1st King's Dragoon Guards

Last updated
1st King's Dragoon Guards
1st King's Dragoon Guards Cap Badge.jpg
1st King's Dragoon Guards Cap Badge
Active1685–1959
CountryFlag of England.svg  England (1685–1707)
Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Great Britain (1707–1800)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (1801–1959)
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
Type Cavalry
Role Royal Armoured Corps
SizeRegiment
Nickname(s)Bland Dragoons, The KDGs, The Trades Union, The Kings Dancing Girls
MarchQuick: Radetzky March
Slow: The King's Dragoon Guards
Commanders
Ceremonial chiefEmperor Franz Joseph I of Austria

The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed the 2nd King's Own Regiment of Horse in 1714 in honour of George I. The regiment attained the title 1st King's Dragoon Guards in 1751. The regiment served as horse cavalry until 1937 when it was mechanised with light tanks. The regiment became part of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939. After service in the First World War and the Second World War, the regiment amalgamated with the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) in 1959 to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.

Contents

History

Early history

The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as Lanier's Regiment of Horse or the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II, as part of the response to the Monmouth Rebellion. [1]

The regiment saw action at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and the Battle of Aughrim in July 1691 during the Williamite War in Ireland. [1] It also fought at the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704, the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706, the Battle of Oudenarde in July 1708 and the Battle of Malplaquet in September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession. [1] The regiment was renamed the 2nd King's Own Regiment of Horse in 1714 in honour of George I. [1] It saw action again at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession. [1] The regiment was renamed the 1st King's Dragoon Guards in 1751. [1] The regiment made a desperate charge which saved the army at the Battle of Corbach in July 1760 and then made another famous charge at the Battle of Warburg later that month during the Seven Years' War. [1] The regiment charged again with devastating effect at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars. [1]

The regiment took part in the response to the Indian Rebellion in 1857 as well as the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 and the capture of Peking during the Second Opium War. A detachment of the regiment was responsible for the capture of King Cetshwayo at the Battle of Ulundi in July 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War and the regiment saw action again at the Battle of Laing's Nek in January 1881 during the First Boer War. [1] The regiment was employed chasing the elusive General Christiaan de Wet in spring 1901 during the Second Boer War. [2]

Habsburg connection

Franz Josef I in the uniform of a Colonel of the 1st Dragoon Guards Franz Josef of Austria K.G. Colonel-in-Chief 1st King's Dragoon Guards 1896 - 1914.jpg
Franz Josef I in the uniform of a Colonel of the 1st Dragoon Guards

In March 1896 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria became Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. At the same time the double-headed Austrian eagle became the cap-badge of the regiment, and it adopted Radetzky March as its regimental march. On the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee on 2 December 1908, the Emperor instituted the Inhaber-Jubiläums-Medaille für Ausländer (Commander's Jubilee Medal for Foreigners) to celebrate his 60 years on the throne. Some of the 40 golden, 635 silver and 2000 bronze medals were awarded to officers and private soldiers in the regiment. [3] The ceremonial helmet with the badge of the 1st King's Dragoon Guards which was given to Emperor Franz Joseph I on his appointment as colonel-in-chief is now on display at the Museum of Military History, Vienna.

First World War

A very distant view of the King's Dragoon Guards charging across open country in France in July 1915 Cavalry squadron charging (Photo 24-174).jpg
A very distant view of the King's Dragoon Guards charging across open country in France in July 1915

The regiment, which had been was stationed at Lucknow in India at the start of the war, landed at Marseille as part of the 8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Indian Cavalry Division in November 1914 for service on the Western Front. [4] The regiment saw action at the Battle of Festubert in May 1915, the Second Battle of Ypres also in May 1915 and the Battle of Morval in September 1916 [5] but returned to India in October 1917. [4]

Third Anglo-Afghan War

The regiment remained in garrison at Meerut until October 1918 when it exchanged stations with 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers and moved to Risalpur. On 2 May 1919 Afghan troops seized control of wells on the Indian side of the border. The Afghan Amir Amanullah was warned to withdraw, but his answer was to send more troops to reinforce those at the wells and to move other Afghan units to various points on the frontier. The regiment was mobilised on 6 May and formed part of the British Indian Army's 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade. It served throughout the Third Anglo-Afghan War and saw action at the Khyber Pass. At Dakka a village in Afghan territory, north west of the Khyber Pass [6]  on 16 May, the regiment made one of the last recorded charges by a British horsed cavalry regiment as it was already apparent the old world would be giving way to mechanisation. [7]

Second World War

Two M3 half-tracks mounting 75mm guns of the King's Dragoon Guards, 7 May 1944. The British Army in Italy 1944 NA14653.jpg
Two M3 half-tracks mounting 75mm guns of the King's Dragoon Guards, 7 May 1944.

