Appendix VI. — Regimental Associations
Thirteenth Hussars Association.
92 VICTORIA STREET, WESTMINSTER, S.W. 1.
Telephone: 3708 Victoria.
Cheques and Postal Orders to be made payable to the Secretary, Thirteenth Hussars Association, and crossed Cox & Co.
Secretary—
Miss FLORENCE CROSS.
President—
Lieut.-General Sir ROBERT BADEN-POWELL, Bart., K.C.B., C.V.O.
The objects of the Association are:—
To relieve distress amongst ex-men of the Regiment or their dependants.
To assist and advise them as to establishing themselves in civil life on discharge from the Army.
To advise them with regard to the care and education of their children.
To help them or their families to obtain hospital or convalescent treatment when required.
To provide a centre in London to which they may apply when in need of help or advice.
The Association is controlled by a Committee composed of past and present officers and non-commissioned officers of the Regiment, and all applications made to it are treated as confidential.
Application may be made either personally or by letter to the Secretary at the above address.
Donations and Subscriptions to the Funds of the Association will be gratefully received, and should be sent to the Secretary.
Thirteenth Hussars Old Comrades Association
This Association—originally called the “Old Comrades Dinner Club”—was formed in accordance with a suggestion made at a meeting held at the Office of the 13th Hussars Association, on Saturday, 1st March 1913, under the Presidency of Lieut.-Colonel E. A. Wiggin, when a large number of past and present officers of the Regiment were present, also a good number of late N.C.O.’s and men. A committee was formed, and it was decided to start a Club of Old Comrades of the Regiment under the title of “The Old Comrades Dinner Club,” for the purpose of holding an Annual Dinner.
The Annual Dinner is held on the fourth Saturday in October.
All retired officers, non-commissioned officers, and men whose addresses are known have been invited to enrol themselves as members.
Men of the Regiment of good character on taking their discharge are eligible for election, and are requested to send their names and addresses to the Hon. Secretary.
The Annual Subscription is 2s. 6d.
Invitations to the dinner are sent to members and (amongst others) to all Chelsea Pensioners of the Regiment who come as guests of the Association.
The Association has been the means of assisting many past members of the Regiment to obtain employment, and is very largely resorted to by men in need of help and advice.
Donations and subscriptions to the funds of the Association should be sent to the Hon. Secretary, from whom all particulars as to membership and otherwise can be obtained.
Hon. Secretary—
Mr FRED. E. M. THOMPSON,
14 Blandford Street, Manchester Square, London, W. 1.
Footnotes
1 It may be noted that Hannibal’s invasion of Italy led, two thousand years later, to the recognition of the influence of sea power on history. Admiral Mahan himself described to the writer how it one day occurred to him that Hannibal’s long march from Spain to Italy had been necessitated by the Roman strength at sea, and that this was the underlying cause of his eventual ruin. Following up the train of thought, Mahan gradually worked out his great conception. Hannibal’s march was the germ from which it sprang.
2 Captain Gubbins, Lieutenants Geale and Pymm.
3 Oriental names in this book are not always spelt consistently on one scientific system. For example, it has not been thought proper to alter the original spelling in letters quoted, or to correct well-known names such as Lucknow or Bangalore.
4 Captain Norman Neill, afterwards killed on the Western Front.
5 In 1885 England was for a time on the point of war with Russia. The outburst of feeling in India was the same then as in 1914, and should not have been forgotten.
6 This Regiment, it may be noted, was named after Colonel Skinner, the founder of the Bengal Cavalry system. He was the son of a Scotch officer and a Rajputni girl, so he had fighting blood on both sides.
7 See Appendix IV.
8 See Appendix II.
9 The inefficiency of German Cavalry in all but mass manœuvring was only what Henderson’s criticisms on their work in 1870 had already pointed out. See the ‘Science of War.’
10 Lieutenant J. V. Dawson.
11 “We” being the Indian Cavalry Corps.
12 Privates J. Tracey and D. Pitman.
13 As to the value of its work in Europe opinions differed. Some seemed to think little of it. Some declared that during the time when English reinforcements were not yet ready to go into line, the Indian contingent had saved the British Army from being overwhelmed. Both these views were perhaps extreme. The Indian soldier fought under serious disadvantage in the climate and surroundings of Europe, but undoubtedly he fought with great devotion and suffered heavy losses, for which England owes him deep gratitude. The matter may well be allowed to rest there.
14 Beluchistan may for practical purposes be regarded as a part of India.
15 In 1854, when the Regiment went to the Russian War, it is recorded that on one of the transports “the beef had made several voyages to and from India, and then been returned into store. Some barrels of peas even bore the date 1828 plainly painted thereon. It was impossible to boil them—also the pork (salt) was as aged as the salt beef, and as bad.” The Islanda was better than this.
16 Australians.
17 Bombay.
18 European privates’ tents, with double roof and sides—as some protection against heat.
19 General Cobbe did in fact command an Army Corps later on, but the command-in-chief went to General Maude.
20 Caprice, his favourite mare, had been left at Bombay among the sick horses.
21 Arab Village.
22 Arab Village.
23 Expeditionary Force Canteen.
24 December.
25 “Pusht i Kuh,” or Back of the Mountains, is the district so called by the Persians, their western district.
26 Captain Eve, the senior Captain, was then second in command of the Regiment, owing to the absence of Major Twist, disabled, and on the particular day, as Colonel Richardson was on other duty, Eve had taken the Regiment into action. Captain Steele was next in seniority.
27 The man was Private T. O’Connor. In a letter from Mesopotamia to Mr Justice Eve he writes: “I was the last ammunition-carrier to get wounded that day, and your son and Captain Steele came out under heavy machine-gun fire and carried me in as we evacuated that position that night, thus saving me from being taken prisoner. There is no need to tell you he was loved in the squadron, as we have missed him as one of the finest soldiers and leaders of men any soldier could wish to follow.”
28 The horse casualties from fire had been numerous, and many horses had been lost from fatigue and exposure.
29 It may be well to note here that in the course of this campaign, where the Tigris was the main line of communication, the distances were usually calculated by river. The distances by road, when a road existed, were much shorter, roughly perhaps half the river distances.
30 As a fact the Infantry got across on the 23rd.
31 This was Lieutenant Payne of “D” Squadron.
32 Of the 24th February.
33 Commonly written “nullas”—ravines.
34 The Regimental Diary says 9 o’clock, the Colonel of the Thirteenth says a little before 10.
35 Captain Eve’s mare Caprice was lost for a year or more after the charge, but was then seen by his batman, Private Hogg, among the horses of an Indian Cavalry Regiment. She was recovered and brought to England.
36 Lieutenant Fitzgibbon crawled out into the open several times to look after the wounded. It was on one of these occasions that he found Captain Eve’s body, and removed his watch, rings, and spurs.
37 The name was Pinnington.
38 Captain Eve.
39 Lieutenant Dawson.
40 Captain Steele of “C” Squadron.
41 Private A. Wallhead, killed after putting Lieutenant Dawson in safety. Sergeant H. Knapman, too, was killed while helping the wounded.
42 Private Alfred Jones.
43 His charger.
44 This was doubtless Watkins.
45 Major Twist was apparently wounded earlier, when the three squadrons wheeled to the right.
46 Baghdad lies on both sides of the river.
47 Garden or grove.
48 6th March.
49 The bodies of these men and officers were afterwards removed to Baghdad, and buried in the British Cemetery, under the superintendence of the Rev. F. H. Cooke, M.C.
50 Afternoon of the 9th?
51? 24th February, when the pursuit began.
52 This from the officer of a conquering army.
53 March.
54 The Regimental Diary of 14th May says: “Moved into standing camp at Chaldari.”... “The tents were on the edge of a palm grove, but the horses were picketed down in the open.”
55 The old camp on the Hai stream. The kit was not received till the middle of May.
56 Khalis Canal?
57 The expedition against the Arabs in May 1917.
58 The Jebel Hamrin is described by the Colonel of the Thirteenth as not unlike the Cheviot Hills.
59 Private J. Tunnicliffe.
60 “Includes myself and Captain Godfree (2nd in command).”
61 It may possibly be argued that both Lord Haig and Lord Allenby were Cavalry officers, and therefore perhaps inclined to think highly of the achievements of their own arm. They certainly were Cavalry officers, as was Lord French, a fact well worthy of note, but, like him, they were something more—great leaders of armies.
62 Did not join Regiment for duty.
63 Did not join Regiment for duty. Killed with R.F.C., May 22, 1917.
64 Did not do duty with Regiment during war.
65 Did not serve with Regiment during war. Killed on active service with 11th Hussars, 1914.
66 Did not join Regiment for duty.
67 Did not serve with Regiment during war. Killed on active service, 1914.
68 Did not serve with Regiment during war. Killed with R.A.F., Nov. 13, 1918.