3rd The King's Own Hussars
3rd The King's Own Hussars | |
---|---|
Active | 1685–1958 |
Country | Kingdom of England (1685–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1958) |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Cavalry of the Line/Royal Armoured Corps |
Role | Light Cavalry |
Size | 1 Regiment |
Nickname(s) | The Moodkee Wallahs, Bland's Dragoons |
Motto(s) | Nec Aspera Terrent (Latin Nor do difficulties deter) |
March | (Quick) Robert the Devil (slow) The 3rd Hussars |
Anniversaries | Dettingen Day, El Alamein Day. |
The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to form the Queen's Own Hussars in November 1958.
History
The Glorious Revolution
The origins of the King's Own Hussars lie in the 1685 Monmouth and Argyll rebellions which forced James II to borrow the Scots Brigade from his son-in-law William of Orange, later William III. On 16 June, three troops were detached from the Duke of Somerset's Royal Dragoons and their captains ordered to recruit additional volunteers from the London area, including Middlesex and Essex.[1] The unit was based in Acton, West London to guard approaches to the City of London but the rebellion collapsed after defeat at Sedgemoor on 6 July without the regiment seeing action. Three new troops, one independent and two newly raised were now added to the original three to form The Queen Consort's Regiment of Dragoons.[2]
Alexander Cannon a Scot who previously served in the Dutch Scots Brigade was appointed Colonel in August 1687.[3] On 5 November 1688, William III landed at Torbay in the invasion later known as the Glorious Revolution and James assembled his army on Salisbury Plain to block an advance on London. However, many now changed sides; the majority of the Queen Consort's Regiment followed Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Leveson into William's camp while Cannon and his own troop remained loyal, staying with James as he retreated to London.[4] On 31 December, Leveson replaced Cannon as Colonel and as was customary, the regiment now took his name and became Leveson's Dragoons.[a]
The Williamite War in Ireland
In August 1689, the regiment, numbering approximately 400 officers and men organised into six troops, was transported to Ireland to take part in the Williamite War. James had fled from England to France in December 1688, but had returned with an army in March 1689 and landed at Cork, Ireland, where he found that he had the support of a majority of the Catholic population.[5] William's expeditionary force had landed south of Belfast on 13 August, encountering little resistance from the local Catholic forces, and entered the city on 17 August; Leveson's Dragoons landed in Ireland four days later, taking up position just outside Belfast.[6] Early records of the activities of the regiment are scarce, but it appears that it advanced with the rest of the Williamite forces southwards on 2 September, advancing to the town of Newry, but failing to catch the garrison of the town as it retreated. The Williamite army moved south to Dundalk, which they fortified. They did not advance any further, as a Catholic army, estimated 35,000 strong, was reportedly encamped nearby at Ardee. The regiment encountered a small Catholic force and killed five men on 20 September, but was forced to wait until October to take part in its first major action. On 27 October, 200 troopers from the regiment, along with a detachment from the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, raided Ardee, killing a number of sentries and capturing a large number of cattle and horses.[7] In November, the Williamite army moved northwards and the regiment saw action one last time before entering winter quarters at Lisburn; on 26 November, 60 troopers from the regiment were reconnoitring near Charlemont when they encountered a detachment from the town's garrison; they engage it, taking several prisoners. The regiment then retired to its winter quarters to rest and took on approximately 200 recruits shipped from England to replace losses from disease; whilst the exact casualty figures for the regiment are unknown, the entire army had suffered approximately 6,000 casualties as a result of fever, ague and dysentery by November.[8][9] The regiment emerged from winter quarters in mid-February 1690 and immediately saw action; a gazette issued from Belfast on 14 February announced that a squadron from the regiment had formed part of a raiding force that had crossed enemy lines and burnt down a castle and looted a town, killing ten men and taking 20 prisoners. The next recorded action by the regiment took place on 22 June, when a squadron and a company of infantry from the Tangier Regiment encountered a fort garrisoned by a force of infantry and approximately 500 cavalry; the enemy force stood its ground and fought a pitched battle until its commanding officer was killed and the Catholic force retreated.[10]
