IRREGULAR CAVALRY
Bengal Irregular Cavalry

At first these units were called Local Horse and were raised by Europeans from volunteers who owned their own horse and equipment and were prepared to provide for themselves in the field. This was called the sillidar system. Sometimes a local leader called a sirdar would bring a whole group of horsemen and act as their officer within the regiment. The firearms and ammunition would be provided by the regiment. By the early 1900s the system was regulated so that a recruit did not need to bring a horse but paid a cash equivalent. He also had a monthly amount deducted from his pay for replacement of worn-out kit, and which acted as an insurance against his horse getting killed.

In the early days, uniform were not very military but the colour of the alkalak or kurta was regulated as was the colour of the turban and kummerbund to make members of each regiment recognisable, especially necessary in the heat of battle. The difference between regular and irregular cavalry was very obvious. There was much stricter discipline in the regular cavalry and the standard of intelligence generally lower. The irregular cavalry appealed to men of free spirit and attracted British officers of like mind. After the Mutiny, the regular regiments disappeared and the irregulars formed the nucleus of the cavalry taken over by the crown from the East India Company. By the end of the 19th century, the cavalry were smart disciplined units but still retained the sillidar system.

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Image:
2ND BENGAL LANCERS--GARDNER'S HORSE, C. 1895
Original watercolor signed by Lovett; mounted native cavalryman in turban and with lance, front view.

Source: Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University