mortimer Posted 22 February , 2022 Share Posted 22 February , 2022 I am trying to discover if a Sqdn or Sqdn's were detached and sent to France. Three men were decorated for France, the majority for Egypt/Mesopotamia. Perhaps individuals were sent but I assume not? I am hoping to get an IDSM recommendation but hold out little hope! 3242 Ward Orderly Mahmud Ali Khan, would he have been a 'SB'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 22 February , 2022 Share Posted 22 February , 2022 54 minutes ago, mortimer said: I am trying to discover if a Sqdn or Sqdn's were detached and sent to France. Three men were decorated for France, the majority for Egypt/Mesopotamia. Perhaps individuals were sent but I assume not? I am hoping to get an IDSM recommendation but hold out little hope! 3242 Ward Orderly Mahmud Ali Khan, would he have been a 'SB'? The forum’s best SME on units from the Indian Army is @MaureenE and I know that she will help if she can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortimer Posted 22 February , 2022 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2022 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortimer Posted 22 February , 2022 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2022 Some, if not all of the men seem to be att'd to the 20th Deccan Horse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 22 February , 2022 Share Posted 22 February , 2022 @mortimer He is mentioned in https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.210111/page/n71/mode/2up but without much detail. From List of Honors Awarded to the Indian Army August 1914 to August 1921 Published 1931. Issued 1930. Public Library of India Collection on Archive.org Perhaps there may be some reference in the books, available online The Indian Corps in France by Lt-Colonel J.W.B. Merewether and Sir Frederick Smith, 1918 which appears to be a simple reprint of the first edition December 1917. Archive.org. A revised 1919 second edition is also available as three different files, originally from Digital Library of India: Archive.org mirror version 1(catalogued as The Indian Corps In Rance); Archive.org 2; Archive.org 3 With the Indians in France by Sir James Willcocks 1920 Archive.org Index, page 383 List of 'Promotions and Rewards' page 347-382 The Royal Deccan Horse In The Great War is available in a reprint edition, (The Royal Deccan Horse In The Great War Naval & Military Press) which in turn is available as an online book on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 Perhaps there may be details in the book The Indian Distinguished Service Medal by Rana Chhina. Details: Hardcover: 359 pages Publisher: InvictaIndia (2001) ISBN-10: 8187642009 ISBN-13: 978-8187642008 "The definitive study …which contains a detailed list of all those who were awarded the medal". See Moreman, Tim Indian DSM Great War Forum 12 February 2014 Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortimer Posted 23 February , 2022 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2022 Dear Maureen, Many thanks for all the leads, I'll buy a copy of the Deccan Horse history and try and work from there, keep safe, mort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew B. Posted 23 February , 2022 Share Posted 23 February , 2022 Mortimer, I have a copy of the The Royal Deccan Horse In The Great War and The Indian Distinguished Service Medal by Rana Chhina on my bookshelves - hopefully I will be able to check them tonight, all being well. Kind regards, Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew B. Posted 24 February , 2022 Share Posted 24 February , 2022 (edited) Hi Mortimer, Well I looked at my copy of the The Royal Deccan Horse In The Great War and though he does not get a mention in the body of the history I believe your man is listed in the honours and awards appendix for the 20th Deccan Horse, though slightly incorrectly - as Ward Orderly Ali Mohd Khan. This errors do creep in with Indian names. I looked at my copy of The Indian Distinguished Service Medal by Rana Chhina and it, unsurprisingly confirms the details from List of Honors Awarded to the Indian Army August 1914 to August 1921, however the only additional information is that it gives the Gazette of India army department notification, being 536 of 1918. I do not have access to to the Gazette of India as for when notification 536 appeared so I have no idea if it was early in the year or not. The 20th Deccan Horse served in France until March 1918, after which it moved to Palestine. I do know that the following awards were announced in the same notification: 3461 Sowar (A/L.D.) Autor Singh, 21st PAVO Cavalry 670 Duffadar Ram Sarup 20th Deccan Horse 1108 L.D. Mir Ronuk Ali 20th Deccan Horse My only suggestion is that you down load the unit war diary from the National Archive site (which will be free if you register) and work your way through the period, say, 1917 and 1918 and see what you can find. No promises but you might find that elusive citation or at least gain some insight as to the award. Kind regards, Matthew Edited 24 February , 2022 by Matthew B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortimer Posted 6 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 6 March , 2022 Dear Matthew, Sorry for delay, I'm an infrequent tech user, no mobile etc Brilliant news ref your Royal Deccan Horse search, MUCH appreciated, mad to think they went into the trenches with lances in 1914. I can only assume the Ward Orderly was a stretcher bearer or acting in a similar medical capacity, he must have been a very brave man to be decorated away from his unit to come to the notice of an officer not his own and in competition with MANY other brave Deccanese and 21st PAVO FF men, keep safe, mort ps Thanks for the NA tip, I'd tried ancestry but forgot about diaries at NA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 6 March , 2022 Share Posted 6 March , 2022 To clarify, they didn't go into the trenches with lances. Like all British-trained cavalry, men of the Indian regiments were trained as infantry, too, and equipped with the same rifle and ammunition as infantry units (though not necessarily bayonets until later in 1914). Lances would be left with the horse holders (the men detailed - 1 in 4) to look after the horses while not required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortimer Posted 6 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 6 March , 2022 Dear Steven, I bow to your knowledge, I misquoted John Gaylor p62, 'Sons of John Company', I'm researching multiple lancers and mixed up the 4th as an element of Gardner's Horse, 'fighting hand to hand in the trenches with their lances'. Did he mean hog spears? BEST regards, mort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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