Sabretache badge, Calcutta Light Horse, 1887-1901 (metal)

Sabretache badge, Calcutta Volunteer Lancers, 1872-1881. Brass badge with crossed lances and unit monogram, ‘CVL’. A sabretache is a type of satchel strapped to a cavalry or horse artillery officer’s belt. Although originally a container for orders and maps, by the mid-nineteenth century most sabretaches had a purely decorative role. Raised in 1872 the Calcutta Volunteer Lancers was the forerunner of the Calcutta Light Horse, an auxiliary unit forming part of the Indian Army Cavalry Reserve. The Calcutta Light Horse was disbanded in 1947 when India gained Independence. From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.