suemsmith Posted 8 October , 2019 Share Posted 8 October , 2019 The 1st KDG returned to India October 1917. They embarked from Marseille on 21 and 26 October, having travelled by train from the Western Front; their next stop was Malta. My question is - what mode of transport was used to transport them from Malta to their ultimate destination in India? Sue Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 8 October , 2019 Share Posted 8 October , 2019 2 hours ago, suemsmith said: what mode of transport was used to transport them from Malta to their ultimate destination in India? Sue Smith Assuming 'ship' is not what you're asking for, but rather which ship, you may well find the War Diary tells you. Usually, troops arriving in India went to Bombay, but other ports on the western side of the sub-Continent were used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 8 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2019 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acknown Posted 8 October , 2019 Share Posted 8 October , 2019 (edited) The WD for Oct 17 is on Ancestry: click here, but I suspect you have already read it. It gives the detail of the ships that took the regiment to Malta, but not beyond. It seems you can get the later WD from the National Archives: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13265490. Acknown Having reread the WD for 31 Oct 17, It seems the regiment remained on the HT Bohemian whilst in Malta. Perhaps this ship took them on to India. It might be worth a look. Edited 8 October , 2019 by Acknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 8 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2019 (edited) Many thanks. Yes - H T Minnetonka and H T Bohemia. Will follow up your suggestions. Edited 8 October , 2019 by suemsmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 8 October , 2019 Share Posted 8 October , 2019 There is a paragraph in the now archived link from 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards Regimental Association https://web.archive.org/web/20181021062402/http://www.qdg.org.uk/pages/WW-One-Part-3-120.php "On 1 October 1917 The King's Dragoon Guards received orders to be prepared to move back to India. During their time in France through 1917, they had moved twenty-two times, with nine spells of duty in the trenches, each of which averaged ten days. On 7 October the regiment entrained at P�ronne with 31 officers and 566 other ranks and 585 horses, arriving at Marseilles on the 10th, and embarking on the M.V. Minnetonka and Bohemian on 15 and 26 October 1917. The King's Dragoon Guards disembarked at Bombay on 20 November 1917 and were stationed at Meerut." Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acknown Posted 9 October , 2019 Share Posted 9 October , 2019 (edited) G****ing about, I came across this film that includes the Minnetonka which may be of interest: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060022562. You really need the regiment's WD from 01 Nov 17, or one of our naval experts to tell you where the two ships' log books might be. Best wishes. Acknown Edited 9 October , 2019 by Acknown Grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 9 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 9 October , 2019 Maureen - So many thanks! I'd got my Grandad to Meerut but hadn't managed to find out that they disembarked Bombay on 20 November 1917. Do you have any idea what they may have been doing in India before they became engaged in the Third Afghan War? Many thanks Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 9 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 9 October , 2019 Acknow Thanks for this further information. What a fantastic film! Brilliant! Concerning a war diary - were they actually at war in India? I have the Third Afghan War WD. Oooo - Ships' logs - had not thought of that! I have a lot more to think about now - thanks! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 10 October , 2019 Share Posted 10 October , 2019 7 hours ago, suemsmith said: Do you have any idea what they may have been doing in India before they became engaged in the Third Afghan War? Most of the time regiments in India were performing garrison duties, which involved being readily able to mobilise in the event of war threats. This would involve the men being engaged in a lot of training exercises of various descriptions, (but not much else from what I can gather). At various times regiments may have be called upon to assist with internal security disturbances, or disturbances by tribes on the North West Frontier, but I doubt this would apply to soldiers based at Meerut, as I believe this was a fairly quiet settled part of the country. I suspect that a cavalry regiment at a large cantonment such as Meerut would be involved in horse training activities for display at formal occasions - displays of horsemanship etc Officers were able to utilise their leisure time in activities such as hunting, but generally this was not available to the rank and file. Pig sticking was considered very suitable hunting for cavalry officers, and I believe Meerut was one of the main centres for this type of hunting. For more information about pig sticking, see the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Life in India, section Imperial Diversions: The Club, the Hills, the Field. https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Life_in_India#Imperial_Diversions:_The_Club.2C_the_Hills.2C_the_Field There are only War Diaries for involvement in actions which were designated as Wars, not when regiments were performing garrison duties Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 10 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 10 October , 2019 I'm so grateful for this fascinating information. So, 1st KDGs, November 1917 to August 1918 - Meerut August 1918 to 11 November 1918 - Rislapur "mobilised" May 1919 - relating to Third Afghan War, for which I have the War Diary. Interestingly, on reading each account of their movements, the dates appear slightly differently. I admit I find the Divisions, Brigade, etc rather confusing! Thanks so much Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acknown Posted 12 October , 2019 Share Posted 12 October , 2019 Sue, You may find this page helpful: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/definitions-of-units/the-basic-hierarchy-of-the-army/ Acknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemsmith Posted 14 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 14 October , 2019 Oh so many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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