The regiment was present for the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July, forming part of the 36,000-strong Williamite army that engaged the 25,000-strong Catholic army commanded by James II.[11] During the closing stages of the battle, a large portion of James' cavalry repeatedly charged the advancing Williamite infantry to provide protection for the retreating Catholic infantry, and were able to reach the village of Donore. The village was sited on an area of high ground from which the dismounted cavalrymen were able to fire down on the advancing Williamite troops. To counter this move, a squadron from the regiment charged up the hill and engaged the dismounted cavalry whilst the remainder of the regiment outflanked the village and attacked the Catholic force from the rear, inflicting a large number of casualties.[12] After routing this force, the regiment joined up with a Dutch cavalry unit and advanced. Sighting another Catholic cavalry force, the Dutch cavalry attacked, but were repelled with heavy losses and retreated down a narrow lane. As the Dutch regrouped, Leveson's men dismounted and took up position amongst the hedgerows lining the lane, as well as a nearby house; when the Catholic cavalry advanced down the lane, they came under fire from the regiment, inflicting heavy losses and forcing the survivors to retreat.[13] The battle was a decisive victory for the Williamite forces, with James forced to retire first to Dublin and then to France as the Williamite army advanced south and captured Dublin on 4 July. The regiment did not take part in the capture of Dublin, instead it was ordered to advance to the city of Waterford, where it accepted the surrender of the city's garrison (as well as the garrison of the nearby port of Youghal) and remained for the rest of the summer.[14] One of the regiment's troops patrolled the surrounding area, with a detachment engaging a large band of armed Catholic citizens who had been attacking Protestant settlements in the area; the detachment killed 60 and took 12 civilian prisoners, as well as attacking the village of Castlemartyr and taking its Catholic garrison prisoner. The remainder of the regiment moved to Limerick and took part in the failed siege of that city, although the specifics of what the regiment did are unknown.[15] Before the regiment retired to its winter quarters in December, it engaged and dispersed several more armed bands of civilians and came to the aid of a detachment from the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot, who had been ambushed by Catholic infantry and had taken shelter in a ruined castle; a troop from the regiment drove off the infantry and escorted the Inniskilling detachment to safety.[16]
The regiment left its winter quarters in February 1691 and immediately saw action, forming part of a combined force of infantry and cavalry that engaged a 2,000-strong Catholic force near Streamstown and forced it to retreat; the role that the regiment played in this action led to Leveson being promoted to
Nine Years' War
The regiment remained in England for nearly three years before it saw battle again. During this period, in which it recruited to refill its ranks, it lost Colonel Leveson when he was promoted to the rank of
In the spring of 1694, the regiment was reviewed by King William, along with a number of other English units, and was then transported to the Netherlands, landing at
During the summer of 1695, while the majority of the English forces were occupied with the
After its release, the regiment retired to winter quarters and received reinforcements. Then, during the summer of 1696, it formed part of a detached
War of the Spanish Succession
The huge expense incurred by England during William III's prosecution of the Nine Years' War angered
After the battle, the regiment did not return to Spain to rejoin the English expeditionary force, but was instead ordered back to England; for a period of nearly four years the regiment remained in England, being quartered in
The remnants of the force, including the regiment, then marched 40 miles to
Jacobite Rising and Regimental Name Change
When the regiment had finished recruiting in England, it was dispatched north to Scotland. There, it formed part of the Government garrison.[33] When George I ascended to the British throne in 1714, the regiment's title was once again altered, and that same year became The King's Own Regiment of Dragoons.[34] Shortly after his ascension, a major Jacobite uprising occurred; the regiment was amongst the Government troops assembled in Scotland to bar the advance of the Jacobite forces. At the Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November, a Government army commanded by the Duke of Argyll, which included the regiment, defeated a larger Jacobite army; sources are vague on the exact details of the regiment's involvement, but it is known that it formed part of the army's left wing, supporting several infantry regiments. The wing was struck by a Jacobite infantry assault, which inflicted significant casualties, but three squadrons from the regiment charged the infantry and forced it to retreat; this allowed the Government forces to retire and reassemble without further loss.[35] The regiment did not see any further action during the uprising, remaining with the Duke of Argyll's army, which pursued Jacobite forces as they retreated northwards. The army garrisoned Aberdeen on 8 February; shortly after the rebellion came to an end.[36] For a short period, the regiment was stationed at Elgin, and then was transferred to southern England, where it remained for more than 20 years; it became an understrength garrison force and did little apart from conduct occasional raids against smugglers on the English coast.[37]
