The 5th Royal Irish Lancers 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 ...

. It saw service for three centuries, including the

First World War 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, ...

. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.

History

Early wars

The regiment was originally formed in 1689 by Brigadier James Wynne as James Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons. 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 J ...

in July 1690 and at the Battle of Aughrim later that month under King William III. Renamed the Royal Dragoons of Ireland in 1704, it went on to fight under the Duke of Marlborough at the

Battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim (german: Zweite Schlacht bei Höchstädt, link=no; french: Bataille de Höchstädt, link=no; nl, Slag bij Blenheim, link=no) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied ...

in August 1704 during 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 ...

. At the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706 the regiment helped capture the entire French "Regiment du Roi", after which it fought at the

Battle of Oudenarde The Battle of Oudenarde, also known as the Battle of Oudenaarde, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession, pitting a Grand Alliance force consisting of eighty thousand men under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and Prin ...

in July 1708 and at the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought between a French army commanded by the Duke of Villars and a Grand Alliance force under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the blo ...

in September 1709. In 1751, it was retitled 5th Regiment of Dragoons and in 1756 it became the 5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons. As such, it served in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and had the honour of leading the charge against the rebels at the

Battle of Enniscorthy The Battle of Enniscorthy was a land battle fought during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, on 28 May 1798, when an overwhelming force of rebels assailed the town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, which was defended only by a 300-strong garrison supporte ...

in May 1798 during the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 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 ...

. However, its troops were accused of treachery: their accusers claimed their ranks had been infiltrated by rebels. Following an investigation, it was found that a single individual, James M'Nassar, had infiltrated the regiment: he was ordered to be "transported beyond the seas". According to ''Continental Magazine'':

The circumstance was commemorated in a curious way. It was ordered that the 5th Royal Irish Light Dragoons should be erased from the records of the army list, in which a blank between the 4th and 6th Dragoons should remain forever, as a memorial of disgrace. For upward of half a century this gap remained in the army list, as anybody may see by referring to any number of that publication of half-a-dozen years back.

Christ Church Mhow Plaque 5th Royal Irish Lancers

The regiment was reformed in 1858, keeping its old number and title, but losing precedence, being ranked after the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lance ...

. It was immediately converted into a

lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...

regiment and titled 5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons (Lancers). In 1861, it was renamed the 5th (or Royal Irish) Lancers and then the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers. The regiment served 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 ...

between November 1863 and December 1874 and a contingent joined the

Nile Expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan ...

in autumn 1884. It then fought against the forces of Osman Digna near Suakin in 1885 during the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

. The regiment again left for India in November 1888, serving there for ten years until they were posted to

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 coun ...

in February 1898. They were stationed at Ladysmith until October 1898, when they went to

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, where they remained until 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 So ...

in October 1899.

Second Boer War

Battles of the nineteenth century (1901) (14781886902)

As one of two cavalry regiments stationed in South Africa on the outbreak of war, the regiment consequently took part in the early fighting. They fought at the Battle of Elandslaagte on 21 October 1899, at the Battle of Rietfontein on 24 October 1899, and was part of the besieged garrison of Ladysmith during the

Siege of Ladysmith The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal. Background As war with the Boer republics appeared likely in June 1899, the War Offic ...

November 1899 to February 1900. After the relief of that town, they were re-horsed, and formed part of General Sir

Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

′s army, taking part in all his actions until his Natal army joined with the main army at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. They accompanied Buller in his advance into the

Lydenburg Lydenburg, officially known as Mashishing, is a town in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, on the Mpumalanga highveld, South Africa. It is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Lepelle River at the summit of the Long Tom Pass. ...

district, and then, under General John Brocklehurst, made the forced march through the Dulstroom Valley to join General Ian Hamilton. Later they formed part of General Smith-Dorrien′s flying column. In January 1901, still under General Smith-Dorrien, they covered the left of General Sir John French′s big movement down to the Swaziland border. They then served under General

Sir Bindon Blood General Sir Bindon Blood, (7 November 1842 – 16 May 1940) was a British Army commander who served in Egypt, Afghanistan, India, and South Africa. Military career Bindon Blood was born near Jedburgh, Scotland, to William Bindon Blood (181 ...

, and operated in the Carolina district until July 1901, when they travelled by rail to

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

. Here they formed part of Colonel Hunter-Weston′s mobile column. The regiment thus stayed in South Africa throughout the hostilities, which ended with the Peace of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902. Following the end of the war, 340 officers and men of the regiment left South Africa on the SS ''City of Vienna'', which arrived at

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 October 1902. The regiment, as part of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, was also involved in the

Curragh incident The Curragh incident of 20 March 1914, sometimes known as the Curragh mutiny, occurred in the Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. The Curragh Camp was then the main base for the British Army in Ireland, which at the time still formed part of the U ...

in March 1914.

First World War

The regiment then returned to England, where it stayed until the outbreak of

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, ...

