[2] With a large number of artillerymen gathering at depots awaiting return to England or deployment on garrison duty in India, British commander Lord Kitchener decided to form them into units of mounted infantry.

[2] The artillerymen were suited to this task as they were trained to a good standard of horsemanship and tended to be of above average intelligence and discipline.

[4] In addition to mounted infantry the columns contained a light pom-pom artillery unit and their own signals and scout sections.

[2] The men were not issued with swords and so relied on rifles with fixed bayonets when required to carry out cavalry-style charges.

[1][7][8][9] The RAMR units were so successful that Kitchener requested a further 1,000 gunners from the Indian government to deploy in the role; this was refused but a comparable number of artillerymen were instead supplied by the British Army.

[3] However, Colonel H. Rowan-Robinson, writing in 1921, claimed that the decision was viewed with horror by a large number of the artillerymen due to the unconventional nature of the deployment.