SOE033
King & Country
This rank came into use with the British Indian Army during the early 19th Century and refers to a ‘horse-soldier’ belonging to the cavalry in this particular case a ‘Lancer’.
During the time when ‘the sun never set’ on the British Empire few of the world’s armies could have equalled the sight and splendor of Queen Victoria’s ‘Indian Army’. And in that army the Cavalry were the most splendid and colourful of all... especially in their dress uniforms.
Possible the most colourful and certainly one of the most famous mounted regiments was ‘Skinner’s Horse’ (The 1st Duke of York’s Own Cavalry).
The regiment was founded by James Skinner, the son of a Scotsman and the daughter of a Rajput landowner who after many adventures formed a new regiment called ‘Capt. Skinner’s Corps of Irregular Horse’ which eventually was abbreviated to simply ‘Skinner’s Horse’.
Today ‘Skinner’s Horse’ is the premier cavalry regiment in the modern Indian Army and follows the proud traditions of the same regiment that served the British before independence.