Haifa Day

The 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Haifa was observed and commemorated on July 19, 2018 at House of Lords, Westminster, London. The present Maharaja of Mysore, His Highness Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar attended the function which was graced by a host of British Royalty where the name of Mysore Lancers was repeatedly mentioned by speaker after speaker. This program was accorded importance by His Excellency the President of India in a Message and also the Prime Minister of UK, Theresa May.

Every year on September 23, the Bravery & Valour of the Mysore Lancers in World War I (WWI) is celebrated. The day is celebrated at 8 am at the Mysore Lancers Memorial located at JC Nagar, near TV Tower.

Like they do every year, descendants of the Lancers had organised events in Bengaluru on September 23, 2022, to mark the 104th anniversary of this battle: A wreath-laying ceremony took place at the Mysore Lancers Memorial in J.C. Nagar followed by a public function in the evening.

A plaque at the memorial reads: “Sacred to the memory of those officers and Non-Commissioned officers and men of the Mysore Imperial Service troops who gave their lives during the ‘Great War’ 1914-1918.”

Mysore Lancers bravery is best eulogised by the speech by Lt. Gen. B.K. Repswal, Commandant, ASC Centre and College, Bangalore during the event on September 23, 2022

Speaking at the wreath-laying ceremony, he provided a succinct report of the events of that day: “On September 23, 1918, the Mysore Lancers had their finest hour, when in a daring, daylight, uphill, full-blown charge, they captured the fortified town of Haifa while facing the enemy’s machine guns and artillery fire…. The memorial… is testimony to the guts and glory of the Indian horsemen who defeated the machine guns of the Germans and Turks only on strength of raw courage and determination.”