Major Thakur Dalpat Singh – India’s Forgotten Role in Israel’s Foundation
The story of Israel’s founding is often told through the lenses of diplomacy, the Holocaust, and Zionist settlement. Yet, a crucial chapter that unfolded on the dusty plains of Palestine during the First World War remains largely in the shadows—a story where the courage of Indian soldiers directly altered the course of history, helping create the conditions that would make the modern State of Israel possible. This is the tale of the Battle of Haifa, where Indian lancers carved their names into history with spears against machine guns.
The strategic context of September 1918 placed the ancient port city of Haifa at the centre of world-changing events. As General Sir Edmund Allenby’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force advanced against the crumbling Ottoman Empire, Haifa’s deep-water harbour became the crucial objective. Its capture would provide the vital supply line needed to sustain the final British push through Palestine and into Syria. But Haifa presented a formidable challenge—a natural fortress guarded by Mount Carmel’s slopes on one side and the swampy Kishon River on the other, all defended by Turkish and German troops equipped with artillery and machine guns.
Into this impossible situation rode the Indian cavalry regiments—the Jodhpur, Mysore, and Hyderabad Lancers—forming part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. Among them, the Jodhpur Lancers had already earned their legendary reputation. Nicknamed the ‘Jo Hokums’ (‘As you command’), they were celebrated for their reckless courage and unwavering discipline in following orders, however dangerous. Leading them was Major Thakur Dalpat Singh, a figure who bridged two worlds—a Rajput noble from Jodhpur who had been educated at Eastbourne College in England, an outstanding cricketer and sportsman who had now become a seasoned soldier. He had already earned the Military Cross for a breath-taking act of bravery at Abu Tulul, where he and his trumpeter alone charged a machine-gun nest, scattering the crew and capturing a Turkish regimental commander.
On September 23, 1918, at 1400 hours, the order came for what would become one of the most remarkable cavalry actions in military history. What followed defied all conventional military wisdom. The Indian lancers charged—horsemen with spears lowered, thundering directly into modern machine-gun fire. They navigated treacherous quicksand by the Kishon River while scrambling up Carmel’s rocky slopes under relentless fire. Historian Charles Chevenix Trench would later remark in his book that “Only the Jo Hukums could have done it.” Major Dalpat Singh, true to his character, led from the front, gallantly spearheading the assault. The lancers overran defensive positions, their lances proving brutally effective in close combat as they galloped through the streets of Haifa itself.
The victory was stunning and complete. The Indian cavalry captured between 689 and 1,352 Turkish prisoners, 17 field guns, and 11 machine guns. But the cost was profound. Among the fallen was Major Dalpat Singh, critically injured by machine-gun bullets in his spine. He died that night on an operating table and was cremated with full military honours in an olive grove facing the Mediterranean Sea. General Allenby himself formally recorded the Major’s death in his dispatch, praising him for “gallantly leading the charge.” The Marquess of Anglesey would later describe it as “almost certainly the only occasion in history when a fortified town was captured by cavalry at the gallop.”
The fall of Haifa proved to be far more than a tactical victory—it became the strategic masterstroke that catalysed the collapse of Ottoman rule in Palestine. With Haifa’s port secured, British ships began landing vast quantities of supplies within days, fuelling the final advance that led to the capture of Damascus and the complete collapse of the Ottoman front. This military victory directly ended four centuries of Ottoman control and ushered in the British Mandate for Palestine—the crucial political framework within which the Zionist project could develop, ultimately leading to the United Nations partition plan and Israel’s declaration of statehood in 1948.
The legacy of this extraordinary contribution is honoured to this day. In India, the Teen Murti memorial in New Delhi stands as a three-sided cenotaph to the three cavalry regiments that captured Haifa, with Major Dalpat Singh reputed to be the model for one of the bronze soldiers. The Indian Army’s 61st Cavalry, successor to these historic regiments, commemorates September 23 as Haifa Day each year. In Israel, this shared history forms a bond of gratitude, with Israeli leaders consistently acknowledging the debt to the Indian soldiers who fought there.
The story of the Indian charge at Haifa represents one of history’s great ironies—soldiers serving the British Empire, unaware they were helping create conditions that would lead to a Jewish state, while their own nation would later take different diplomatic positions. Yet their courage remains undeniable. The Indian lancers who charged into history that September day did more than capture a city—they helped shape the modern Middle East, their bravery forever linking India’s military legacy to the founding narrative of the State of Israel.
