Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland, 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers

Photograph, 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880).

Cleland commanded the 9th Lancers during the 2nd Afghan War, initially as part of General Sir Frederick Maude's division and then with Major-General Frederick Roberts' Kurrum Valley Field Force. Following the deaths of the British resident and his guard at Kabul in September 1879, the regiment joined Roberts' march on the Afghan capital, subsequently taking part in the Battle of Charasia on 6 October 1879 and the siege of Sherpur Cantonment. On 11 December a squadron of Cleland's regiment encountered a huge Afghan force near Kila Kazi. Roberts, deeming it to be of the utmost importance to delay the enemy's advance on Kabul, gave the order for 126 men of the 9th Lancers and 44 of the 14th Bengal Lancers to charge around 10,000 Afghans. Roberts described the attack thus:

'The charge was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland and Captain Neville, the former of whom fell dangerously wounded: but the ground, terraced for irrigation purposes and intersected by nullahs, so impeded our cavalry that the charge, heroic as it was, made little or no impression upon the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. The effort, however, was worthy and that it failed in its object was no fault of our gallant soldiers'.

Losses were heavy and the 9th Lancers suffered 18 officers and men killed, and ten more wounded, as well as 46 horses. Nevertheless, the 9th Lancers remained in Kabul until August 1880, when it joined Roberts' epic 300 mile relief march to Kandahar.