SOLDIERS OF THE SALT RANGE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template SOLDIERS OF THE SALT RANGE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid During the revolt of 1857, the ‘Movable Columns’ that marched to Delhi consisted largely of irregular units comprising of Pathans, Balochis, Punjabi Muslims (PMs), Jats, and Sikhs. It is wrongly believed that these ethnic groups were rewarded by elevating them to a superior category of soldiers that the British termed as ‘martial’. The concept of martial races was not an invention of the British. It was a part of Hinduism long before the arrival of the Muslims or British and already existed in the social fabric of India from the Vedic period which identified the Kashatriayas as a ruling and military class. The thought process of accepting these groups from the area of ‘Greater Punjab’ which stretched from Delhi till Peshawar, and elevating them to a marital status was initiated well before 1857 and took 50 years of debate to be accepted and completed. Since 90 per cent of the Army of Bengal had revolted in 1987, the British were hesitant in creating a fresh army of soldiers from the north who may repeat the same. The model of the martial race was never fully codified. It evolved through reports by committees and correspondence between administrators and generals with new ethnic groups or classes being added and excluding some of the previous. The 1925 Annual Class Return of the army identified 34 ethnic groups / classes that were being recruited on the basis of possessing a strong identity and loyalty centred on their tribes. They were also better suited for operations in the Northwest Frontier and Afghanistan because they were physically stronger. Apart from the Pathans the three main ethnic groups of Muslims from which that the British recruited were the Hindustani Muslims (HMs), Rajput Muslims (RMs) from the clans of Ranghars and Kaimkhanis, and Punjabi Muslims (PMs) which was the largest group. Not all their components were considered worth recruiting. Just as the British only recruited the Sikh Jats and the Mazbhis Sikhs, so also recruitment was not from the entire stock of Pathans or PMs. In his study ‘The Garrison State – the military, government and society in colonial Punjab, 1849-1947’, Tan Tai Yong reasons that, “The choice of Muslims was not merely one of physical suitability. As in the case of the Sikhs, recruiting authorities showed a clear bias in favour of the dominant landowning tribes of the region, and recruitment of Punjabi Muslims was limited to those who belonged to tribes of high social standing or reputation – the ‘blood proud’ and once politically dominant aristocracy of the tract. Consequentially, socially dominant Muslim tribes such as the Gakkhars, Janjuas, and Awans, and a few Rajput tribes, concentrated in the Rawalpindi and Jhelum districts in the northern Salt Range tract in the Punjab, accounted for more than ninety percent of Punjabi Muslim recruits.” In the Second World War, the PMs provided 36.67 percent of the combatants and non-combatants for the British India Army. . Edmund Candler in his book ‘The Sepoy’ says, “….. for generations, he [the Punjabi] had played a conspicuous part in every war the army fought in, and in every frontier campaign. ……in gallantry, coolness, endurance, dependability, he is every bit as good as the best”. However compared to the Sikhs, Gurkhas, and Pathans, the PM remained relatively obscure for a number of reasons but most of all because he was modest. During the First World War, a seasoned major was all praise for his PM soldiers. “Here’s the old PM sweating blood, all through the show, slogging away, sticking it out like a good ‘un, and as modest as you make ’em. Never bukhs; never comes up after a show and tells you what he has done. You don’t know unless you see him.[i] He considered the Punjabi, “……better to-do going to the cavalry, but often to be found in the mountain artillery and the infantry, and in many ways forming the back-bone and the back-ground of the modern army.” The main clans and tribes of PMs in the army were the Awans, Janjuas, Gakkhars, Tiwanas, and the hill tribe of the Sattis. There were also some remnants of the Mughal armies from the clans of the Barlas, Chugtais (the original Jagatai Turks from Central Asia),