War of the Austrian Succession
On 20 October 1740, Charles VI died and his daughter,
The British forces arrived in the Dutch Republic, but did not immediately go on campaign, instead moving into winter quarters in Bruges and Ghent. The army finally departed in February 1743 and advanced towards the Rhine Valley; the regiment was chosen to form part of the advance guard.[39] By June, the British army had joined Hanoverian and Austrian forces by the river Main. The Allied forces, which totalled approximately 44,000 troops, were opposed by some 70,000 French troops. After a period of marching and counter-marching, and the arrival of King George II who took personal command of the Allied forces, the French army engaged the Allies at the Battle of Dettingen on 27 June. The King's Own Dragoons were placed on the left flank of the Allied army, with instructions to protect an infantry force as it advanced. Exposed to French artillery fire for three hours, suffering heavy casualties, the regiment was eventually ordered to advance, and then clashed with a larger force of French Household Cavalry; after a fierce engagement, and more casualties, it drove off the French cavalry. Shortly after this, the French army was forced to retreat, and the remnants of the regiment participated in a general cavalry pursuit of the French forces, which inflicted further casualties.[40] The regiment suffered 42 officer and other ranks killed, and 106 wounded, shrinking its size considerably; this provoked a comment from George II when he reviewed the Allied forces after the end of the battle. He asked an aide to whom the regiment belonged in a sharp tone, to which its commanding officer replied, 'Please, your Majesty, it is my regiment, and I believe the remainder of it is at Dettingen.'[41]
The Battle of Dettingen had brought the French advance towards the Dutch Republic to a halt, and the conflict devolved into a long series of small and indecisive battles in the Southern Netherlands. In late 1743, the regiment moved to winter quarters in Ghent and received a shipment of recruits to bolster its ranks; however, the regiment did not move from the Southern Netherlands until May 1745, when the Duke of Cumberland was dispatched to the continent to take command of the Allied army.[42] Cumberland advanced towards the city of Tournai, which was being besieged by French forces, in early May; a few days later, the Allied army was engaged at the Battle of Fontenoy, where it was decisively defeated by superior French forces. Unfortunately, there are no detailed records that describe the King's Own Dragoons's participation in the battle; the regiments commanding officer only noted that the regiment had launched several cavalry charges against the French line, but had been forced to retreat with the rest of the Allied army after suffering nine killed and 18 missing.[43] The Allied Army retreated back towards the Southern Netherlands, pursued by the French, but the regiment did not engage in any further fighting; instead, it was dispatched northwards to receive more recruits, and then ordered to prepare to be transported to England. On 25 July, taking advantage of the British defeat at the Battle of Fontenoy, Prince Charles Edward Stuart landed in Invernessshire and began to organise another Jacobite uprising.[44]
Within a month of landing, Stuart had raised a force of 1,600 men from various Scottish clans, and began to march south, increasing his numbers to 2,500 by mid-September, when he entered
Seven Years' War
The regiment next saw action during the Raid on St Malo, destroying much of the French stores, in June 1758 during the Seven Years' War.[47] It went on to equal success, destroying the vessels in the harbour, at the Raid on Cherbourg in August 1758.[47] The regiment was stationed in Islington and was placed on guarding duties at Apsley House, the home of Lord Bathurst, during the Gordon Riots in 1780.[48]
Napoleonic Wars
In July 1809, the regiment departed for the Netherlands and took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign: many of the men caught a disease called "Walcheren Fever", thought to be a combination of malaria and typhus, before returning home in September.[49] In April 1810 the regiment was tasked with restoring order after the riots caused by protesters objecting to the incarceration of Sir Francis Burdett in the Tower of London.[50] The regiment landed in Lisbon in August 1811 for service in the Peninsular War.[51] It took part in the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812 and the Siege of Badajoz in March 1812[52] and then undertook successful charges at the Battle of Villagarcia in April 1812[53] and at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812.[54] The regiment next saw action at the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813[55] and then, having pursued the French Army into France, at the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814.[56] The regiment returned home in July 1814.[57]
Victorian era
The regiment was renamed the 3rd (The King's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1818.