, when it became part of the British Expeditionary Force, sailing from Dublin to France as part of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade in the 2nd Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

. It saw action during the

Battle of Mons A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in August 1914. During the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 George William Burdett Clare received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

posthumously. The 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers also has the grim honour of being the regiment of the last British soldier to die in the Great War. This was Private

George Edwin Ellison Private George Edwin Ellison (10 August 1878 – 11 November 1918) was the last British soldier to be killed in action during the First World War. He died at 09:30 am (90 minutes before the armistice came into effect), shot by a sniper while on ...

from Leeds, who was killed by a sniper as the regiment advanced into Mons a short time before the armistice came into effect. The regiment was renamed 5th Royal Irish Lancers and disbanded in 1921, but a squadron was reconstituted in 1922 and immediately amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers.

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is held at

The Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum The Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum traces the history of three old and famous cavalry regiments, the Queen's Royal Lancers, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and the South Nottinghamshire Hussars. It is located at Thoresby Hall in ...

which is based at Thoresby Hall in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

Battle honours

The regiment was awarded the following British battle honours: * ''Early Wars'':

Blenheim Blenheim ( ) is the English name of Blindheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which was the site of the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Almost all places and other things called Blenheim are named directly or indirectly in honour of the battle. Places ...

, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Suakin 1885,

Defence of Ladysmith Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, South Africa 1899–1902 * ''The Great War'': Mons, Le Cateau,

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 Fr ...

, Marne 1914,

Aisne 1914 Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Messines 1914 The Battle of Messines was fought in October 1914 between the armies of the German Empire, German empire and British Empire, British empire and French Third Republic, France as part of the Race to the Sea, between the river Douve and the Comines ...

Ypres 1914 Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

, 1915, Gheluvelt, St. Julien, Bellewaarde,

Arras 1917 Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the A ...

Scarpe 1917 The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the W ...

, Cambrai 1917,

Somme 1918 Somme 1918 was a battle honour awarded to units of the British and Imperial Armies that took part in one or more of the following engagements in the Great War:T.F. MillFrance and Flanders(archive of Regiments.org page) *First Battle of the Somme (1 ...

, St. Quentin, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord,

Pursuit to Mons Pursuit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Pursuit'' (1935 film), a 1935 American action film * ''Pursuit'' (1972 American film), a made-for-TV film directed by Michael Crichton * ''Pursuit'' (1972 Hong Kong film), a Shaw Brot ...

France and Flanders 1914–18 The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of imp ...

Victoria Crosses

*Private George William Burdett Clare - First World War, 28–29 November 1917 *Lieutenant Frederic Brooks Dugdale -

, 3 March 1901

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: ;James Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons *1689–1695: Brig-Gen. James Wynne ;Royal Dragoons of Ireland (1704) *1695–1715: Gen. Hon. Charles Ross *1715–1729: Col. Hon. Thomas Sydney *1729–1732: Gen. Hon. Charles Ross (reappointed) *1732–1737: Lt-Gen. Owen Wynne *1737–1758: F.M. Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth ;5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons *1758–1760: Gen. John Mostyn *1760–1787: Gen. Hon. Sir

Joseph Yorke, 1st Baron Dover General Joseph Yorke, 1st Baron Dover KB, PC (24 June 1724 – 2 December 1792), styled The Honourable Joseph Yorke until 1761 and The Honourable Sir Joseph Yorke between 1761 and 1788, was a British soldier, diplomat and Whig politician. ...

, KB *1787–1799: Gen. The Rt. Hon.

Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore General Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore, PC (Ire) (18 April 1726 – 6 August 1801) was an Irish British Army officer and politician. Military career Cuninghame was the son of Colonel David Cuninghame and his wife Margaret Callander of C ...

, PC *''1799: Regiment disbanded at Chatham'' *''1858: Regiment re-formed ;5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons (Lancers) *1858–1868: Gen. Sir James Charles Chatterton, Bt., GCB, KH ;5th (Royal Irish) Lancers *1868–1872: Gen. Edward Pole *1872–1887: Gen. Henry Darby Griffith, CB *1887–1892: Lt-Gen. Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, 7th Baron Calthorpe, KCB *1892–1896: Lt-Gen. Hon. Charles Wemyss Thesiger *1896–1906: Lt-Gen. William Godfrey Dunham Massy, CB *1906–1908: Maj-Gen. Thomas Arthur Cooke, CVO *1908–1912: Maj-Gen. Sir

Henry Jenner Scobell Major-General Sir Henry Jenner Scobell, KCVO, CB (2 January 1859 – 1 February 1912) was a British military leader who served as the last officer in command of Cape Colony before the formation of the Union of South Africa.Colby, Frank Moore ( ...

, KCVO, CB *1912–1921: F.M. Sir

Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army officer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in the First World War, in which he led th ...

, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (to 16th/5th Lancers). *''1921: Regiment disbanded'' *''1922: Regiment re-formed and amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers''

References

Sources

External links

Irish Lancers History
{{Great War in Ireland 1689 establishments in England Irish regiments of the British Army 1922 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct Irish regiments of the British Army 5-005 Royal Irish Lancers L05 Military units and formations established in 1689 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Military units and formations of the Second Boer War Irish regiments