THE 15 LANCERS REBELLION IN IRAQ

Agha H Amin , 11 Cavalry , 29 Cavalry , 58 Cavalry,15 Lancers,5 Independent Armoured Squadron,14 Lancers

I served in 15 Lancers from May 1988 to April 1989 and wore its badges from May 1988 to January 1992 when I was transferred to the 5 Independent Armoured Squadron which I later commanded. Captain Niaz Alizai and Major Abdul Mateen Khalid were good friends in the 15 Lancers.

Lieutenant Agha H Amin , 28 June 1988 , as Mechanical Transport Officer of 15 Lancers driving an M 88 Armoured Recovery Vehicle to tow a Chinese T 59 Tank at Khudai Tank Firing Ranges ,Muzaffargarh

The 15 Lancers was raised in Multan by a Pathan landlord Ghulam Hassan Khan

Khakwani , a Khugiani Pathan as six Risalahs of Multani Seraiki speaking Pathans to serve against the rebels in Delhi.The regiment served against the rebels in Hissar and Rohtak as part of General Van Cortlandts force and burnt the famous Ranghar Muslim village of Jamalpur.

In March 1858 it was re-organised as Curetons Horse at Lahore and came to be known popularly as Curetons Multani Pathan Risalah.

It was composed of Multani Pathans initially but many Multani Pathans had relatives in Dera Ismail Khan so over the passage of time the

regiment became DI Khan heavy with Alizais in preponderance.The Alizai Nawab of DI Khan was nominated as its honorary colonel The regiment got the battle honour Afghanistan 1878-80 in the Second Afghan War however its service was confined to border cordon role on the Afghan Balochistan frontier.In 1901 reorganisation the regiments class composition was changed to two Pathan Muslim Squadrons and two Punjabi Muslim squadrons. 

The regiment saw service in France at Neuve Chapelle and in Flanders where they arrived in December 1915.From France it was despatched to Persia as

part of Persian Expedition and they patrolled the Eastern Corridor. The regiment was despatched to Mesopotamia and refused in February 1916 to fight against the Turks on grounds that they were Muslims . As always the Pathan Muslims were in the forefront and the two Pathan Muslim Squadrons were disbanded and their men court martialled.The two Punjabi Muslim Squadrons by and large remained loyal and readily agreed to fight the Turks.The two Pathan Squadrons were replaced by two Hindu UP Jat Squadrons from 14th Murrays Jat Lancers.Murrays 14 Jat Lancers was an all Hindu Jat regiment raised by Hindu Jat landlords of Aligarh District

to serve the British in the rebellion of 1857-59.In 1920 14th Jat Lancers and 15th Lancers-Curetons Multanis were merged and renumbered as 20 lancers.In 1937 20 Lancers were reorganised as Lucknow Training Centre of the Indian Army for the 3rd Cavalry Group.The Pakistan Army 15 Lancers raised in 1955 has no connection with the old 15 Lancers however many Alizai officers joined 15 Lancers inspired by memory of the old 15 Lancers.

The Alizai Nawab of Dera Ismail Khan, Honorary Colonel of 15 Lancers .

Ashraf Ali Khan to Signalling Instructor Dafadar Fateh Mahomed Khan (Hindustani Muslim, 6th Cavalry, France)

6th CavalrySialkot24th March 1916We have got the depot of the 15th Lancers here now; and they were in France from the beginning of the war, and went thence to Basra. The whole regiment united there for the purpose of taking an oath not to fight against Muslims. They all took the oath and laid the Qu'ran on their heads, and swore not to tell anyone of their compact.

But a jemadar of that regiment told the CO all about the affair. He at once ordered the 'fall in' to be sounded and everyone had to fall in just as he was, whether dressed or not. When the men had fallen in, the other regiments took possession of their arms. They were then ordered to embark on a ship and all refused.    After that it was decided that the denial of the Indian commissioned officers of all knowledge of the affair should be accepted. They denied it all (in spite of the fact that they too had sworn on the Qu'ran) and they were acquitted. The rest - the non-commissioned officers and troopers, 429 in number - were arrested and punished with various terms of imprisonment.

Rahimdad Khan (Pathan) to Sher Khan (Mirpur, Kashmir?)

19th LancersFrance21st May 1916

I learn from Karamdad's letter that Fateh Khan has been sent to transportation [for mutiny]. A thousand pities! It is a subject for great thankfulness that Alladad Khan escaped as he was in hospital at Bushire [Persia]. 439 cavalrymen [of the 15th Lancers] were transported for refusing to fight against the Turks. This was a great mistake to behave to our king in this way. The enemy no doubt are Turks, but in spite of this our men ought not to have been untrue to their salt. It is a thousand

pities that I, poor creature as I am, can do nothing in the matter. Well, we must have patience and trust that in time they will be released. I hope so, for there is great talk about the matter.

Fateh Ullah (Punjabi Muslim) to Fateh Ahmed (Supply and Transport No. 5 Base Supply Depot, France)LyallpurPunjab30th June 1916

We have learnt from Nasir Khan's letter that his brother Raja Khan has been sentenced by court martial to fourteen years' imprisonment. This has caused us much grief. The details which he gives are that when the 15th Lancers

reached Basra they were ordered to fight against the Turks. They, however, declined to take up arms against their brother Muslims and asked to be sent to some other theatre of war. A court martial was convened and 400 men were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. Since then, it has been reported in the newspapers that the new Viceroy has ordered that these men should be sent to some other theatre of war, since they did not in reality decline to fight for the Sirkar, and should not have been called upon to fight against the Turks against their wish. I do not know why action has not been taken on this order. It is very sad that fate should have dealth thus cruelly with this

regiment in the end, after they had done such good service and gained so much renown elsewhere. Now they are all imprisoned in the fort Rangoon in Burma, and are not allowed to receive or send letters. My idea is that the Government have acted in this way simply to vindicate their authority, and that after the war all these unfortunates will be released.David Omissi's Indian Voices of the Great War.