A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890). 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890). 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid The 6th Battalion of the Punjab Regiment is one of the oldest units of the Pakistan Army. It was raised in 1858 by Capt Brownlow as the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) and during the Indian Army Reforms of 1904, it was renumbered as the 20th (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry (Brownlow’s Punjabis). In the reorganization of the army in 1922, it became the second battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment (2/14th Punjabis). One of the central figures in any battalion is the Subedar Major and being an old battalion, 6th Punjab had its share of those who could be considered remarkable. Prior to the First World War, Subedar Majors were nearly always old men who had been in the regiment before their present colonels had joined as lieutenants. They were full of wisdom and possessed great influence. However, Subedar Major Mauladad Khan (1822-1890), a Kuki Khel Afridi, who had joined the 24th BNI on its raising was quite unique. He had seen a great deal of service and wore medals for the revolt of 1857, Afghanistan 1881, Egypt 1882, with a clasp for the battle of Tel-el-Kebir; and also the N.W. Frontier medal with many clasps. Mauladad Khan was considered ‘As Brave as a Lion’, and held the prestigious I.O.M (Indian Order of Merit) which had been instituted in 1837 by the East India Company as an award for outstanding gallantry to native members of its forces. He was given the title of Sardar Bahadur and the C.I.E. (Companion of the Indian Empire), which in those early days was a particular honor, but he did not appreciate it. He explained that there was some sense in the Order of Merit, and in the Sirdar Bahadur, since a money allowance was attached to them but the C.I.E. was quite beyond his comprehension, a very barren honor. Major-General L.C. Dunsterville had been associated with him when he was serving as the adjutant of the 20th Punjabis. Dunsterville was commissioned into the British Army in the Sussex Regiment in 1884. The battalion was subsequently posted from the UK to India and its first station was Rawalpindi where Dunsterville enjoyed the social life and the winter. In 1887 he decided to transfer to the Indian Army because he could not afford to serve in a British battalion and was posted to the Mian Mir Cantonment in Lahore. He was a very intelligent and hardworking officer and in three years had learned Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto and Persian and made himself familiar with the major religions of the subcontinent. In 1887, he joined the 20th Punjabis as an adjutant back in Rawalpindi and his autobiography has a tale to tell about Mauladad in a vein of comedy. The duties of a conscientious adjutant were absorbing and difficult at all times, but Dunsterville found his position exceptionally challenging. Like many of the old Frontier regiments, the 20th Punjabis had retained a great deal of irregularity particularly in its uniform. The test for the dress of a battalion was the Guard Mounting, and on his first day of inspecting the guard, he saw that there was great variety in the manner in which the turbans were tied. He had learned that Sikhs, Dogras, and Pathans have each their particular way of arranging their head-dress but then he noticed that some of the fringes were black, some blue, and some green, some composed of long strings, some of little cotton balls. There was more fantasy in the footgear! The first man had plain leather sandals, the next a good blunt-toed Punjabi shoe, the next a pair of ornamental sandals with gold thread and silk tassels, the next a pair of light Punjabi shoes, with thin ornamental points extending some inches beyond the toe. There is a certain charm about minor irregularities in the dress that seems to have a fascination for soldiers but the adjutant was determined to set things right as soon as possible. The chief obstacle to making an improvement in the regularity of dress was the Subedar Major. He was a fine old soldier with a noble war record and not much education but like all
ON THE EVE OF DEPARTURE OF THE GOWHAR-I-TAJ’S OWN INFANTRY BATTALION– 1944
