Seated left: Risaldar-Major and Honorary Captain Nur Khan, 10th Queen Victoria’s Own Corps of Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force). Captain Nur Khan wears a drab kurta with scarlet facings and drab lace and braid formed into elaborate patterns on his cuffs. The First World War saw the Guides on the NW Frontier until 1917 when they joined the 11th Cavalry Brigade in Mesopotamia and actions at Sharqat and Khan Baghdadi. After the Armistice they remained in Persia to counter the threat from Revolutionary Russians. They returned to their base at Mardan in 1921. Captain Nur Khan may well have the General Service Medal with a clasp for North-West Persia.
Seated centre: Major Frank Melvin Matthews OBE MVO, 3rd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment. Prior to 1922 this battalion was the 22nd Punjabis, comprising 4 companies of Sikhs, 3 of Punjabi Muslims and one company of Pashtuns. In WW1 the 22nd served in India, Egypt, Aden, Italian East Africa and Burma. Major Matthews wears a scarlet tunic with green facings and gold lace and braid. He was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order 4th Class in the 1926 Birthday Honours.
Seated right: Risaldar-Major and Honorary Lieutenant Faujdar Khan, 1st Duke of York’s Own Skinner’s Horse. Skinner’s Horse was an amalgamation of the two original Bengal regiments raised by Captain James Skinner. The 1st regiment was raised as irregulars in 1803, the 2nd was raised in 1814, but in 1903 was titled 3rd Skinner’s Horse. In WW1 the 1st DYO Lancers remained on the NW Frontier but the 3rd Regiment went to France with the Meerut Cavalry Brigade. In 1916 they were transferred to the NW Frontier for the rest of the war. Both regiments earned the battle honour for service in Afghanistan 1919. From 1922, when they were amalgamated, the dress uniform was a blue kurta with primrose yellow facings which was very unpopular with the 1st DYO Lancers who had proudly worn a deep yellow kurta since the early days of the regiment. From 1928 Skinners Horse (both 1st and 3rd Regiments) wore the restored deep yellow kurtas with black facings. It is difficult to tell from this 1926 photo whether Lieutenant Faujdar Khan is wearing a blue or yellow uniform.
Standing left: Subadar-Major and Honorary Lieutenant Tikka Khan, 3rd Battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment. The 3rd Battalion was, before 1922, the 72nd Punjabis which in WW1 served in India and Egypt. The 72nd was mostly a Sikh regiment, but 2 companies comprised Punjabi Muslims and 2 were Pashtuns. They had white facings but the six battalions of the 2nd Punjabis wore scarlet tunics with emerald green facings, as worn here by Lieutenant Tikka Khan. On 3 September 1926 he was promoted to Honorary Captain.
Standing right: Subadar-Major and Honorary Lieutenant Ahmed Din, Bahadur OBE IOM IDSM, 1st Battalion 4th Bombay Grenadiers. In 1922 the two senior Bombay regiments, both Grenadiers, were amalgamated, along with 4 other Bombay regiments (108th, 109th, 112th and 113th). The 1st Bombay Grenadiers (101st in 1903) comprised mostly Mahrattas but had 2 companies of Rajputana Muslims and 2 of Punjabi Muslims. The 2nd Grenadiers (102nd King Edward’s Own in 1903) comprised mostly Jats but had 2 companies of Rajputana Gujars and 2 of Punjabi Muslims. Both these regiments had worn scarlet uniforms with white facings and Lieutenant Ahmed Din wears a scarlet tunic with white facings, gold lace and a bomb badge on his collar. He and Lieutenant Tikka Khan are both highly decorated infantry officers. The 101st Grenadiers spent WW1 in German East Africa, Egypt, Palestine and Somaliland. Ahmed Din’s OBE decoration has pride of place on his row of medals. He was appointed to the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 13 March 1925. On 3 Sept 1926 he was promoted to Honorary Captain.
