Cavalry

[michaeldr]

Help required please with a couple of cavalry questions

1] quote: "advanced at the trot in column of squadrons in line of troop column"

Apart from the word 'trot' the above has me pretty much in the dark

Can anyone please explain how this would look on the ground?

2] quote: "The regiment therefore...........was ordered by Lieutenant-Colonel H. N. Holden, the senior Special Service Officer, to swing sharply to the left."

The context here is the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade's attack on Haifa, 23rd September 1918. The brigadier was Lieut.-Col. (temp Brig.-Gen.) C. R. Harbord, DSO., IA., and the commander of the regiment in question, the Jodhpore Lancers, was Lieut.-Col. Thakur Dalpat Singh MC. (who died in this action, but precisely when is not clear so this may be a red-herring)

What is a 'senior Special Service Officer' and where does he come in the chain of command?

Thanks in advance

Michael

[Steven Broomfield]

On the second one, is it possible that the british Officer was 'attached'? The Jodhpur Lancers were Indian State Troops - i.e., not part of the (British) Indian Army, but a unit in the possession of the quasi-independent State. Therefore, Lt Col Holden may well have been an officer - on 'Special Service' - attached to oversee the Indian unit (which would, I imagine) have had Indian officers.

On the first, I have no idea, but it sounds as if the regiment was in a cloumn, with each Troop of the squadron in a line across the column, with troops one in front of the other, the width of the column being formed by the number of men/horses in a troop, and the depth of the column (or length of the column) created by the number of squadrons. Not sure if that's right - or even if it makes sense

[Robert Dunlop]

Michael, the attached diagram may help. On the left is the normal Squadron Column, as per the British 'Cavalry Training 1907'. On the right is a Squadron Column in Line of Troop Column:

As Steven suggests, the formation in your account is a column of several squadrons arranged in this way.

Robert

[michaeldr]

Steven & Robert,

Very many thanks to you both for your thoughts on this

The diagram certainly helps

Thanks again

Michael