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template ON THE EVE OF DEPARTURE OF THE GOWHAR-I-TAJ’S OWN INFANTRY BATTALION– 1944 November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid During the Second World War the Indian Princely states provided 250,000 men for service in Malaya, Burma, North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The number of troops contributed by the States depended on their population and financial resources. At the beginning of the War Bhopal had a training company which was enlarged to a 679 strong infantry battalion of which 30% were Pathans. Bhopal Sate had close links with the Saddozais through the Begum of Bhopal, Maimoona Sultan Shah Banu who herself was of Saddozai decent. In 1940, Sir Hissamud Din was appointed as the C-in-C and Defence Minister of the State and in 1944, his eldest son Ahmed Jan was commanding the G.T.O.(Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own) Infantry Battalion. It was named after the Heiress Apparent who liked to dress in a uniform. In 1944 the battalion placed under command the 404 Line of Communication Sub Area to protect the lines of communication and served with LOC ALFSEA ( Allied Land Forces South East Asia) in eastern India at Ranchi, Agartala, Chittagong and Badarpur till May 1946. This historic photograph was taken on the occasion on the eve of the departure of the battalion and has some interesting personalities. Shahzada Najam-e-Alam, brother of Akhtar Alam (Serial 2). Shahzada Akhtar Alam. Unidentified Unidentified A 129. Lt Col Sardar Ahmed Jan, M.B.E. eldest son of Sir Hissamud Din (See serial 6). Commissioned Sandhurst, 1927. Served in 7th Light Cavalry and with Central India Horse in Abyssinia and North Africa during Second World War. Promoted Acting Lieutenant Colonel in Jun 1943, and posted as Special Senior Staff Officer to the Bhopal Infantry. Commanded G.T.O. Infantry Battalion in Burma and awarded M.B.E. After Independence commanded 1/14th Punjab (Sher Dils) during Operation CURZON. Promoted Brigadier 1948 and commanded 114 Brigade, Lahore, and 52 Brigade. Appointed Commandant Frontier Corps in Mar 1950. Retired 1954. Honorary Brig Sir Sardar Hissam ud Din (fondly known as Sir HD) son of Col. Nawab Sir Mohammad Aslam Khan, first Indian commandant of Khyber Rifles (1881-1897). Inducted into 3rd Regiment of the Cavalry, Frontier Force circa 1895 as a risaldar major.[1] [2] Participated in operations on the Frontier, in Mesopotamia during the First World War and in the Third Afghan War. Awarded O.B.E, I.D.S.M. and twice mentioned in dispatches. Awarded a commission in 23rd Cavalry and served in P.A.V.O.. Appointed Defence Minister of Bhopal State during the Second World War. After Independence was first Colonel Commandant of Frontier Corps. Other honorary appointments included ADC to C-in-C India, Quaid-e-Azam, subsequent Governor Generals and President of Pakistan. Princess Suraya Jah, Nawab Gowhar-i-Taj, Abida Sultan Begum Sahibawas the eldest daughter of Hamidullah Khan (See serial 12), the last nawab of the Bhopal state and heiress apparent to the Bhopal throne but migrated to Pakistan. Mother of Shehreyar Khan, ex Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. Unidentified Unidentified Gen Claude Auchinleck, C-in-C India. Col Syed Ibrahim Pasha, brother-in-law of Sir HD and paternal grandfather of Sardar Omar Durrani. Sir Nawab Hamidullah Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Bhopal. Sardar Yunus, Commandant Bhopal State Police. Nephew of Sir HD. Brother of Sardar Haroon (Serial 15). Unidentified Sardar Haroon, Nephew of Sir HD and brother of Sardar Yunus (Serial 13). Unidentified Unidentified Sardar Afzal son of Sardar Ishaq and Begum Mahapara Sultana (Serial 21). Unidentified Unidentified Begum Mahapara Sultana (Parri Khala), wife of Sardar Ishaq who was born in Bhopal and brought up under the tutelage of Maimoona Sultan, the Begum of Bhopal. Jessie, wife of Gen Auchinleck. They separated in 1944 on Auks return from North Afrirca and were divorced in 1945. Maimoona Sultan Shah Banu Begum Sahiba. Married to Nawab Hamidullah Khan (See serial 12) at the age of 5 years when the Nawab was 10 years old. She gave birth to Princess Abida Sultan Begum Sahibaat the age of 12 years. Great-great-granddaughter of King Shah Shuja Durrani, a Saddozai who twice ruled Afghanistan. Related by decent to Sir HD. Gayatri Devi (Ayesha), Maharani of Jaipur and wife of Gen. Maharaja Sir Sawai Man Singh II GCSI GCIE who was the last ruling Maharaja of Jaipur State and a famous Polo player. Begum Farhat Nur Khan (Shahgul). She was the daughter of the Begum Bhopal’s brother and married Air Marshal Nur
UNDER PELICAN WINGS – THE BAHAWALPUR STATE FORCES
