1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the

Royal Armoured Corps 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 Ar ...

(RAC) of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and the bordering English counties of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, and

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

. It is the senior RAC cavalry regiment and therefore senior regiment of the line of the British Army.

History

The current regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of 1st King's Dragoon Guards (raised in 1685 by Sir John Lanier as Lanier's or the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse in response to the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion in June 1685 was an attempt to depose James II of England, James II, who in February had succeeded his brother Charles II of England, Charles II as king of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and ...

) and the

2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough, Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough ...

(raised in 1685 by the

Earl of Peterborough Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 5th Baron Mordaunt (see Baron Mordaunt for earlier history of the family). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the second Earl. He was ...

as Peterborough's or the 3rd Regiment of Horse, also in response to the Monmouth Rebellion). The regiment has spent much of its short history based in Germany. It served during the

Aden Emergency The Aden Emergency, also known as the 14 October Revolution () or as the Radfan Uprising, was an armed rebellion by the National Liberation Front (South Yemen), National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South ...

in 1966 and 1967 and its squadrons were dispersed throughout the Middle East during that time. Perhaps the best known member in the 1970s was

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Mark Phillips Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September 1948) is an English Olympic gold medal-winning horseman for Great Britain and the first husband of Anne, Princess Royal, with whom he has two children. He remains a leading figure in British equ ...

, one-time husband of The Princess Anne: they married in 1973. In 1983, the regiment was deployed to Lebanon in support of the allied

Multinational Force A multinational force is a multinational operation which may be defensive, offensive, or for peacekeeping purposes. In multinational operations, many countries form an alliance to carry them out. Multinational forces include: * Supreme Headquar ...

, in 1990 it was sent to the Middle East for the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and in 1996 it was deployed to Bosnia as part of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

peacekeeping forces during the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

. In 2003, the regiment served in Iraq during the

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

providing the reconnaissance and light armour support necessary to allow

3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...

's advance north to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. On their return from Iraq in 2005, Brigadier Rose of 3 Commando Brigade presented the Regiment with the Commando Dagger in recognition of the superb relationship between 'C' Squadron and the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

during the liberation of Iraq. This squadron had the distinction of spending one of the longest periods of constant contact with the enemy for 20 days or so during this operation. In 2006, the QDG deployed again to Iraq on Op TELIC 8 and oversaw the successful transfer of Al Muthanna province back to Iraqi control. At the end of 2007, the Regiment left

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

and moved to Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager where they trained for a six-month deployment to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

as part of 3 Commando Brigade. Here they carried out a variety of frontline tasks across

Helmand province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

. QDG were the first Formation Reconnaissance Regiment to deploy to Helmand as the Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Group (ISTAR Gp) on

Operation HERRICK Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assi ...

15 in 2011. The ISTAR Gp consisted of HQ Squadron, 'C' Squadron, 'D' Squadron QRH, an Intelligence Company, K Battery 5 Regt RA and 11 UAV Battery with 'B' Squadron initially detached to the Danish Battlegroup but joining the remainder of the Regiment towards the end of the tour. The regiment celebrated its fiftieth anniversary on 31 July 2009 with a ceremony at

Cardiff castle Cardiff Castle () is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roma ...

and a parade through the streets of

Cardiff city Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, both attended by the

Colonel-in-Chief Colonel-in-Chief is a ceremonial position in an army regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family. Some armed forces take a light-hearted approach to ...

, the Prince of Wales (now

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

). The regiment received a great response from the people of Cardiff. That same year, the unit was also awarded with the Freedom of the City of

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

In 2012, the regiment were called in to provide security for the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

with composite squadrons focused on supporting the beach volleyball and securing the athletes village. In May of that year, there was speculation that the unit would become a victim of the defence budget cuts. As it was one of only three regiments historically associated with and one that still largely recruits from Wales, there was much support from the Welsh public to keep the QDG. However,

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

officials announced no such plan has been made. As part of the

Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...

plans, most units based in Germany returned to the UK and the QDG moved to Robertson Barracks, Swanton Morley,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

in June 2015. They re-roled as "light cavalry", using Jackal vehicles. In 2014, the Regiment deployed on the final British combat deployment to

