The 20th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of 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 ...

. After service in 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 ...

it was amalgamated with the 14th King's Hussars to form became the

14th/20th King's Hussars The 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the Royal Hussa ...

in 1922.

History

Early wars

The regiment was originally raised in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

as the 2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry in 1858, for service in the response to the Indian Rebellion. It was renamed the 2nd Bengal European Cavalry in 1859 and in 1862, while based in

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

, it was transferred to the British Army and renamed the 20th Regiment of Hussars. It became the 20th Hussars in 1877. The regiment remained on the North West Frontier and participated in the Ambela Campaign in autumn 1863 and the Hazara Expedition in October 1868 before moving to England in 1872. The regiment was based in Ireland from 1879 to 1884.

The regiment was sent to Sudan as part of the Suakin Expedition in February 1885 and took part in the Battle of Tofrek in March 1885 and the Battle of Ginnis in December 1885. It also took part in the Battle of Gemeizeh in December 1888 during the Mahdist War when it made a series of charges against the enemy. In this battle, three of the swords of the 20th Hussars broke short, an incident which later caused debate in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. It undertook another successful charge at the

Battle of Toski The Battle of Toski (''Tushkah'') was part of the Mahdist War. It took place on August 3, 1889 in southern Egypt between the Anglo-Egyptian forces and the Mahdist forces of the Sudan. Since 1882, the British had taken control of Egypt and found ...

in August 1889. After their return to England in 1890, the regiment was awarded the battle honour "Suakin 1885" for its services in Egypt and also the battle honour "Vimiera" in respect of the earlier services of its predecessor regiment, the 20th Light Dragoons. The regiment returned to India in 1895.

20th century

Christmas on the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q1627

The regiment was not deployed to

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

until December 1901 for service in 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 South ...

and therefore only took part in the final drives against the Boer commandos in spring 1902. The regiment was based in Ireland again from 1908 to 1911. The regiment, which was based in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

at the start of the

, landed in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

as part of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in the 2nd Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on the

. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Mons in August 1914 and both the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

and the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated a ...

in September 1914. It went on fight at the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the Firs ...

in October 1914, the Battle of Arras in April 1917 and the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. It later took part in the German spring offensive in 1918, the Battle of Amiens in August 1918 and the final push as the war drew to a close. A nationalist uprising in Turkey caused the allies to send troops to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. The regiment was deployed to the

İzmit İzmit () is a district and the central district of Kocaeli province, Turkey. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the ...

peninsula in 1920 as part of a formation under General Sir Edmund Ironside's command. The regiment charged Turkish positions in July near the village of

Gebze Gebze (,) is a district in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. It is situated 65 km (30 mi) southeast of Istanbul, on the Gulf of Izmit, the eastern arm of the Sea of Marmara. Gebze is the largest district per population size in the province as o ...

and successfully routed the enemy. Although mounted action did take place in Syria during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, this was the last regimental charge ever made by British cavalry. The regiment suffered one casualty, although several horses were also wounded. The regiment was amalgamated in 1922 with the 14th King's Hussars to form the

Regimental museum

The Museum of the 14th/20th King's Hussars was in the Museum of Lancashire in Preston until it closed in 2016.

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: *''Early wars'': Vimiera, Peninsula, Suakin 1885, South Africa 1901-02 *''The Great War'': Mons,

Retreat from Mons The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...

;

Marne 1914 Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nether ...

; Aisne 1914; Messines 1914; Ypres 1914, 1915; Neuve Chapelle; St. Julien; Bellewaarde; Arras 1917; Scarpe 1917;

Cambrai 1917 Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Esc ...

, 1918; Somme 1918; Saint-Quentin; Lys;

Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, nl, Hazebroek, , vls, Oazebroeke) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until 1 ...

;

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

;

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

1918; Bapaume 1918; Hindenburg Line; St. Quentin Canal; Beaurevoir; Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: ;2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry *1858–1862: Lt-Gen. Thomas Shubrick ;20th Regiment of Hussars (1862) *1862–1870: Lt-Gen. Charles Montauban Carmichael, CB *1870–1883: Gen. Michael William Smith ;20th Hussars *1883–1891: Lt-Gen. Richard Knox *1891–1910: Lt-Gen. Sir Roger William Henry Palmer, Bt *1910–1920: Maj-Gen. Hugh Sutlej Gough, CB, CMG *1920–1922: Gen. Sir George De Symons Barrow, GCB, KCMG (to 14th/20th Hussars) *''1921 disbanded'' *''1922: one squadron re-formed and amalgamated with 14th King's Hussars, to form the 14th/20th Hussars''

References

Sources

* * * * {{British Cavalry Regiments World War I Cavalry regiments of the British Army Hussar regiments of the British Army H20 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Military units and formations established in 1862 1862 establishments in the United Kingdom