The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment 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 ...

. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers) in 1756 and the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1788. After two centuries of service, including the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the regiment was amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

History

The

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

was raised during the reign of James II, by

Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough Lieutenant-General Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough ( – 17 December 1721) was an English Army officer and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician best known for his role in the Glorious Revolution. Origins Lumley was the son o ...

, who recruited an independent troop of horse in response to the 1685

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 ...

. It was subsequently used to create Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse, and ranked as the 9th Regiment of Horse; the

Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

then gave approval for Lumley to use the title The Queen Dowager's Horse. Lumley was removed in early 1687 for refusing to admit Catholic officers, and replaced by the loyalist Sir John Talbot. Sir George Hewett took over after the 1688

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, but died in 1689 during the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

, and was followed by Richard Beverley. In 1690, it became the 8th Regiment of Horse; transferred to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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, la ...

for the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

, it was renamed The King's Regiment of Carabineers in 1692. The regiment was ranked as the 7th Horse in 1694 and it fought at the

Battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim (; ; ) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the reconstituted G ...

in August 1704 and the

Battle of Ramillies The Battle of Ramillies (), fought on 23 May 1706, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand AllianceAustria, England, and the Dutch Republicthe battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of K ...

in May 1706 during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

. The regiment was renamed the His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740 and it took part in the response to the Jacobite rising in 1745. It was then transferred to the Irish establishment in 1746 and re-ranked as the 3rd Horse. It was next re-designated the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers) in 1756 and then transferred back to the British establishment as the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1788. It saw action in Flanders again in 1793 during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. It then became the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (Carabineers) in 1826. It saw action at the Siege of Sevastopol during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and was deployed 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 ...

in the late 1870s during the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, the regiment was sent there in November 1899. They took part in the relief of Kimberley in February 1900. After the war ended in June 1902, the Carabiniers was transferred to

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, as part of the Madras command. 500 officers and men left Natal for India that August. In 1906, the regiment took part in the parade at the Grand Durbar (the visit of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...

to Bangalore). It landed in France at the outbreak of the

as part of the 4th Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Cavalry Division on 16 August 1914 for service on the Western Front. It took part in the

Battle of Mons The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (World War I), British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies of World W ...

in August 1914, the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

in September 1914, the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...

in October 1914 and the

Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...

in April 1915 before going on to see further action at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

in Autumn 1916, the Battle of Arras in April 1917 and the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. In October 1922, the regiment was amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards.

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is held in the

Cheshire Military Museum The Cheshire Military Museum is a military museum in Chester, Cheshire, England. History The museum has been housed in the former A Block in Chester Castle since 1972. It covers the history of four British Army regiments connected with the Cou ...

Chester Castle Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining par ...

. Some items are also held by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: * ''Early Wars'': Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Warburg,

Willems Willems is a patronymic surname of Dutch language, Dutch origin, equivalent to Williams (surname), Williams. In 2008, it was the 6th most common surname in Belgium (18,604 peopleand in 2007 it was the 39th most common surname in the Netherlands (17, ...

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, Delhi 1857, Afghanistan 1879-80, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899-1902 *''The Great War'':

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

, 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 F ...

, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914,

Armentières 1914 Armentières (; , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fi� ...

, Ypres 1915, St. Julien, Bellewaarde, Arras 1917 Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917 '18, Somme 1918, St. Quentin, Lys, Hazebrouck, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Selle, Sambre, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914–18.

Colonels

The regiment's colonels were as follows:

1685 The Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse

*1685 Lieutenant-General

*1687 Brigadier-General Sir John Talbot *1688 Colonel Sir George Hewett, 1st Viscount Hewett *1689 Colonel Richard Beverley

1692 The King's Regiment of Carabineers

*1692 Lieutenant-General Hugh Wyndham *1706 Lieutenant-General Francis Palmes *1712 Colonel Leigh Backwell *1715 Brigadier-General Richard Waring *1721 Field Marshal

Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon Field Marshal Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, PC (1675 – 20 December 1740) was a British army officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer at the Battle of the Boyne during the Williamite War in Ireland and at the Battle of L ...

*1727 Lieutenant-General George MacCartney *1730 Major-General Henry Scott, 1st Earl of Deloraine KB *1731 Field Marshal

Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet Field Marshal Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet (3 July 1685 – 1 February 1768) was a British Army officer and politician. As a junior officer he fought at the Battle of Schellenberg and at the Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succe ...

*1733 Major-General

Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart (1686 – 20 December 1740) was a British Army officer and peer. Family He was the second son of Alan Cathcart, 7th Lord Cathcart by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair. Hi ...

1740 His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers

*1740 Lieutenant-General Phineas Bowles *1749 General Hon. James Cholmondeley *1750 Lieutenant-General

George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville Major general George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, PC (26 January 1716 – 26 August 1785) was a British Army officer, politician, and peer who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1775 to 1782. Serving in the North ministry ...

1756 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabiniers)

*1757 Lieutenant-General Louis Dejean *1764 Lieutenant-General Edward Harvey *1775 General Sir

William Augustus Pitt General Sir William Augustus Pitt KB, PC ( 1728 – 29 December 1809) was a long-serving if undistinguished senior officer of the British Army whose sixty years of service covered several major wars and numerous postings as garrison or reg ...

KB *1780 General Sir John Irwin KB

1788 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards

*1788 General Henry Lawes Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton *1821 General Hon. Robert Taylor

1826 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (Carabineers)

*1839 General Sir Thomas Hawker KCB *1858 Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Kennedy Clark-Kennedy KCB KH *1860 General Sir James Jackson GCB KH *1868 Lieutenant-General Sir John Rowland Smyth KCB *1873 General Henry Richmond Jones CB *1880 General

George Calvert Clarke General George Calvert Clarke, (23 July 1814''UK, British Army Lists, 1882–1962'' – 9 February 1900), was a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War. Clarke was born in 1814, and commissioned a cornet in the 2nd (Royal North B ...

CB *1891 Lieutenant-General Charles Sawyer *1892 Major-General Sir Alexander James Hardy Elliot KCB *1902 Lieutenant-General Sir

John Fryer John Fryer may refer to: *John Fryer (physician, died 1563), English physician, humanist and early reformer *John Fryer (physician, died 1672), English physician *John Fryer (travel writer) (1650–1733), British travel-writer and doctor *Sir John ...

KCB *1917 Major-General Henry Peregrine Leader CB * ''1922: regiment amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards''

Uniforms and Insignia

The original uniform of the Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse is recorded as including a red coat lined with green. In common with other regiments of Horse, cuirasses were worn until 1699. In 1715 the regimental facing colour was changed to pale yellow. In 1768 white lapels were adopted by Royal Warrant. Silver

epaulette Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scale ...

s were worn by the officers. In 1812 a new model of leather helmet was issued, carrying the title of "6th Dragoon Guards or Carabiniers". In 1861 a complete change of uniform was authorized by Queen Victoria, following the conversion of the regiment to a light cavalry role and appearance. Thereafter until 1914 the full dress of the regiment was entirely dark blue with white facings. Although the designation of Dragoon Guards was retained, the 6th was the only

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

regiment in the British Army to wear dark blue tunics instead of scarlet. After 1873, a white plume was worn on the brass helmet. The distinctive feature of the collar and cap badges as worn from 1900 and 1902 respectively, was the appearance of crossed carbines under a crown and above the regimental title.

References

Sources

External links

{{Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Cavalry regiments of the British Army DG6 Regiments of the British Army in the Crimean War Dragoon Guards 1685 establishments in England 1922 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1685 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Catherine of Braganza