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

on Operation HERRICK 20. Battlegroup Headquarters worked alongside the senior leadership of 3/215 Brigade of the Afghan Army. 'A' Squadron worked with the Afghan Army to develop the latter's capabilities and professionalism in a training capacity. 'B' Squadron formed the Afghan National Security Forces Liaison Team, patrolling to the forward operating bases across the southern part of the province. 'C' Squadron formed the Brigade Reconnaissance Force. In 2018, the QDG conducted two tours of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Operation Cabrit Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) is a NATO-allied forward-deployed defense and deterrence military force in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. This posture in Northern Europe through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and in Central Europe through ...

providing the role for NATO as the enhanced forward presence in order to protect and reassure NATO's Central and Northern European member states on NATO's eastern flank of their security. QDG in Mali

In June 2021 'C' Squadron, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards deployed to Mali with 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment to form the Long Range Reconnaissance Group for Op Newcombe rotation 2 for 6 months. Op Newcombe was a peacekeeping operation in support of the

United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (, MINUSMA) was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise ...

(MINUSMA). Whilst deployed C squadron assisted in facilitating war crime investigations and also came under fire for the first time since combat operations in Afghanistan 2014 where the welsh cavalry were also at the time. A member of C squadron QDG earned a mention in dispatches while deployed for courageous actions in the face of the enemy. In December 2021 the regimental headquarters and 'A' squadron 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards with support from a company from The Royal Irish Regiment took over from 'C' squadron to start a further 6 months tour of Mali. QDG going through Mali village

In July 2022 Once all squadrons were back from Op Newcombe in Mali the regiment as a whole took part in freedom parades in Wales, most notably in Cardiff where King Charles III (then Prince Charles) was in attendance. The regiment then went onto parade in Wrexham, Swansea and Newport. QDG on Parade

As part of the Future Soldier programme, the regiment will remain in their light cavalry role but move to

Caerwent Caerwent () is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It was founded by the Romans as the market town of '' Venta Silurum'', an important settlement of th ...

'not before' 2027.

Operational role

QDG soldiers are experts in reconnaissance. They are the Army's 'eyes and ears' in the battlespace. Skilled in a wide range of weaponry, these light cavalry crewmen are equally as capable on foot as they are at the wheel of a Jackal 2 or

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

high mobility vehicle. The weapons available to QDG soldiers are the 50 Cal heavy machine gun, grenade machine gun, general-purpose machine gun, the

Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

anti-tank weapon, the next-generation light anti-tank weapon (

NLAW The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW ( ), also known as the MBT LAW or RB 57, is a fire-and-forget, lightweight shoulder-fired, and disposable (single-use) line of sight (LOS) missile system, designed for infantry use. The missile uses a soft-laun ...

), the

L115A3 The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...

sniper rifle and the

SA80 The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Sel ...

Regimental museum

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

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Uniform, cap badge and march

In 1896, Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st King's Dragoon Guards and allowed the regiment to wear the Austrian imperial coat of arms, which is still used as the regiment's

cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as ...

today; the collar badge is that of The Queen's Bays. Also the regiment adopted an Austrian military march, Radetzky March, as quick march. The current Regimental March is the Radetzky March and Rusty Buckles, the latter being the Regimental March of The Queen's Bays. Other items of uniform draw on the regiment's dual heritage: thus, whilst the cap of 1st King's Dragoon Guards (with dark blue velvet strip and piping) is worn, trousers have the distinctive broad white stripe of The Queen's Bays. Full dress is still worn by some on ceremonial occasions: the 1st King's Dragoon Guards tunic (scarlet with blue velvet facings) being paired with Queen's Bays white-striped overalls. The KDG red-plumed brass cavalry helmet is also worn, together with pouch belts and other accoutrements. In the QDG

lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

s wear two chevrons, corporals wear two chevrons surmounted by a rank badge consisting of the Bay's emblem, which is worn by all senior NCOs.

