Waistbelt ornament, Poona Horse, 1865-1882

Brass badge in the form of the unit monogram, 'PH', within a circlet bearing the battle honours, 'Coregaon', 'Candahar' and 'Ghuznee', surmounted by a Queen Victoria's Crown; below are scrolls bearing further honours, 'Hyderabad', 'Affghanistan', 'Meanee', 'Persia', 'Bushire', 'Reshire' and 'Khooshab'.

n 1817 an auxiliary unit was raised for the East India Company's Bombay Presidency army. It was named the Poona Auxiliary Horse in 1818 and renamed the Poona Irregular Horse in 1847. The unit became the Poona Horse in 1862. Renamed the 4th Bombay Cavalry (Poona Horse) in 1885, the unit became the 4th (Prince Albert Victor's Own) Bombay Cavalry (Poona Horse) in 1890. In the 1903 reform of the Indian Army the unit was re-numbered as the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.

The battle honours depicted on this badge refer to the Battle of Koregaon in 1818, during the 3rd Maratha War (1816-1819); Ghuznee (1839) during the 1st Afghan War (1838-1842); Hyderabad and Meeanee (1843) during the campaign in Sind; Bushire (1856), Koosh-ab (1857) and the Siege of Reshire (1856), during the Persian War (1857-1858); Kandahar (1880) during the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880).

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.