First World War
On the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment was stationed at Shorncliffe as part of the 4th Cavalry Brigade. On mobilisation, the brigade was assigned to the Cavalry Division of the British Expeditionary Force, and was sent to France. The 4th Brigade was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Division in October, with which it remained for the remainder of the war, serving on the Western Front.[68]
Inter-War period
The regiment was renamed the 3rd The King's Own Hussars in January 1921.[58] It was deployed to Turkey in November 1921 as part of the British intervention force, remaining there until 24 August 1923, when it sailed to Egypt.[69] In 1926, the regiment was stationed in Lucknow, India. Returning to England in 1932, the regiment was initially garrisoned in York, but moved to Tidworth in 1934. The regiment began mechanising in 1935, when it began receiving lorries, followed by armoured cars in the following year. In 1937, the regiment moved to Aldershot, where it served as the reconnaissance unit of the 2nd Infantry Division.[70]
Second World War
The 3rd The King's Own Hussars was brigaded with the 4th Hussars in the
Post-War period and amalgamation
The regiment was posted to Palestine in October 1945.[73] It moved to Kingsway Barracks in Rendsburg in summer 1948 before transferring to Ripon Barracks in Bielefeld in 1951, to Epsom Barracks in Iserlohn in July 1953 and York Barracks in Munster in September 1957.[73] It returned home in October 1958 to Tidworth Camp, where it amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to form the Queen's Own Hussars in November 1958.[73]
Regimental museum
The regimental collection is moving to a new facility in Warwick known as "Trinity Mews": it is due to open in 2018.[74]
Battle honours
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[58]
- War of Austrian Succession: Dettingen
- Napoleonic Wars: Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, Peninsula
- India: Punjaub
- Boer War: South Africa 1902
- The Great War: Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18
- The Second World War: Sidi Suleiman, El Alamein, North Africa 1940–42, Citta della Pieve, Citta di Castello, Italy 1944, Battle of Crete
Colonel-in-Chief
- 1953–: The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO
Colonels of the Regiment
Colonels of the Regiment were:[58]
- Duke of Somerset's Regiment of Dragoons
- 1685–1687: Brig-Gen. Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, KG
- 1687–1688: Col. Alexander Cannon
- 1688–1694: Maj-Gen. Richard Leveson
- The Queen Consort's Own Regiment of Dragoons (1694)
- 1694–1695: Col. Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax
- 1695–1703: Maj-Gen. William Lloyd
- 1703–1732: Lt-Gen. George Carpenter, 1st Baron Carpenter
- The King's Regiment of Dragoons (1714)
- 1732–1743: Gen. Sir Philip Honywood, KB
- 1743–1752: Lt-Gen. Humphrey Bland
- 3rd (King's Own) Regiment of Dragoons (1751)
- 1752–1755: F.M. James O'Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley, (Lord Kilmaine)
- 1755–1772: Lt-Gen. George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle, KG (Viscount Bury)
- 1772–1797: Gen. Charles Fitzroy, 1st Baron Southampton
- 1797–1799: Gen. Francis Lascelles
- 1799–1807: Gen. Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, KB
- 1807–1821: Gen. William Cartwright
- 3rd (The King's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (1818)
- 1821–1829: F.M. Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, GCB, GCH, KSI
- 1829–1839: Lt-Gen. Lord George Thomas Beresford, GCH
- 1839–1855: Gen. Lord Charles Henry Somerset Manners, KCB
- 1855–1866: Gen. Peter Augustus Latour, CB, KH
- 3rd (King's Own) Hussars (1861)
- 1866–1872: Gen. Henry Aitchison Hankey
- 1872–1884: Gen. Sir George Henry Lockwood, KCB
- 1884–1891: Lt-Gen. Sir Frederick Wellington John FitzWygram, Bt.
- 1891: Lt-Gen. Edward Burgoyne Cuerton
- 1891–1909: Lt-Gen. Edward Howard-Vyse
- 1909–1912: Maj-Gen. Richard Blundell-Hollinshed-Blundell
- 1912–1924: F.M. Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, GCB, GCMG, MVO
- 3rd The King's Own Hussars (1921)
- 1924–1926: Maj-Gen. Alfred Alexander Kennedy, CB, CMG
- 1926–1946: Brig-Gen. Philip James Vandeleur Kelly, CMG, DSO
- 1946–1955: Brig. George Edward Younghusband, CBE
- 1955–1958: Lt-Col. (Hon. Col.) Sir Douglas Winchester Scott, Bt.
