued wide patrolling west of Mersa Matruh through April 20th. HQ 6th Infantry Division 20/4/41 - 23/4/41 On April 20th, the 11th was ordered to come under the command of the 6th Infantry Division and move to join it at Baggush. It then began to withdraw east to Baggush. After reaching Baggush it continued on to Sidi Haneish. HQ 5th Indian Infantry Brigade 23/4/41 - 27/4/41 At Sidi Haneish, the 11th Cavalry came under the command of the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade as a local reserve. HQ British Troops in Egypt 27/4/41 - 29/4/41 PAVO Cavalry moved to El Daba on April 27th, where it was formed into a composite regiment of two squadrons, with the third squadron formed from the remnants of ‘B’ Squadron of 2nd Royal Lancers. This consisted of the RHQ and two squadrons of the 11th Cavalry in 15-CWTs and ‘B’ Squadron of the 2nd Royal Lancers in 3-tonners. HQ 7th Armoured Brigade 29/4/41 - end-5/41 A few days later the Composite Regiment came under the command of the ‘B’ Echelon of the 7th Armoured Brigade as a protective detachment. At this point the men of the 2nd Royal Lancers were detached. HQ 4th Indian Infantry Division end-5/41 - 18/6/41 At the end of May 1941, the PAVO Cavalry came under the command of the 4th Indian Infantry Division. It was assigned to the close protection of the 4th Indian Divisional HQ. One squadron fought under 22nd Guards Brigade during the Battleaxe offensive from June 15th to 17th. After the battle the forces were reorganised and the regiment was sent back to camp at Mena. HQ British Troops in Egypt 18/6/41 - 9/9/41 The regiment then returned to Mena Camp in Egypt after Battleaxe. HQ 3rd Indian Motor Brigade 9/9/41 - 7/7/42 With the arrival of the reformed 2nd Royal Lancers from India, the brigade was reassembled at Mena. On September 24th, the 3rd Motor Brigade left Egypt for the Deir-ez-Zor area in Syria. It arrived on October 1st and the Regiment was located at Raqqa. The 11th moved to the T-2 pumping station on January 14th, 1942 and remained there under the Brigade until it left for Khataba Camp, Egypt in early February 1942. On arrival, the regiment reequipped with two motor squadrons in carriers and one anti-tank squadron with sixteen 2-pounder anti-tank guns. It returned to the Western Desert on May 11th, 1942 and arrived at Mersa Matruh the next day. The Brigade was then ordered to Point 171 (Bir Hacheim) and was overrun there on May 27th, 1942. The Brigade was virtually destroyed by June 4th. It then withdrew to Buq Buq, where it was reformed. It was ordered to Halfaya Pass on June 15th to hold the passes in the Sollum area. The 11th held the southern pass until it relieved by the 1st South African Division. It retreated to Mersa Matruh with the brigade and held the south flank at Mersa Matruh on June 17th. The Rregiment then became part of ‘Shercol’ holding the flank at Mersa Matruh in the withdrawal toward Alamein. At the end of June, the brigade withdrew to Delta in Egypt. HQ British Troops in Egypt 7/7/42 - end-8/42 During the first week of July, the brigade was broken up and the Regiment moved to the Suez Canal area. It remained there until the end of August. HQ 3rd Indian Motor Brigade end-8/42 - 5/1/43 At the end of August 1942, the PAVO Cavalry moved to Kermanshah in Persia, where the Brigade was reforming. It remained with the brigade until January 5th, 1943, when the Rregiment left for India. HQ North Western Army 18/1/43 - 8/43 The 11th arrived at Karachi on January 18th, 1943 and moved to Rawalpindi in February 1943. It reequipped as an armoured car regiment with Daimler Armoured and Scout Cars. HQ Allahabad Area 8/43 - 3/44 From Rawalpindi, the Regiment moved to the Allahabad area to continue training for future operations. HQ XXXIII Corps 3/44 - 9/44 It left for Burma in March 1944 to replace the 8th Light Cavalry as the reconnaissance regiment of the XXXIII Indian Corps for the advance to Imphal. It was rushed to Dimpaur in early April and a detachment reached Imphal before the road was cut on April 6th. The Regiment was then attached to the 268th Indian Brigade to protect the Assam railway during the start of the Imphal-Kohima battle. Since the threat to the railway did not occur, the regiment was moved to help clear Kohima. It came under the command of the 2nd British Infantry Division on June 6th for the advance to Kohima. HQ 14th Army 9/44 - 6/45 In the breakout from the Irrawaddy bridgehead in February, ‘B’ Squadron served under the 255th Tank Brigade, while the rest of the regiment formed part of ‘Barcol’ under 20th Indian Division. Later, in operations in the breakout from the Myinmu Bridgehead, the Regiment (less ‘A’ Squadron) served under the 254th Tank Brigade. After the capture of Meiktila and Mandalay, the 11th was attached to the 20th Indian Division on April 9th for the advance to Rangoon, while ‘A’ Squadron served as part of ‘Claudecol’ under the 255th Tank Brigade. HQ 50th Indian Tank Brigade 6/45 - 31/8/45 After operations were completed, the Regiment moved to Rangoon and returned to India at Ahmednagar in June 1945 to prepare for the invasion of Malaya. It reequipped as a tank regiment with Stuart Light Tanks and came under command of 50th Indian Tank Brigade.
Hey sorry to bother again but I wanted to ask that did all the battalions of madras regiment only serve in Burma ?
Yes. All battalions served only in India and Burma. You can find summaries of the various battalions' service here: Madras Regiment.Org
Yeah just found that website an hour ago. I have a question however. The website states that the 2nd battalion landed in malaya in 1946 which seems weird. Do you know if it's true ?
Yes. 2nd Battalion was converted to MMG battalion and as such posted to the 25th Indian Division. As 25th Indian Division was designated for Operation Zipper, it was sent so Malaya after Japan capitulation, and 2nd Battalion went there too.
When I said India and Burma for the service of the 3rd Madras Regiment, I was referring to wartime service not post war (after 31 August 1945).