The regiment took part in all the major battles of the North African Campaign including the Relief of Tobruk in November 1941. [8] The regiment, then serving as the armoured car reconnaissance regiment of Lieutenant General Richard McCreery's X Corps, landed at Salerno during the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943 against concentrated enemy opposition and were the first Allied unit into the city of Naples in early October 1943. [8] The Welsh writer Norman Lewis, in his celebrated account of life in Naples claimed that the King's Dragoon Guards was the first British unit to reach Naples in 1943, and that many of its officers immediately went on a looting spree, cutting paintings from their frames in the prince's palace. [9] The regiment later took part in the Battle for Monte la Difensa in December 1943 and the advance to the Gothic Line in late 1944. [8]

Post-war

The regiment was posted to Palestine in September 1945 and to Libya in January 1947 before being deployed on home duties at Omagh, Northern Ireland in February 1948. [10] The regiment moved to Adams Barracks in Rahlstedt in November 1951 and to Mcleod Barracks in Neumünster in April 1953. [10]

In 1956 the regiment was sent on active service in Malaya during the Emergency: during this time the regiment took part in counter-insurgency operations in both mounted operations (armoured cars) and on foot in the dense jungles operating from a base at Johor Bahru. [10]

The regiment merged with the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) in 1959 to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. [10]

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is displayed at Firing Line: Cardiff Castle Museum of the Welsh Soldier in Cardiff. [11]

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: [12]

Notable members of the regiment

Colonels-in-Chief

Colonels-in-Chief were as follows: [12]

Regimental colonels

Regimental colonels were as follows: [12]

The Queen's Regiment of Horse
The King's Own Regiment of Horse – (1714)
1st (The King's) Dragoon Guards – (1751)
1st King's Dragoon Guards – (1921)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Armoured Corps</span> Armour arm of the British Army

The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Army's armoured regiments, both the Royal Tank Regiment and those converted from old horse cavalry regiments. Today it comprises twelve regiments, eight regular and four Army Reserve. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment provide an armoured regiment, they are not part of the RAC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Hussars</span> Cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969

The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales' Own) to form the Royal Hussars in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blues and Royals</span> Regiment of the British Army

The Blues and Royals (RHG/D) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life Guards (United Kingdom)</span> British military unit

TheLife Guards (LG) is the most senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with The Blues and Royals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Royal Irish Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards</span> Regiment of the British Army

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment of the line of the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light Dragoons</span> Military unit

The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northern England, from County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. For this reason, the regiment is known as "England's Northern Cavalry". It is currently based in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards</span> Military unit

The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World War and the Korean War. In August 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, the regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers) in 1756 and the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1788. After two centuries of service, including the First World War, the regiment was amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Royal Hussars</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) to form the Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) in October 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Dragoon Guards</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 3rd Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd Dragoon Guards in 1765. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated into the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became the 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons in 1751. The regiment also fought with distinction in the Charge of the Union Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo and again as part of the successful Charge of the Heavy Brigade against superior numbers at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. The First World War sounded the death knell for mounted cavalry as it became apparent that technology had moved forward with greater destructive power and made horsed cavalry redundant on the modern battlefield. The British Army reorganised and reduced its cavalry corps by disbanding or amalgamating many of its famous cavalry regiments. The Inniskillings was one of those affected. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with 5th Dragoon Guards to form 5th/6th Dragoons in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Dragoon Guards</span> Military unit

The 7th Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 8th Horse in 1694 and the 7th Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte in 1788. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Queen's Own Hussars</span> British Army cavalry regiment, 1685–1958

The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to form the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th King's Royal Irish Hussars</span> Cavalry regiment in the British Army

The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, and went on to distinguish itself in the battles of the Korean War, but was recommended for amalgamation in the 1957 Defence White Paper prepared by Duncan Sandys. The regiment was amalgamated with the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, to form the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th The Queen's Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15th The King's Hussars</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Queen's Own Hussars</span> Cavalry regiment in the British Army

The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1689. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but following the 1957 Defence White Paper, it was amalgamated with the 3rd The King's Own Hussars, forming the Queen's Own Hussars in 1958.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Lanier was an English army officer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "1685 to 1899 – A Short History of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards". Regimental Museum of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Horse). Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. "1st (King's) Dragoon Guards". Anglo-Boer War. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. Stolzer & Steeb, p. 274
  4. 1 2 "The Dragoon Guards". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. "1899 to 1938 – A Short History of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards". Regimental Museum of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Horse). Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  6. "Afghanistan". Regimental Museum of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Horse). Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. "1899 to 1938 – A Short History of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards". Regimental Museum of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Horse). Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "1938 to 1959 – A Short History of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards". Regimental Museum of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Horse). Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  9. Lewis, p.31
  10. 1 2 3 4 "1st King's Dragoon Guards". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  11. "Museum of the Welsh Soldier" . Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "1st King's Dragoon Guards". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2016.

Sources