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template UNDER PELICAN WINGS – THE BAHAWALPUR STATE FORCES November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid During my tenure in Bahawalpur in the mid-1990s, I frequently visited the desert forts in Cholistan of which Derawar is the largest. Within its ruins was a line of rooms that contained the decaying remains of saddlery – reins and bits, saddles, stirrups, etc. that were probably last used by the Bahawalpur Mounted Rifles and Camel Transport Corps. This corps was part of the forces that were earmarked by the ruler to serve with the British India Army under an Imperial Service Troop scheme. The scheme formalized the military assistance provided by the Sates which could afford to maintain troops and send them into battle alongside the British India Army. The small principality of Bahawalpur first assisted the British East India Company at the start of the Anglo-Afghan War that lasted from 1839 till 1842. When Ranjit Singh refused to let the main British forces pass through his territory, Nawab Bhawal Khan III prepared a military road down to Sukkur and provided provisions, boats and camels. The British rewarded him by restoring the territory he had lost to the Mirs of Sind in 1827. The Nawab had a small force of cavalry and infantry as his escort and for guarding the palace, treasury, towns, etc. However, he could call on a militia of over 10,000 from the Raises and Tumandars who held Jagirs granted by the state. The larger part of this militia marched in support of the British during the Multan uprising of 1848. When Lieutenant Herbert Edwardes, the British Political Agent in Bannu, crossed the Chenab with a small force of levies from Derajat and doubtful Sikh Durbar troops of two battalions, he was reinforced by 200 cavalry, 5,000 infantry, 9 guns and 100 ammunition wagons of the Daudputras nominally under Futteh Mohammed Khan, but actually under Lt. Edward Lake of the Bengal Engineers. Lake was a seasoned administrator and campaigner who had fought against the Sikh in the Battle of Moodkee and was severely wounded in the hand. In the first battle, 8,000 Sikhs repulsed an assault by the Daudputras, at Kineyri but with the arrival of the guns, a second attempt succeeded in capturing the Sikh entrenchments. In a second battle a week later at Suddusain, a force of 12,000 Sikhs was defeated. For the next seven months and right through the siege till the fall of Multan, the troops from Bahawalpur played a critical role particularly in holding the territories between the Rivers Chenab and Sutlej and denying reinforcements to the city. At its height, the total strength of the Bahawalpur forces supporting the British was over 7,000 infantry, 2,500 cavalry, 14 guns of horse artillery and 18 swivel guns on camels. Since its establishment as a State till it ceded to Pakistan, this was the largest body of troops that Bahawalpur ever fielded. For his services, the Nawab was bestowed a life pension of Rs. 100,000 a year, in addition to Rs. 800,000 for the services of his troops. Officers of the State’s Forces were also presented rewards but neither were any medals awarded nor any Battle Honors. During the rebellion of 1857, the State played a small part by placing a force of 3000 men in Sirsa District and a detachment of 1000 was requisitioned by the Punjab Administration. After the death of Nawab Bahawl Khan IV in 1866, the law and order of the State was stabilized by the British. With no external threat to speak of, by 1873 the Bahawalpur State Army fielded a little over 1,900 regular and 1950 irregular troops and 31 field guns. Of this entire force only the escort of 500 cavalry and infantry was disciplined and trained. Prior to the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878-80, the irregular cavalry was disbanded and there was a major reduction in the irregular infantry with the leftovers converted into military police. However the artillery was improved by replacing the old locally made guns with 6-pounder brass muzzle loaders drawn from the arsenal at Ferozepur. During the subsequent British campaign in Afghanistan, the entire cavalry of 100 sowars and 350 infantry were stationed at Dera Ghazi Khan to man the frontier posts vacated by regular regiments. In 1885, the British decided to formalize the
THE IRREGULAR CAVALRY THROUGH THE LENS OF A PAINTING
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template THE IRREGULAR CAVALRY THROUGH THE LENS OF A PAINTING November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid In an auction in 1980, the British National Army Museum paid a high price for a collection of paintings commissioned by Col James Skinner. Two of them are magnificent panoramas. One shows the entire Skinner’s Horse returning from a review, the other the colonel presiding over a regimental durbar at Hasni in 1827. On its lower left is inscribed, ‘The work of Ghulam Ali Khan painter resident of the Caliphate of Shahjahanabad completed in the Christian year 1827’. He was one of the last miniature painters of the Mughal Court. The Irregular cavalry regiments were an interesting feature of the British India Army, and a column on the Silladar scheme, the structure on which the irregular cavalry was based, appeared in an 1898 