AT THE FRONT WITH THE BRITISH ARMY THE INDIAN CAVALRY (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) BRITISH HEADQUARTERS, EUROPE, 14th March.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 101, 30 April 1915, Page 2

AT THE FRONT WITH THE BRITISH ARMY THE INDIAN CAVALRY (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) BRITISH HEADQUARTERS, EUROPE, 14th March.

Having finally condemned the horse 4s a creature of the past and unfit to be tnentioned in the same breath as war, I now rush to admit with what I delight I saw my first considerable body of cavalry in the war area and my conviction that the finest thing in the war will probably be the loosing of the Indian Cavalry Corps at the German Uhlans. There are some strange things in horses here just now. First of all, it must be candidly admitted that very many of the horses which the Army took up when war broke out had lived their lives in stables. The result of their first winter in the open is that they have grown thick shaggy coats of long hair, in which their Army brands stand out, appropriately enough, like^trenehes. This has enabled them to withstand the winter cold very successfully, but per contra it has subjected them to the inevitable pest of vermin. For some months past the men of the cavalry regiments have been doing duty in tho trenches with the infantry, and their horses have been kept as fit as possible in rear waiting for the reopening of the ! cavalry season. The chief difficulty has been to give them the requisite amount of exercise, for which purpose we see long files being taken out every day for their 20 kilometre walk or trot. Our first sight of the Indian Cavalry Corps was a thing not to be forgotten. Their bivouac was in itself picturesque, but a more impressive sight, could hardly be imagined than the dusky brown squadrons themselves as they rode past in interminable lines with their lances in rest, just turning their heads in salute to the officers who were accompanying us. The latter were themselves Indian Army officers, and without eaying anything showed not a little pardonable pride in these martial-looking warriors from the plains of I&dia. Tall, robust, swarthy, bearded, and dignified, there could be no doubt whatever of the martial tradition of the race to which these fine sowars belonged. It was equally evident that they were chosen from a eocial caste far above the ryot. Ad a matter of fact, the Indian cavalry are yeomanry of the best type, organised on the silladar system, which closely resembles the Cossack system of Russia. The mon are small landowners, or yeomen, ajid they provide their own horse when they enlist, or pay an equivalent amount to the mounting "fund, the horse being sold to the troop on their retirement. That the Indian cavalry are horsemen is beyond question. The long lithe limbs grip the animal as to the manner born, and horse and man are one piece. Though the colour of men, horses, and uniform forma almost a monotone of brown, we saw nothing more thrilling in the war area than these interminable files of Bengal Lancers, as they ambled past in twos by the side of the payee, sitting immobile, and merely truminjj their eyes in salute. One could see , where the squadrons ended by the new physiognomy of the men, Rajputs, Sikhs, Afiidis, Dogras, and Jats; for it is the policy of the Indian army t to have class companies and squadrons.' With the Indian cavalry is a British Regiment^ which has spetit- th& last nine 'years"* offts h'fe" in India," the men of which can generally ""sling the bat." The whole corps is horsed with useful, stocky animal* of the Waler and 'lndian coun-try-bred type, both' of which 'have' stood the winter "here excellently. If the apprdaching'spring time frees the German cavalry from their grips with the Russian on the eastern frontier it will be doing a good turn to the Indian Cavalry Corps, for both nationalities are simply burning to be loosed on tho German under decent conditions -for lance and sabre. THE INDIANS ON". TRIAL. Like all other regiments in this war, the Indian battalions have gone through tHe fire. The cavalry have had little to do, but the infantry have had much, and they, have had their ups and downs. During our week at the front they had their supreme triumph at the great battle of Neuve Chapelle, and to-day a new torch of pride burns in the eye of every British Indian soldier. The conduct of the division on that occasion was admirable. They could scarcely be held in until the artillery had completed their work, and when they Were let Out they were upon the Germans in their trenches before they could move. Their charge was irresistible, and the electrical | effect of it ha« inspired the whole of the Indian troops on the long, melancholy line from the trenches of Neuve Cha* i pelle down to the hospital ships at Boulogne. The Ihdian is not a jovial fellow ; he is usually too dignified for that. But there is a look of content in his eye to-day which cahnot be misconstrued. They have done their whack, and their wounds do not a great deal matter. When we got down to Bouj logne the stream of wounded, the aftermath of Nfeuve Chapelle, was already coming in. The hospital arrangements for the Indians are remarkably good, and as we walked through the Avards, accompanied by several of the officers, it was soon apparent by what magic the British vaj is able to Burvivo in India. The medical officers were largely Scotsmen, but they spoko to all the wounded in their own tongue, and then, of course, there were the officers of the eubordinat© native medical service. The officers who were with us also spoke Hindustani, and they moved about quietly from bed to bed, asking a few questions of each of the wounded, how they were feeling, how they received their wounds, and so on, and generally ended by giving them some cigarettes. The Sikh, the Pathan infantry, ths Ghurka who epoke a patois of Nepoli and Hindi— all alike were spoken to. There was no question in the minds of either as to which was the dominant race, yet the tone in which the officers spoke waa kind, frank and unaffected. Neither officers nor men smiled; that *ra* the cohvention -which maintained their relative positions. We realised very keenly, as we walked through the decks of that Indian hospU tal ship, how much of British supremacy over dark races is due to the fact that our officers must learn their language, and how much i>t> tho fact that British officers always say " Come on," and never " Go on." Neuve Chapelle has settled all doubt* about the Indian soldier. It has vindicated a reputation which trembled, only for a moment, at the shock of giant guns and the Strange newness of thia war.