Lt Col AGB Turner 13th Lancers Indian Army

[alacrity174]

Hi I am new to army research as I normally collect Royal Navy groups, but I have accquired a DSO medal group to Lt Col Turner who I know was gazettted on 25 Aug 1917 in the London Gazette. How can I find out what it was for or get a copy of the recommend? I have some biographical details but no details of the 13 Lancers (Watsons Horse ) activities in the war apart from Mesopotamia force, is there a book on the regiment. Thank you very much. Being in deepest Devon there is not much about the Indian Army down here. If anyone needs Plymouth photos or research I might be able to help

All the best, great site

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Alacrity (HMS F174?)

You will find brief details of the regiment and its successor on this site:

http://www.regiments.org/milhist/southasia/cav/1903-13.htm

Hope this helps a little

Dave

[rflory]

A nice DSO group but there is no citation for his DSO published in the London Gazette so it is going to be rather difficult to find what he recieved the award for unless their is something in the regiment's war diary. Regards. Dick Flory

[Smith 565]

You could try getting his papers from the India Office.

I have been researching an officer in 19th Lancers (Fane'sHorse), who served from 1902 to 1932. I usually do my own research at Kew, but decided to use a researcher to get the India Office papers as it was a very limited job I wanted doing.

Cost £10.00 for the researcher's time and £42 for the copies! (I'll never grumble about the cost of copying at Kew again. Well, yes I will....)

Very little in my file relating to the Great War, as most of the papers were confidential reports, which seem to have stopped over the relevant period. However, quite a lot of other useful info. It's worth a try.

Contact me 'off forum' is you want details of the researcher I used.

Regards,

Geoff

[Guest TFK]

Hi

Im researching my grandfathers military service, he served in the 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) during World War I. I managed to get a book from the multi-cultural section of the local library entitled "The Indian Cavalry" Gen Maj Gurcharn Singh Sandu ISBN 0 85692 094 0 1981. The book covers the formation of the cavalry, reorganisations, to participation in World War I. Im a novice in the area of military research and found the book very useful and easy to follow.

Regards

[Matthew B.]

TFK

I have a copy of the Deccan Horse history into which the 29th were amalgamated. I could do you a look up if you want.

Cheers

Matthew B.

[Matthew B.]

Alactrity174,

I cannot cast too much light on the doing of the 13th Lancers but I can on the man:

Alfred Granville Burne Turner

Appointed to the Bengal Staff Corps 12/12/1890 from Devonshire regiment (!)

Promoted Major, 13th DCO Lancers 5/2/1905

Retired Lt-Col 13/9/20

Can I ask, what does the group consist of?

Cheers

Matthew B.

[Steven Broomfield]

He was originally with the West Riding Regt (Duke of Wellington's), gazetted 2nd Lt 5.2.87, then to Devons 26.2.87, then to Staff Corps as above. This progression was common: all IA officers had to do at least a year with a British Regiment prior to joining the IA.

He was born 20.5.66, and his DSO comes in a list awarded for service in Mesopotamia.

The 13th (Watson's Horse) were originally a Sikh regiment, raised in 1858; by 1904 they were officially the 13th Duke of Connaught's Lancers (Watson's Horse), composed of Jat Sikhs, Dogras and Punjabi Mussalmans (Muslims). Post war they were amalgamated with the 16th Cavalry to form the 6th (DCO's) Lancers(Watson's Horse).

Their war service was on the Frontier until July 1916, when they joined 7th Cavalry bde in Mespot, taking part in the advance to 'avenge the Kut disaster', and at the storming of the city captured a Turkish standard. They took part in two cavalry charges, at Tikrat and at Mosul.