'3rd Cavalry Skinners Horse', 1909

Watercolour drawing by Godfrey Herbert Brennan (1875-1948), 1909.

Portrait of a mounted officer of 3rd Skinner's Horse wearing the blue uniform adopted in 1891. The officer's mount wears a striking red throat plume.

The Anglo-Indian soldier James Skinner was the son of a Scottish officer in the East India Company's service and a Rajput lady. Formerly an officer in the Maratha Army, Skinner raised two cavalry units for the British, later known as 1st and 2nd Skinner's Horse. Nicknamed 'The Yellow Boys' for their flamboyant saffron-coloured uniforms, they were famous for their horsemanship and skill at arms.

The 3rd Regiment of Bengal Cavalry was created in 1861, as part of the reorganisation of the Indian Army following the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859). The unit was renamed the 3rd Skinner's Horse in 1903. After service in World War One (1914-1918), the 3rd Skinner's Horse was amalgamated with the 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skinner's Horse) to form the 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse in 1922.