Squadron quartermaster sergeant : Company quartermaster sergeant is a military rank or appointment. Canada A company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) in the Canadian Forces is the non-commissioned officer in a company who is in charge of supplies. The CQMS also serves as the depu ...

s wear four chevrons with rank badge, the whole surmounted by a crown. Ranks of the QDG

Battle honours

* Combined battle honours of 1st King's Dragoon Guards, and

, plus: * Wadi al-Batin, Gulf 1991, Iraq 2003

Commanding officers

The Commanding Officers have been: *1959–1960: Lt.-Col. H C Selby *1960–1962: Lt.-Col. Jack W. Harman *1962–1964: Lt.-Col. Peter R. Body *1964–1967: Lt.-Col. Thomas W. Muir *1967–1969: Lt.-Col. George N. Powell *1969–1971: Lt.-Col. John H. Lidsey *1971–1973: Lt.-Col. Maurice R. Johnston *1973–1975: Lt.-Col. Robin C. Middleton *1975–1977: Lt.-Col. Robert W. Ward *1977–1980: Lt.-Col. John I. Pocock *1980–1982: Lt.-Col. Charles H. Bond *1982–1985: Lt.-Col. J. Gordon G. de P. Ferguson *1985–1987: Lt.-Col. Eric J. K. O’Brien *1987–1990: Lt.-Col. Michael G. Boissard *1990–1992: Lt.-Col. Christopher Mackenzie-Beevor *1992–1994: Lt.-Col. Mark R. M. Eliot *1994–1997: Lt.-Col. Hamish L. A. Macdonald *1997–1999: Lt.-Col. Simon V. Mayall *1999–2001: Lt.-Col. Patrick J. Andrews *2001–2003: Lt.-Col. Gilbert T. Baldwin *2003–2005: Lt.-Col. Timothy R. Wilson *2005–2007: Lt.-Col. Anthony J. Pittman *2007–2010: Lt.-Col. Alan S. Richmond *2010–2012: Lt.-Col. Jasper J. De Quincey Adams *2012–2015: Lt.-Col. William H. L. Davies *2015–2017: Lt.-Col. Daniel B. Duff *2017–2019: Lt.-Col. Justin G. E. Stenhouse *2019–2022: Lt.-Col. Hugo T. Lloyd *2022–2024: Lt.-Col. Christopher S. Kierstead *Since 2024: Lt -Col. David G. A. Landon

Colonels-in-chief

Colonels-in-chief were as follows: * 1959–2002:

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

* 2003–2023:

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

* 2023–present:

Catherine, Princess of Wales Catherine, Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982), is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne. Born in Reading, Catherine grew ...

Regimental colonels

Regimental colonels were as follows: *1959–1961: Brig. John Gerard Edward Tiarks *1961–1964: Col. George William Charles Draffen *1964–1968: Col. Kenneth Edward Savill *1968–1975: Brig. Anthony William Allen Llewellyn-Palmer *1975–1980: Gen. Sir Jack Wentworth Harman ADCGen *1980–1986: Maj. Gen.

Desmond Hind Garrett Rice Major-General Sir Desmond Hind Garrett Rice, KCVO, CBE (1924 – 14 July 2020) was a British Army officer and courtier. He was Director of Manning (Army) between 1977 and 1978 and Vice-Adjutant-General between 1978 and 1979; he was then Colo ...

*1986–1991: Lt Gen. Sir Maurice Robert Johnston *1991–1997: Maj. Gen. Robert William Ward *1997–2002: Col. John Ievers Pocock *2002–2007: Col. Christopher David MacKenzie-Beevor *2007–2019: Lt Gen. Sir Simon Mayall *Since 2019: Brig. Alan Richmond

Alliances

Royal Navy * HMS ''Monmouth'' Affiliated Regiment *The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry Allied Royal Air Force Squadron * IV Squadron RAF Affiliation *The

Worshipful Company of Leathersellers The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The organisation originates from the latter part of the 14th century receiving its Royal Charter in 1444, and is therefore the senior leather industr ...

Commonwealth * – The Governor General's Horse Guards * –

1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers is an active Australian Army Reserve Light Cavalry regiment. The regiment has its headquarters at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Lancer Barracks is the oldes ...

* – 1 Special Service Battalion * – 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force) * – 1st Reconnaissance Regiment Non-Commonwealth * – Panzergrenadierbataillon 35 * – 1er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie(Twinned Regiment)

Order of precedence

References

External links

Official siteQDG Regimental Comrades Association1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
–

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

British Army Locations from 1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards - The Welsh Cavalry 1-001 Queen's Dragoon Guards Royal Armoured Corps Dragoon Guards Military units and formations in Wales Military units and formations in Cardiff Military units and formations established in 1959 1959 establishments in the United Kingdom