The 4th/7th Royal 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 ...

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 Gurkha ...

formed in 1922. It served in 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 ...

. However following the reduction of forces at the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

and proposals contained in the

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces, ...

paper, the regiment was amalgamated with the

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 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 (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World ...

, to form the new Royal Dragoon Guards in 1992.

History

Formation

The regiment was formed in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, as the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards, in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards and

7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, 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 in 1788. ...

; it gained the distinction Royal in 1936. The regiment returned to the United Kingdom in 1929, was

mechanised Mechanization is the process of changing from working largely or exclusively by hand or with animals to doing that work with machinery. In an early engineering text a machine is defined as follows: In some fields, mechanization includes the ...

in 1938, and transferred to the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

in 1939 prior to the outbreak of the

Second World War

In 1939, equipped with Vickers Mk.VI light tanks, it deployed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), as the reconnaissance regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division under

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

. It participated in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

, fighting in northern France and Belgium, and evacuated from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo. The personnel of the regiment landed in England on 3 June 1940, having abandoned their vehicles. After re-equipping with Beaverette armoured cars, the regiment was posted to the 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade and then, in December 1940, to the

27th Armoured Brigade The 27th Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade of the British Army that served in the Second World War and played a crucial role in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 and the following Battle of Normandy until disbandment in late 1944. Ori ...

, part of 9th Armoured Division, equipped with

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Covena ...

tanks. At this time, a small group of personnel was detached to form the cadre of a new regiment, the

22nd Dragoons The 22nd Dragoons was the title held by five separate Cavalry regiments of the British Army raised and disbanded between 1716 and 1945. The last regiment of this name existed during the Second World War, from 1 December 1940 until 30 November ...

. In 1943, the regiment joined 79th Armoured Division, equipping with amphibious Valentine tanks, and later re-equipping with

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

DD tank DD or Duplex Drive tanks, nicknamed " Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank, that w ...

s. Under command of the 8th Armoured Brigade, the regiment landed on King Green,

Gold Beach Gold, commonly known as Gold Beach, was the code name for one of the five areas of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. Gold, the central of the five areas, was ...

, at 07:20 on 6 June 1944 as part of the D-Day landings, supporting the

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two ''Ts'' in the divisional in ...

. The regiment later participated in the Battle for the Falaise Gap, and as part of the armoured forces in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

– the regiment pushing as far as

Driel Driel is a village in the municipality of Overbetuwe, approximately four kilometers southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine, in the Netherlands. History On 21 September 1944, Driel was the drop zone of the Polish 1st Independent Para ...

, on the south bank of the Rhine a couple of miles from

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

. Among other notable achievements, it was the first armoured unit to cross the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

Post-war

The regiment ended the war in

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

, and a year later was deployed to Palestine for a tour of duty lasting from 1946–1948. The regiment was then deployed to

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

in June 1948, rotated back to England in November 1952, and then to Lumsden Barracks in

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ...

in June 1954 as part of 7th Armoured Division. The regiment returned to England in October 1959 and then went to York Barracks in

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

in August 1962 from where it deployed a squadron to

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 peopl ...

in August 1965. It was posted to Lisanelly Barracks in Omagh in September 1966 from where it sent a squadron to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

in December 1967. It was sent to Athlone Barracks in

Sennelager Sennelager is a village in Germany that forms part of the City of Paderborn. It is notable for its association with the military since the 19th century. Location Sennelager lies around 5 km north of Paderborn city centre in the west of the ...

in March 1969, and after returning to the UK in June 1973, went back to Lumsden Barracks in Fallingbostel in October 1976. It returned to the UK again in March 1981 and was then posted to Hobart Barracks in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of t ...

in April 1983.

Amalgamation

Following the reduction of forces at the end of the

and proposals contained in the

paper, the regiment was amalgamated with the

, to form the new Royal Dragoon Guards in 1992.

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 ...

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 cathedra ...

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

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. 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'. There is also a plaque at

Eden Camp Museum Eden Camp Modern History Museum is a large Second World War-related museum near Malton in North Yorkshire in England. It occupies a former Second World War prisoner-of-war camp of 33 huts. After the prisoners left, the camp was used for stor ...

