Mess jacket, Major Thomas Kenneth Wilson, 20th Deccan Horse, 1919 (c)

Rifle green serge jacket with white facings.

Major Thomas Kenneth Wilson (1884-1950) was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1904. He joined the Indian Army in 1909. He was promoted to the rank of major in 1919 and retired in 1930.

The 9th Deccan Horse was formed in 1790 as part of the Nizam of Hyderabad's state forces. Two regiments of cavalry were raised and formed part of the Hyderabad Contingent, allied to the East India Company's Madras forces. As part of General Lord Kitchener's reform of the Indian Army, these regiments were renamed the 20th Deccan Horse and the 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse). Both units saw service on the Western Front and in the Middle East during World War One (1914-1918). The two regiments were amalgamated in 1922 and became the Royal Deccan Horse (9th Horse).