- 1958: Regiment amalgamated with The Queen's Own Hussars
See also
Notes
- ^ This was deliberate policy to prevent regiments owing primary allegiance to the Crown and a response to the perceived use of a standing army by Cromwell, Charles and James as a tool of domestic oppression.
References
- ISBN 1135540497.
- ISBN 0415710790.
- ISBN 1-330-44220-2.
- ISBN 1135540497.
- ^ Bolitho, p. 11
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 13–14
- ^ Bolitho, p. 15
- ^ Bolitho, p. 16
- ^ Childs, John. (1997). "The Williamite War 1689–1691". In Thomas Bartlett & Keith Jeffery (Eds.), A Military History or Ireland, p.125. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 17–18
- ^ Bolitho, p. 19
- ^ Bolitho, p. 21
- ^ Bolitho, p. 22
- ^ Bolitho, p. 23
- ^ Bolitho, p. 24
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 24–25
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 26–27
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 27–28
- ^ Bolitho, p. 31
- ^ a b Bolitho, p. 32
- ^ a b Bolitho, p. 33
- ^ Childs, p. 287
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 34–35
- ^ Bolitho, p. 36
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 37–38
- ^ Bolitho, p. 38
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 38–40
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 40–41
- ^ a b Bolitho, p. 41
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 41–42
- ^ a b Bolitho, p. 43
- ^ Bolitho, p. 44
- ^ Bolitho, p. 46
- ^ Bolitho, p. 47
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 49–50
- ^ Bolitho, p. 51
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 52–53
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 56–57
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 57–58
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 59–60
- ^ Boolitho, pp. 61–62
- ^ Bolitho, p. 69
- ^ Bolitho, p. 71
- ^ a b Bolitho, p. 72
- ^ Bolitho, pp. 73–74
- ^ Bolitho, p. 74
- ^ a b Cannon, p. 42
- ^ Cannon, p. 46
- ^ Cannon, p. 52
- ^ Cannon, p. 53
- ^ Cannon, p. 54
- ^ Cannon, p. 55
- ^ Cannon, p. 57
- ^ Cannon, p. 61
- ^ Cannon, p. 69
- ^ Cannon, p. 71
- ^ Cannon, p. 74
- ^ a b c d e "3rd The King's Own Hussars". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Cannon, p. 81
- ^ Cannon, p. 85
- ^ Cannon, p. 88
- ^ Cannon, p. 93
- ^ Cannon, p. 101
- ^ "3rd The King's Own Hussars". National Army Museum. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Hart′s Army list, 1903
- ^ "3rd Hussars". Anglo-Boer War. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home". The Times. No. 36893. London. 8 October 1902. p. 8.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Hussars". The Long, Long Trail;The British Army of 1914–1918. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
- ^ Locations of British cavalry, infantry and machine gun units, 1914–1924. Robert W. Gould, Heraldene, 1977
- ^ Graham Watson & T F Mills (5 March 2005). "Deployments of the 3rd The King's Own Hussars". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007.
- ^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The conquest of Java Island, March 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Queen's Own Husssars Museum". Queen's Own Hussars Museum Site. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ a b c "3rd The King's Own Hussars". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "More about the New Museum". The Queen's Own Hussars Museum. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
Bibliography
- Anonymous (1985). The Queen's Own Hussars: Tercentenary Edition. The Queen's Own Hussar's Regimental Museum. ISBN 0-9510300-0-0.
- Bartlett, Thomas; Keith Jeffrey (1997). A Military History of Ireland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62989-6.
- Bolitho, Hector (1963). The Galloping Third: The Story of the 3rd the King's Own Hussars. John Murray Ltd.
- Burnside, Lieutenant-Colonel F.R. (1945). A Short History of 3rd the King's Own Hussars 1685–1945. Gale and PoldenLtd.
- Cannon, Richard (1847). The Third or The King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1865 and its subsequent services to 1846. Parker, Furnivall and Parker.
- Chant, Christopher (1988). The Handbook of British Regiments. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-00241-9.
- Childs, John (1991). The Nine Years' War and the British Army, 1688–1697: The Operations in the Low Countries. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-3461-2.
- Latimer, Jon (2002). Alamein. John Murray Ltd. ISBN 0-7195-6213-9.
External links
- Historical website
- Regimental Association
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945