Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)

Last updated
Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)
Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) Cap Badge.jpg
Cap badge of the 6th Carabiniers
Active1685–1922
CountryFlag of England.svg  Kingdom of England (1685–1707)

Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1746, 1788–1800)
Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg  Kingdom of Ireland (1746–1788)

Contents

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (1801–1922)
BranchArmy
TypeLine Cavalry
RoleCavalry
SizeOne regiment
Motto(s)"Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" Anglo-Norman (Shame upon him who evil thinks)
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Henry Leader

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.

History

Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, the first Colonel of the regiment Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough.jpg
Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, the first Colonel of the regiment

The regiment was raised during the reign of James II, by Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, who recruited an independent troop of horse in response to the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion. It was subsequently used to create Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse, and ranked as the 9th Regiment of Horse; the Queen Dowager then gave approval for Lumley to use the title The Queen Dowager's Horse. [1]

Lumley was removed in early 1687 for refusing to admit Catholic officers, and replaced by the loyalist Sir John Talbot. [2] Sir George Hewett took over after the 1688 Glorious Revolution, but died in 1689 during the Williamite War in Ireland, and was followed by Richard Beverley. In 1690, it became the 8th Regiment of Horse; transferred to Flanders for the Nine Years' War, it was renamed The King's Regiment of Carabineers in 1692. [1] The regiment was ranked as the 7th Horse in 1694 [1] and it fought at the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704 and the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession. [3]

The regiment was renamed the His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740 [1] and it took part in the response to the Jacobite rising in 1745. [3] It was then transferred to the Irish establishment in 1746 and re-ranked as the 3rd Horse. [1] It was next re-designated the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers) in 1756 and then transferred back to the British establishment as the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1788. [1] It saw action in Flanders again in 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars. [3] It then became the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (Carabineers) in 1826. [1] It saw action at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War and was deployed to Afghanistan in the late 1870s during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. [3]

Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in South Africa, the regiment was sent there in November 1899. They took part in the relief of Kimberley in February 1900. [4] After the war ended in June 1902, the Carabiniers was transferred to Bangalore, as part of the Madras command. 500 officers and men left Natal for India that August. [5] In 1906, the regiment took part in the parade at the Grand Durbar (the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Bangalore). [3]

It landed in France at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 4th Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Cavalry Division on 16 August 1914 for service on the Western Front. [6] It took part in the Battle of Mons in August 1914, the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914, the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914 and the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915 before going on to see further action at the Battle of the Somme in Autumn 1916, the Battle of Arras in April 1917 and the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. [3]

In October 1922, the regiment was amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards. [1]

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is held in the Cheshire Military Museum at Chester Castle. [7] Some items are also held by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum at Edinburgh Castle. [8]

Battle honours

March past by the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards), 1905 6th Dragoon Guards.jpg
March past by the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards), 1905

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: [1]

Colonels

The regiment's colonels were as follows: [1]

1685 The Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse

1692 The King's Regiment of Carabineers

1740 His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers

1756 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers)

1788 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards

1826 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (Carabineers)

Uniforms and Insignia

The original uniform of the Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse is recorded as including a red coat lined with green. In common with other regiments of Horse, cuirasses were worn until 1699. In 1715 the regimental facing colour was changed to pale yellow. In 1768 white lapels were adopted by Royal Warrant. Silver epaulettes were worn by the officers. In 1812 a new model of leather helmet was issued, carrying the title of "6th Dragoon Guards or Carabiniers". In 1861 a complete change of uniform was authorized by Queen Victoria, following the conversion of the regiment to a light cavalry role and appearance. [10] Thereafter until 1914 the full dress of the regiment was entirely dark blue with white facings. Although the designation of Dragoon Guards was retained, the 6th was the only dragoon regiment in the British Army to wear dark blue tunics instead of scarlet. After 1873, a white plume was worn on the brass [11] helmet. [12]

The distinctive feature of the collar and cap badges as worn from 1900 and 1902 respectively, was the appearance of crossed carbines under a crown and above the regimental title.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Greys</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Dragoon Guards</span> Cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is based at Waterloo Lines, Leuchars Station, as part of 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, a light adaptable force brigade.

<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">Carabinier</span> Type of light cavalry armed with a carbine

A carabinier is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbiniere is a carabiniere musket or rifle and was commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is derived from the identical French word carabinier.

<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">Royal Dragoon Guards</span> Military unit

The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Based in Battlesbury Barracks, Wiltshire, the regiment currently serves as the armoured cavalry reconnaissance unit of 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team. Previously equipped with the Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle, it started converting to the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle in 2022.

<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">3rd Carabiniers</span> Military unit

The 3rd Carabiniers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1922 as part of a reduction in the army's cavalry by the amalgamation of the 3rd Dragoon Guards and the Carabiniers, to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards. It was renamed the 3rd Carabiniers in 1928 and amalgamated with the Royal Scots Greys, forming the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Queen's Royal Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but was amalgamated with the 12th Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st King's Dragoon Guards</span> Military unit

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 in 1959 to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Arran's Regiment of Cuirassiers. It was renamed as the 4th Dragoon Guards in 1788 and service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with 7th Dragoon Guards, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st The Royal Dragoons</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The Royal Dragoons was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgamated with the Royal Horse Guards to form The Blues and Royals in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Regiment of Life Guards</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 2nd Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated with the 1st Life Guards to form the Life Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Royal Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. 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 was slated for reduction in the 1957 Defence White Paper, and was amalgamated with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1960.

<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">5th Dragoon Guards</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 5th Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially formed in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse. Following a number of name changes, it became the 5th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1804.

<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">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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ Helms & Henning 1983, p. 526.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)". National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "6th Dragoon Guards". Anglo-Boer War. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36853. London. 22 August 1902. p. 5.
  6. ↑ "The Dragoon Guards". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Cheshire Military Museum, Army Museums Ogilby Trust, archived from the original on 17 June 2011, retrieved 18 February 2011
  8. ↑ "Welcome". Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "No. 27483". The London Gazette . 17 October 1902. p. 6569.
  10. ↑ Carman, Michael. British Cavalry Regiments since 1660. p. 126. ISBN   0-7137-1043-8.
  11. ↑ Dress Regulations for the Army 1914
  12. ↑ Carman, W.Y. Uniforms of the British Army. The Cavalry Regiments. pp. 63–65. ISBN   0-906671-13-2.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.