Assam Valley Light Horse Vol Cavalry Corps and Indian Defence Force

[helpjpl]

According to The Peerage, Frederick Rufane Levinge "served in the First World War. He gained the rank of officer in the service of the Assam Valley Light Horse Volunteer Cavalry Corps and Indian Defence Force." Wiki states that it was not mobilised as a unit in WW1 but individuals did serve, mainly with the British Indian Army.

I'd be very grateful for any details of his service - dates, rank etc. - or pointers where to look.

JP

[bushfighter]

JP

Greetings

He may only have served in India on Internal Security duties - that was the role of such units, although volunteers could request overseas operational service.

Harry

[MaureenE]

The FIBIS Fibiwiki page Auxiliary Regiments has some links to Army Lists (British Army) which show Officers in the Indian Army Auxiliary Regiment

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Auxiliary_Regiments

I could not see Levinge in this link

http://archive.org/stream/armylistjul1914grea#page/1484/mode/1up, which was for the period ending 30th June 1914. You may be able to locate him in later Army Lists.

If you can't find him, perhaps another possibility is that he was in the Assam Valley Light Horse at the beginning go the war but was not an officer and subsequently was commissioned and attached to a different regiment.

Cheers

Maureen

[helpjpl]

Many thanks bushfighter and Maureene. I haven't found him on any Army Lists yet but shall keep looking.

Frederick, (1890-1981), was a Tea Planter in Assam and married in Tezpur, aged 38. The Peerage site lists the source for his military service as Burke's Peerage.

JP

[pebbles]

For me my first action would be to contact the British Library, India Office Records from their web site, I have found them very helpful. For my great grandfather they had a little information as it appears his file no longer exists, for both grand fathers I could obtain CD copies of their files. In all 3 cases they enlisted in the British Army, were posted to India and transferred to the Indian Army, 2 served in France and 1 in Mesopotamia. It does vary what they have and not much is available on line so far. I have then used FIBIS research faculties to obtain further information as I am unable to visit to British Library as I live in Cyprus.

[MaureenE]

There are Indian Army Lists online, which should indicate indicate if he became an officer in another regiment. See the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Indian Army List online.

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Indian_Army_List_online

However I assume that the information relating to the officers in the Assam Valley Light Horse would be the same in both the British Army List and the Indian Army List.

I previously searched in the British Library Archives and Manuscript Search http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1458120521220&vid=IAMS_VU2&fromLogin=true without success, so the British Library does not appear to have a Record of Service

Does he have a Medal Index Card?

Cheers

Maureen

[pebbles]

Maureen

Thank you for the link to searcharchive as I had not found that. Using that I have found the files of my 2 grand fathers but nothing for my great grandfather. The e-mail I received from the British Library about my great grandfather had details which assisted me which possibly came from lists such as the unattached list which are not readily available on-line. I remember also that the information on his death was at variance with that from CWGC but I have not really followed that up.

So a direct contact may produce some help as it did in my case.

Fred

[bushfighter]

There is some information on the AVLH, plus photographs, here:

http://www.koi-hai.com/Default.aspx?id=485075

Harry