The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a

cavalry regiment Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for

Princess Charlotte Princess Charlotte may refer to: People * Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1694–1715), wife of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia and mother of Tsar Peter II, Emperor of Russia * Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), wife of ...

in 1788. It saw service for two centuries, including the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, before being amalgamated with the

4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards 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 (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards in 1788 and service for two centuries, incl ...

, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

History

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire (Peakland)

During the 1688

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, William Cavendish, later Duke of Devonshire raised a troop of horse to provide an escort for

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

, younger daughter of James II. After James fled into exile, a number of independent troops were brought together to form Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. Equestrian Lord Ligonier

During the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

, it fought at the

Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ga, Cath na Bóinne ) was a battle in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and ...

in July 1690, before moving to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

in 1692 to serve in the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

. It took part in the action at Dottignies in July 1693 and the siege of Namur in July 1695, before the war ended with the 1697

Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...

. Saved from disbandment by being transferred onto the Irish establishment, it served in Europe throughout the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, fighting at Blenheim, Elixheim, Ramillies and Malplaquet. After the 1713

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

it returned to Ireland, where in 1720,

French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

exile and future

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

John Ligonier Field Marshal John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, (7 November 168028 April 1770), was a French Huguenot exile, born Jean Louis de Ligonier in Castres, Southern France. He had a long and distinguished career in the British army and was appointed ...

took over as colonel, a position he held for 29 years. Under his command, the unit gained a reputation as one of the best trained and efficient units in the British army; between 1742 to 1747, 37 members of the regiment received battlefield commissions for distinguished service, a record 'without parallel for the period.' As late as 1913, recruits were still taught about Ligonier, while his personal crest and motto were borne by every member of the regiment. Sent back to Flanders in 1742 for the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, the regiment fought in the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy. At Lauffeld in July 1747, it took part in a famous charge led by Ligonier that allowed their infantry to escape what was an Allied defeat. After the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, it returned to garrison duty in Ireland. In the army reforms of 1747, it was ranked as the 4th Regiment of Horse, or the "Black Horse". It remained in Ireland until July 1760, when it fought at

Warburg Warburg (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It ...

, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

In 1788, it was retitled 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards, after

. It remained in Ireland and England throughout the wars with France and helped suppress the

1798 Irish Rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...

. During the Victorian era, it was sent to South Africa in 1843, where it remained until after the 1846-1847 Xhosa War. In 1857, it was posted to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, returning home in 1867 where it remained until the 1882

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in late 1899, the regiment was again sent abroad for service in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. A total of 24 officers and 500 men left

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the SS ''Armenian'' on 8 February 1900. The regiment fought at the

Battle of Diamond Hill The Battle of Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek) () was an engagement of the Second Boer War that took place on 11 and 12 June 1900 in central Transvaal. Background The Boer forces retreated to the east by the time the capital of the South African ...

in June 1900. The regiment, which had been serving in

Secunderabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It ...

at the start of the

, landed in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

as part of the

9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1907 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War and departed fo ...

in the 1st Indian Cavalry Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front. A squadron from the regiment rode ten miles to capture the town of

Lessines Lessines (; nl, Lessen, ; pcd, Lissene, wa, Lissene) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. As of the 2014 census, The municipality's total population was 18,637. The total area is 72.29 km² (27 ...

on 11 November 1918 shortly before the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

. It was re-titled as the 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) in 1921, and was amalgamated with the

, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is held in the York Army Museum at the Tower Street drill hall in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: *''Early Wars'': Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Warburg, South Africa 1846-7, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882, South Africa 1900-02 * ''The Great War'': La Bassée 1914, Givenchy 1914, Somme 1916 '18, Bazentin, Flers-Courcelette, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18

Memorials

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedral ...

there are memorial windows to those members of the 7th Dragoon Guards who died in the

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Under the Boer War window there is a pair of brass plates listing 64 names, as well as the laid-up standards of the regiment. Under the WWI window the brass plates list 120 names. An added plate underneath is inscribed 'In Memory of the Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Troopers of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards who fell in the Second World War'.'Norwich Remembers' at Geograph.org.uk.
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Colonels

The colonels of the regiment were as follows: :::9th Regiment of Horse * 1688 Col. William, Lord Cavendish —Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse * 1690 Gen. Meinhardt, Duke of Leinster —Duke of Leinster's Regiment of Horse from 1693 8th Regiment of Horse * 1711 Col. Charles, Marquess of Harwich —Marquess of Harwich's Regiment of Horse * 1713 Maj-Gen. Charles Sybourg —Sybourg's Regiment of Horse * 1720 F.M. Sir John Ligonier K B —Ligonier's Regiment of Horse in 1746 transferred to the Irish establishment and ranked :::4th (Irish) Regiment of Horse :::Black Horse * 1749 Gen. Sir John Mordaunt K B —Mordaunt's Regiment of Horse * 1749 Maj-Gen.

Henry de Grangues Lieutenant-General Henry de Grangues (died June 1754) was a British Army officer. He entered the Army in the reign of William III, two years before the peace of Ryswick. He served in the wars of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the lieutenant-col ...

—de Grangues's Regiment of Horse On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant provided that in future regiments would not be known by their colonels' names, but by their "number or rank". * 1754 F.M.

Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He ...

* 1759 Gen. Philip Honywood * 1782 F.M.

Studholme Hodgson Field Marshal Studholme Hodgson (1708 – 20 October 1798) was a British Army officer who served during the 18th century. After serving as an Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the Battle of Fontenoy during the War of the Austrian S ...

in 1788 transferred to the British establishment and ranked :::7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards * 1789 Gen. Sir Charles Grey KB * 1795 Lt-Gen. Sir Ralph Abercromby KB * 1796 Gen. Sir William Medows KB * 1813 Gen. Richard Rich Wilford * 1822 Lt-Gen. Robert Bolton KCH * 1836 Gen. Sir Evan Lloyd, KCH * 1846 Gen. Sir

George Scovell General Sir George Scovell, (21 March 1774 – 17 January 1861) was a member of the quartermaster's staff of the British Army in Iberia during the Peninsular War. Military career Scovell's parents were George Scovell of Cirencester and the da ...

, GCB * 1847 Gen. Hon. Sir

Henry Murray Henry Alexander Murray (May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American psychologist at Harvard University, where from 1959 to 1962 he conducted a series of psychologically damaging and purposefully abusive experiments on minors and under ...

, KCB * 1853 Lt-Gen. Arthur Hill, 2nd Baron Sandys * 1858 Lt-Gen. Sir Michael White, KCB * 1868 Gen. Lord George Augustus Frederick Paget, KCB * 1874 Gen. Robert Wardlaw, CB * 1885 Lt-Gen. Charles Sawyer * 1891 Lt-Gen. Edward Burgoyne Cuerton * 1892 Lt-Gen. Andrew Nugent * 1900–1922 Sir Henry Peter Ewart (to 4th/7th Dragoon Guards) from 1921 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) from 1922 4th/7th Dragoon Guards after amalgamation with

References

Sources

* * * {{British Cavalry Regiments World War I Cavalry regiments of the British Army Dragoon Guards 1688 establishments in England Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 DG7 Military units and formations established in 1688 Military units and formations of the Second Boer War