page_title: 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade
section_title: 1916–1917
hierarchical_section_title: 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade / Service history / 1916–1917
caption_attribution_description: English: North Africa: Egypt, North Egypt, Tel el Kebir The team of Hyderabad Lancers that won the tent pegging event at the Anzac Day sports carnival parade on horseback before the spectators. Their horses are wearing fly veils.
context_page_description: The 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was a brigade-sized formation that served alongside British Empire forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, during World War I. Originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade it was formed from Imperial Service Troops provided by the Indian Princely States of Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Mysore, Patiala and Alwar which each provided a regiment of lancers. A maximum of three regiments served in the brigade at any one time. The states of Kashmir, Idar and Kathiawar provided smaller detachments for the brigade, which was at times reinforced by other British Empire regiments and artillery batteries when on operations.
  In October 1914, the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade was moved by sea to Egypt to become part of the Force in Egypt defending the Suez Canal. In the first three years of the war, the soldiers were involved in several small-scale battles connected to the First Suez Offensive, but spent most of their time patrolling in the Sinai Desert and along the west bank of the canal.
context_section_description: From January 1916, all patrolling east of the Suez Canal was left to the British yeomanry and the Australian Light Horse formations. The Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade concentrated on patrolling the Sweet Water Canal, the railway line between Suez and Port Said, and the Suez Canal Zone to the west of the canal, which was a restricted area for non-military personnel. On 31 March, Major-General W.A. Watson assumed command of the Nile Delta region and was replaced as brigade commander by Brigadier-General M.H. Henderson. In May 1916, the brigade was reduced to two cavalry regiments when the Patiala Lancers left for Mesopotamia. The brigade also carried out weapons and signal training, but the year ended without them being involved in any contact with the Turkish.
  In February 1917, the brigade was ordered to relieve the British 6th Mounted Brigade on the east bank of the Suez canal. The Mysore Lancers moved to Gebel-Geneffe, the Hyderabad Lancers to Ayun Musa, with the brigade headquarters at El Shatt. For the next few weeks the brigade sent patrols out into the Sinai until 14 April, when they were ordered to relocate to Kantarah, where two days later Brigadier-General Cyril Rodney Harbord took over command. To help counter an expected Turkish attack in early May, the brigade was ordered to Khan Yunis in Gaza. The brigade marched the 150 miles (240 km) in nine days, arrived on the 25 April and came under command of the Imperial Mounted Division. The division was the army reserve under orders to counter-attack the Turkish left flank. The expected attack never came, but instead of moving back to the canal, the brigade became lines of communication troops, based at Khan Yunis and Rafah. For the next three months, the brigade was deployed on rear area security and patrolling duties. In May 1917, the cavalry regiments received the Vickers machine-gun to replace their older Maxim Guns and all ranks were put through training courses on the Vickers and a newer version of the Lee–Enfield Rifle, which had also just been issued. In September, the cavalry regiments' pack horses started to be replaced by horse-drawn wagons and each of the regiments was issued with twelve Hotchkiss machine-guns; one per troop.
caption: Hyderabad Lancers at Tel el Kebir 1916
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