Malton, North Yorkshire Malton is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 13,000 ...

, to the men of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards who lost their lives 'during the campaigns in North West Europe 1940–1945 and in Palestine 1946–1948', and a framed WWII Roll of Honour in

All Saints' Church, Pavement, York All Saints’ Church, Pavement, York is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in York. Services are from the ''Book of Common Prayer''. History The church dates from the 14th century. The chancel was demolished in 1780 an ...

, with 150 names of those killed by enemy action, on exercises, or in accidents.

Commanding Officers

The commanding officers have been: *1959–1962: Lt.-Col. J. R. Gordon *1962–1964: Lt.-Col. H. Rollo S. Pain *1962–1966: Lt.-Col. Michael C. Barraclough *1966–1967: Lt.-Col. Robert C. Ford *1967–1969: Lt.-Col. Nigel T. Bagnall *1969–1971: Lt.-Col. W. Reynell Taylor *1971–1974: Lt.-Col. Richard E. Holy-Hasted *1974–1976: Lt.-Col. Robert J. Baddeley *1976–1978: Lt.-Col. Antony R. G. Mullens *1978–1981: Lt.-Col. William A Le Blanc-Smith *1981–1983: Lt.-Col. Charles T. I. Wright *1983–1985: Lt.-Col. Peter A. M. Gilruth *1985–1988: Lt.-Col. Clendon D. Daukes *1988–1990: Lt.-Col. R. Ian Talbot *1990–1992: Lt.-Col. Charles J. G. Thwaites

Colonels-in-Chief

*1922–: HRH Princess Louise, Princess Royal, CI *1977–: Hon. Maj-Gen. HRH

Katharine, Duchess of Kent Katharine, Duchess of Kent, (born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, 22 February 1933) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V. The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Ca ...

, GCVO

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were: ;4th/7th Dragoon Guards *1922–1930 (4th): Lt-Gen. Sir

Edward Cecil Bethune Lieutenant General Sir Edward Cecil Bethune, (23 June 1855 – 2 November 1930) was a British Army officer who raised and led his own regiment, Bethune's Mounted Infantry, in the Second Boer War and directed the Territorials in the First World ...

, KCB, CVO (ex

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 ...

) *1922–1928 (7th): Maj-Gen. Sir Henry Peter Ewart, Bt., GCVO, KCB (ex

7th Dragoon Guards The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, 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 in 1788. ...

) *1930–1940: Maj-Gen.

Arthur Solly-Flood Major-General Arthur Solly-Flood (28 January 1871 − December 1940) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Major-General Sir Frederick Solly-Flood and Constance Eliza Frere, Arthur Solly-Flood was educated at Wellington Co ...

, CB, CMG, DSO ;4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards (1935) *1940–1948: Lt-Gen. Sir

Adrian Carton de Wiart Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart, (; 5 May 1880 – 5 June 1963) was a British Army officer born of Belgian and Irish parents. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valour "i ...

, VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO *1948–1958: Maj-Gen. John Aldam Aizlewood, MC *1958–1963: Col. Ronald Altham Moulton-Barrett, OBE *1963–1973: Maj-Gen. James Arthur d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, CB, OBE, MC, MP *1973–1979: Maj-Gen. Ian Gordon Gill, CB, OBE, MC *1979–1983: Lt-Gen. Sir

Rollo Pain Lieutenant-General Sir (Horace) Rollo (Squarey) Pain (11 May 1921 – 14 April 2005) was a British Army officer who commanded 2nd Division. Military career Educated at Clifton College, Pain was commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps in 19 ...

, KCB, MC *1983–1989: Gen. Sir Robert Ford, GCB, CBE *1989–1992: Brig. Robert John Baddeley, ADC *''1992: Regiment amalgamated with

to form

The Royal Dragoon Guards 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 B ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:4th 7th Royal Dragoon Guards Cavalry regiments of the British Army Dragoon Guards Regiments of Yorkshire Military units and formations established in 1922 Royal Dragoon Guards 004 007