| 4th Queen's Own Hussars | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars | |
| Active | 1685 - 1958 |
| Country |  Kingdom of England (1685–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1958) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Cavalry of the Line/Royal Armoured Corps |
| Role | Light Cavalry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Regimental Headquarters | London |
| Nickname(s) | Paget's Irregular Horse |
| Motto(s) | Mente et Manu (With Mind and Hand) |
| March | Quick:Berkeley's Dragoons Slow:Litany of Loretto |
| Anniversaries | Salamanca Day, 22 July Balaklava Day, 25 October St Patrick's Day, 17 March |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | SirWinston Churchill |
The4th Queen's Own Hussars was acavalry regiment in theBritish Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including theFirst World War and theSecond World War. It amalgamated with the8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to form theQueen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.
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The regiment was first raised by the Hon. John Berkeley asThe Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Dragoons in 1685, as part of the response to theMonmouth Rebellion by the regimenting of various independent troops, and ranked as the 4th Dragoons.[1] The regiment transferred its allegiance toKing William III in February 1689 and fought the depleted forces ofJames II in Scotland later that year.[2] The regiment saw action at theBattle of Steenkerque, where it suffered heavy losses, in August 1692 and at theSiege of Namur in July 1695 during theNine Years' War.[2] The regiment suffered heavy losses again at theBattle of Almansa in April 1707 during theWar of the Spanish Succession and next fought at theBattle of Sheriffmuir in November 1715 during theJacobite rising.[2]
The regiment saw action at theBattle of Dettingen in June 1743, when Trooper George Daraugh bravely recovered the regimental standard that had been seized by a French officer during theWar of the Austrian Succession. The regiment suffered a serious reverse when it was ambushed during a series of disastrous events leading up toFall of Ghent in July 1745 and then fought bravely to mitigate the British defeat at theBattle of Lauffeld in July 1747.[2] The regiment was formally titled as the4th Regiment of Dragoons in 1751 and, having helped suppress theGordon Riots in 1780, it was named forQueen Charlotte as the4th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Dragoons in 1788.[1]
The regiment fought at theBattle of Talavera in July 1809 underSir Arthur Wellesley and then contributed to a successful ambush of the enemy at theBattle of Usagre in May 1811 during thePeninsular War.[2] The regiment took part in a successful charge at theBattle of Salamanca in July 1812 and in the aftermath seized some ofJoseph Bonaparte's silver; it then fought at theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813 and at theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[2] The regiment was designated a light dragoons in 1818, becoming the4th (The Queen's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons and went to fight at theBattle of Ghazni in July 1839 during theFirst Anglo-Afghan War.[2]
The regiment next saw action, as part of the light brigade under the command of Major General theEarl of Cardigan, at theBattle of Alma in September 1854.[3] The regiment was in the second line of cavalry on the right flank during theCharge of the Light Brigade at theBattle of Balaclava in October 1854.[4] The brigade drove through the Russian artillery before smashing straight into the Russian cavalry and pushing them back; it was unable to consolidate its position, however, having insufficient forces and had to withdraw to its starting position, coming under further attack as it did so.[4] The regiment lost four officers and 55 men in the debacle.[4] PrivateSamuel Parkes was awarded theVictoria Cross during the charge for saving the life of a Trumpeter, Hugh Crawford.[5]
The regiment became the4th (Queen's Own) Hussars in 1861.[6]Winston Churchill was commissioned as acornet in the 4th Hussars in February 1895.[7]
The regiment, which was based on the Curragh at the commencement of theFirst World War, landed in France as part of the3rd Cavalry Brigade in the2nd Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on theWestern Front.[2] The regiment took part in theGreat Retreat in September 1914, theFirst Battle of Ypres in October 1914 and theSecond Battle of Ypres in April 1915.[2] The regiment also helped halt the German advance at theBattle of Moreuil Wood in March 1918 in a conflict that saw the regiment’s commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Darley, killed in action.[2]
The regiment was retitled as the4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1921: it moved toIndia that year and remained there until 1931; the regiment mechanised in 1936 and was transferred to theRoyal Armoured Corps in 1939.[1]
The regiment was posted to theMiddle East arriving on 31 December 1940[8] and as part of the1st Armoured Brigade in the6th Australian Infantry Division fought in theGreek Campaign.[2] As the rearguard in the Corinth Canal Bridge action the regiment was overrun and surrendered en masse, losing all senior officers and over 400 men asprisoners of war.[2] In June 1941, the regiment was reconstituted in Cairo and rejoined the 1st Armoured Brigade. Badly mauled during theBattle of Gazala in May 1942 and having lost almost an entire squadron, which had been attached to the3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters),[9] in June 1942, the regiment was temporarily amalgamated with one squadron from the (similarly depleted)8th King's Royal Irish Hussars to form the 4th/8th Hussars for theBattle of Alam el Halfa in August 1942 and theSecond Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.[10] The regiment fought with distinction in theItalian campaign during the allied advance into the Axis territories.[2] Winston Churchill became Honorary Colonel of the Regiment in 1941 and served until amalgamation.[2]
After the Second World War, the 4th Hussars deployed toLübeck inGermany in March 1947 from where the regiment was sent to serve in theFederation of Malaya in September 1948.[11] It returned to the UK in December 1951 and was then posted to Caen Barracks inHohne in September 1953.[11] The regiment was slated for reduction in the1957 Defence White Paper, and was amalgamated with the8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to form theQueen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.[1]
The regimental collection is based at a new facility inWarwick known as "Trinity Mews": the museum opened in April 2022.[12]
The battle honours of the regiment were as follows:[6]
The colonels of the regiment were as follows:[6]