The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in 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 ...

, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 8th Horse in 1694 and the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte in 1788. It saw service for two centuries, 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 ...

, before being amalgamated with the

4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, 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 1 ...

, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

History

During 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 ...

, William Cavendish, later Duke of Devonshire, raised a troop of horse to provide an escort for

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, younger daughter of James II. After James fled into exile, a number of independent troops were brought together to form Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. Equestrian Lord Ligonier

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 ...

, it fought at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690, before moving 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 ...

in 1692 to serve in 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 took part in the action at Dottignies in July 1693 and the siege of Namur in July 1695, before the war ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick. Saved from disbandment by being transferred onto the Irish establishment, it served in Europe throughout 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 ...

, fighting at Blenheim, Elixheim, Ramillies and Malplaquet. After the 1713

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

it returned to Ireland, where in 1720,

French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

exile and future

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

John Ligonier took over as colonel, a position he held for 29 years. Under his command, the unit gained a reputation as one of the best trained and efficient units in the British army; between 1742 and 1747, 37 members of the regiment received battlefield commissions for distinguished service, a record 'without parallel for the period.' As late as 1913, recruits were still taught about Ligonier, while his personal crest and motto were borne by every member of the regiment. Sent back to Flanders in 1742 for the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, the regiment fought in the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy. At Lauffeld in July 1747, it took part in a famous charge led by Ligonier that allowed their infantry to escape what was an Allied defeat. After the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, it returned to garrison duty in Ireland. In the army reforms of 1747, it was ranked as the 4th Regiment of Horse, or the "Black Horse". It remained in Ireland until July 1760, when it fought at Warburg, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. In 1788, it was retitled 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards, after Princess Charlotte. It remained in Ireland and England throughout the wars with France and helped suppress the 1798 Irish Rebellion. During the Victorian era, it was sent to South Africa in 1843, where it remained until after the 1846–1847 Xhosa War. Before leaving, the regiment was rearmed with a version of the Brunswick rifle: despite the shortcomings of this weapon, it dismounted to fight as infantry so frequently that on its return to England the Inspector-General of Cavalry recommended that additional infantry officers be drafted into the regiment. In 1857, it was posted to

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, returning home in 1867 where it remained until the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War. 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 ...

in late 1899, the regiment was again sent abroad for service in

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 ...

. A total of 24 officers and 500 men left

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

aboard on 8 February 1900. The regiment fought at the Battle of Diamond Hill in June 1900. The regiment, which had been serving in

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

at the start of the

, landed in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

as part of the 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Indian Cavalry Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front. A squadron from the regiment rode ten miles to capture the town of

Lessines Lessines (; ; ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. As of the 2014 census, The municipality's total population was 18,637. The total area is which gi ...

on 11 November 1918 shortly before the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

. It was re-titled as the 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) in 1921, and was amalgamated with the

, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

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 in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours were as follows: * ''Early Wars'': Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Warburg, South Africa 1846–7, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882, South Africa 1900–02 * ''The Great War'': La Bassée 1914, Givenchy 1914, Somme 1916 '18, Bazentin, Flers-Courcelette, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914–18

Memorials

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

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

and

World War I 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 ...

. 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'.'Norwich Remembers' at Geograph.org.uk.
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Colonels

The colonels of the regiment were as follows: :::9th Regiment of Horse * 1688 Col. William, Lord Cavendish —Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse * 1690 Gen. Meinhardt, Duke of Leinster —Duke of Leinster's Regiment of Horse from 1693 8th Regiment of Horse * 1711 Col. Charles, Marquess of Harwich — Marquess of Harwich's Regiment of Horse * 1713 Maj-Gen. Charles Sybourg —Sybourg's Regiment of Horse * 1720 F.M. Sir John Ligonier K B —Ligonier's Regiment of Horse in 1746 transferred to the Irish establishment and ranked :::4th (Irish) Regiment of Horse :::Black Horse * 1749 Gen. Sir John Mordaunt K B — Mordaunt's Regiment of Horse * 1749 Maj-Gen. Henry de Grangues —de Grangues's Regiment of Horse On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant provided that in future regiments would not be known by their colonels' names, but by their "number or rank". * 1754 F.M.

Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He held ...

* 1759 Gen. Philip Honywood * 1782 F.M.

Studholme Hodgson Field Marshal Studholme Hodgson (1708 – 20 October 1798) was a British Army officer who served during the 18th century. After serving as an Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the Battle of Fontenoy during the War of the Austrian Suc ...

in 1788 transferred to the British establishment and ranked :::7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards * 1789 Gen. Sir Charles Grey KB * 1795 Lt-Gen. Sir Ralph Abercromby KB * 1796 Gen. Sir William Medows KB * 1813 Gen. Richard Rich Wilford * 1822 Lt-Gen. Robert Bolton KCH * 1836 Gen. Sir Evan Lloyd, KCH * 1846 Gen. Sir George Scovell, GCB * 1847 Gen. Hon. Sir

Henry Murray Henry Alexander Murray (May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American psychologist at Harvard University. From 1959 to 1962, he conducted a series of psychologically damaging and purposefully abusive experiments on minors and undergradua ...

, KCB * 1853 Lt-Gen. Arthur Hill, 2nd Baron Sandys * 1858 Lt-Gen. Sir Michael White, KCB * 1868 Gen. Lord George Augustus Frederick Paget, KCB * 1874 Gen. Robert Wardlaw, CB * 1885 Lt-Gen. Charles Sawyer * 1891 Lt-Gen. Edward Burgoyne Cuerton * 1892 Lt-Gen. Andrew Nugent * 1900–1922 Sir Henry Peter Ewart (to 4th/7th Dragoon Guards) from 1921 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) from 1922 4th/7th Dragoon Guards after amalgamation with

References

Sources

* * * {{British Cavalry Regiments World War I Cavalry regiments of the British Army Dragoon Guards 1688 establishments in England Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 DG7 Military units and formations established in 1688 Military units and formations of the Second Boer War