5th Cavalry
Active	1841-1921
Country	India
Allegiance	East India Company (1841-1858)  British India (1858-1921)
Branch	Bengal Army (1841-1895)  British Indian Army (1895-1921)
Type	Cavalry
Size	Regiment

The 5th Cavalry was a cavalry regiment of the Bengal Army (1841-1895) and the British Indian Army (1895-1921) until it was amalgamated with the 8th Lancers to form the 3rd Cavalry.

History

The regiment was raised at Bareilly as the 7th Irregular Cavalry in 1841 as a result of the First Anglo-Afghan War. In 1861 it was renamed the 5th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry. The pre-Indian Rebellion of 1857 Bengal Light Cavalry regiments had been lost to mutiny or disbandment, leaving the number free.

In 1901 the unit was renamed to 5th Bengal Cavalry. The 1903 British Indian Army#Kitchener reforms unified the various Presidency armies, renumbering the regiments into a more cohesive sequence. The Bengal regiments took the first 19 numbers, and so the 5th Bengal Cavalry was simply renamed the 5th Cavalry.

In 1921, the regiment was amalgamated with the 8th Lancers to form the 3rd Cavalry.

References

• Kempton, C (1996). A Register of Titles of the Units of the H.E.I.C. & Indian Armies 1666-1947. Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. ISBN 978-0-9530174-0-9
• Gaylor, J (1992). Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903- 1991. Stroud: Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946771-98-1