edition of The New York Times. Central to the structure was the Sowar [rider] providing his own horse, accoutrements, forage, clothing, etc. This system was not new to India or England, which had its own Yeomen; however, in India the British perfected it to the point that it served them for over a century, through numerous frontier campaigns and colonial wars. Cavalry had been the dominant arm in the subcontinent for centuries. The Mughals fought mostly on horseback, with only musketeers and bowmen as foot soldiers. Haider Ali fielded an army of 60,000 of which 40,000 were cavalry and Sivaji had 80,000 cavalry supported by 50,000 foot soldiers. The East India Company, on the other hand, took its time creating its mounted weapon, borrowing cavalry from the Nawabs of Arcot and Oudh in the 1700s. These regiments were ineffective and some mutinied. While a few irregular units were raised, the Madras and Bengal Presidencies primarily depended on the regular light cavalry regiments, which numbered fourteen by 1800. The year 1801 marked a turning point in the East India Company’s cavalry. General Lake was appointed C-in-C of the Bengal Army and he welded the cavalry into an effective arm. Following the Marathas’ crushing defeat at Aligarh in 1803, the Companies army absorbed a large body of their Rohilla cavalry by raising three irregular corps, two of which survive in the Indian Army as the 1st Skinner’s Horse and 2nd Lancers (Gardener’s Horse). Lt Col Carmichael Smith, who commanded an irregular regiment prior to 1857, credits Col James Skinner as the father of the Bengal Presidency’s Irregular Cavalry. While fielding a corps of three regiments, each with 30 Native officers, 90 Daffadars and a 1000 sowars, Skinner probably developed the pattern on which the irregular cavalry would be organized and governed. The Silladar system did not extend to the other arms and the only Silladar infantry battalions known as Jacob’s Rifles were raised by Major John Jacob. Since the Silladar system was institutionalized by the Mughals, its terminology and words of command were in Persian and they were adopted with modifications. The Persian Aslahbardar (i.e. a soldier bearing arms) became a Silladar and Bag-girs (i.e. or holders of reigns) was corrupted into Bargirs. There were two classes: Silladar or gentlemen, who provided a horse at their own expense, and the Bargirs who were supplied with a horse by the state. The men in short blue jackets and red turbans at the top left in the painting are the Gonzalez (probably a corruption of the Persian Gola Andaz) who worked the galloper guns or the swivel zambooraks shot from a camel. Nearly all the ranks and appointments were also in Persian e.g. Risaldar (Native Officer), Nisanchis (Standard Bearers), Nagarchis (Kettle Drummers), Vakils (Clerks), etc. There was an intermediary rank of Ressidar between Risaldar and Naib Risaldar but it was discarded. The rank of Risaldar Major (the equivalent of the Subedar Major in the infantry) was authorized nearly 80 years after the first irregular regiments were formed. In the Durbar painting, Colonel James Skinner sits at the apex of two rows of Native officers. The regiment wore distinctive yellow kurtas (long coats) that prompted the nickname ‘the yellow boys’. Skinner was from a Scottish father and a Rajput mother, and it’s possible that he chose this colour because it represents purity to Hindus. As against 24 British officers in the regular cavalry regiments, the Silladar regiments usually had only four – the commandant,
THE INDIAN MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY
The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (Part 1 & Part 2) Under The Raj Revisiting the Great Arc of the Meridian Neither Freedom nor Salt The Lahore Cantonment of Mian Mir Vale Hunting in India and the Peshawar Vale Hunt Feeding the Armies of the Raj Eating Curries in London Signposts, Tablets & Way Markers of the Raj British Indian Army & State Forces Under Pelican Wings— Bahawalpur State Forces On the Departure of Gowhar-i-Taj’s Own Infantry Battalion to Burma. The Irregular Cavalry through the Lens of a Painting The Indian Mountain Artillery Soldiers of the Salt Range Subedar Major Mauladad The Anglo-Sikh Wars Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 1 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 2 Ranjit Singh Ka Topkhana Part 3 The Anglo-Sikh Wars & The Battle of Chillianwala Finding Zamzama’s Twin The Death of Capt John Anderson, Bengal Artillery Roads, Railways & Bridges Bridging the Mighty Indus Crossing Rivers in Punjab On the Tracks of the Frontier Mail Pre Independence Personalities Who was Sahabzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan A Gnarled Oak with a Broken Heart Heritage Of Sahabzada Yaqub Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim – The Islamic Cultural Renaissance Philosopher 24 Marris Road, Aligarh – Dr Abdullah Butt Maj Gen Syed Shahid Hamid An Indian Lieutenant at the 1936 Berlin Olympics The Power of a Mother’s Prayers A Muslim Instructor at Staff College Entering the Hallowed Ranks of the Indian Political Service. Edit Template THE INDIAN MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY November 1, 2025 Syed Ali Hamid Sometime back, I chanced upon a painting in the archives of the National Army Museum in UK with the title – 7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery going into Action at Kaniguram, Waziristan, 1920. Kaniguram is located on the road connecting Wana to Razmak and the timeframe is the Waziristan Campaign of 1920-21. I have always had a fascination for mules – those uncomplaining, hardworking beasts of burden that for centuries have carried or pulled the ordinance of war. Light in caliber, the guns of mountain batteries were designed to be disassembled and transported by mule for into the rugged terrain of the North West Frontier that would otherwise be impossible to traverse with larger and more conventional artillery. I was so enamored by the painting that I decided to sketch it in pencil – my first serious attempt at this form of art. Within the British India Army few could rival the status and fighting reputation of the Mountain Batteries. Throughout their existence, hardly an expedition on the North-West Frontier went by without at least one or more batteries being attached for much needed artillery support. Following the revolt of 1857, almost all artillery units manned by ‘natives’ were either disbanded or absorbed into the Royal Artillery. However, the five mountain trains (as the batteries were then called) were retained. Their fighting reputation, status and number grew and by 1920 there were 19 Indian Mountain Batteries. They were officered by the very best from the Royal Artillery and only the highest quality of Indian recruits was accepted. When the Punjab Irregular Force was renamed as the Punjab Frontier Force in 1865, the mountain trains were gradually re-designated as batteries. In 1876, the Peshawar and Hazara Mountain Batteries were numbered 3 and 4 and three years later the names of ‘Kohat’ and ‘Derajat’ were added to the No 1 and 2 Mountain Batteries. Two others mountain trains were numbered and reequipped to form the No 1 and No 2 Bombay Mountain Batteries. In 1890 they were renamed as the No 5 (Bombay) and No 6 (Jacob) Mountain Batteries. Meanwhile in 1886 two more mountain batteries were raised: No 1 (Bengal) at Rawalpindi and the No 2 (Bengal) at Mian Mir Cantonment in Lahore. The mountain batteries were employed far and wide. The 4th (Hazara) Battery operated in Burma and in 1887 it was relieved by the No 1 (Bengal) Mountain Battery. The battery supported units in the Chin Hills and elsewhere and in 1889 it returned to India with the privilege of adding BURMA 1885-87 to its colors. Around this time the battery was renumbered as the 7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery while the No 2 became the 8th (Lahore) Mountain Battery. Thus all eight mountain batteries were now sequentially numbered and rearmed with the 2.5-inch Rifle Muzzle Loading (RML) Gun. This was one of the early first generation rifled guns with a longer range and bigger charge but because the barrel was too heavy to be carried by one mule, it was in two parts that had to be screwed together. It was initially known as the 7 pounder because its shell weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and it had a range of 4000 yards. The firing produced a lot of smoke and the shell often did not burst but for the next 20 years it supported all the operations on the Frontier. The gun was made famous through a barrack room ballad that Kipling wrote in 1890 called ‘Screw Gun’ which was sung to the tune of the Eton Boating Song. Its refrain was: For you all love the screw-guns — the screw-guns they all love you! So when we call round with a few guns, o’ course you will know what to do. Jest send in your Chief an’ surrender — it’s worse if you fights or you runs: You can go where you please, you can skid up the trees, but you don’t get away from the guns. The ‘Mules Mountain Artillery’ (MA) were well-built and much taller in comparison to ‘Mules General Service’ (GS) which were used for pack and draught. The screw-gun had to be broken down into 5 mule loads which were, in the order in which the mules were trained to march: