Khelat 1839 (battle honour)
Encyclopedia
Khelat 1839 is a battle honour
of the British Army
and the British Indian Army
awarded for a campaign on the North West Frontier during the nineteenth century.
The fortress of Khelat, held by a Baluchi tribal chief, threatened communications with India through the Bolan Pass. The unfriendly Baluchi tribes had harassed and attacked British convoys and killed officers and camp followers alike during the First Anglo-Afghan War
. As retaliation, the Bombay Column stormed the fortress on 13 November 1839 on its way back to India
.
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
awarded for a campaign on the North West Frontier during the nineteenth century.
The fortress of Khelat, held by a Baluchi tribal chief, threatened communications with India through the Bolan Pass. The unfriendly Baluchi tribes had harassed and attacked British convoys and killed officers and camp followers alike during the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
. As retaliation, the Bombay Column stormed the fortress on 13 November 1839 on its way back to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Battle honour
The honour was awarded vide GOGG dated 15 February 1840 and Bombay Government Order No 474 of 1841 and the spelling changed from 'Kelat' vide Gazette of India No 1079 of 1910. A non-repugnant honour, it was awarded to the following units:- 4th Bengal Irregular Cavalry (now 1st Horse1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's HorseThe 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers was a unit of the British Indian Army from 1922 to independence and thereafter a unit of the Indian Army....
) - Bombay Sappers & Miners (now the Bombay Engineer GroupBombay Engineer GroupThe Bombay Engineering Group, or the Bombay Sappers as they are informally known, are a regiment of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. The Bombay Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Bombay Presidency army of the British Raj. This regiment has its centre in Khadki, Pune in...
) - 31st Bengal Infantry - later 1st Battalion, the Rajput RegimentRajput RegimentThe Rajput Regiment is a regiment in the Indian Army that is composed primarily of the Rajput clans from India. The British designated the Rajputs as a martial race and subsequently employed large numbers of these warriors in the British Indian Army....
, now the 4th Battalion, the Brigade of GuardsBrigade of GuardsThe Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
)