| 15th The King's Hussars | |
|---|---|
 Badge of 15th The King's Hussars | |
| Active | 1759–1922 |
| Country |  Great Britain (1759–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1922) |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Line cavalry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Nicknames | Eliott's Light Horse The Tabs[1] |
| Motto | Merebimur (We shall be Worthy) (Latin) |
| Colours | Blue - Yellow - Red and Blue |
| Anniversaries | Sahagún Day (21 December) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield Lieutenant GeneralJames Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan GeneralLord Robert Manners |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | NCOs - Royal Crest |
The15th The King's Hussars was acavalry regiment in theBritish Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including theFirst World War, before being amalgamated with the19th Royal Hussars into the15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1922.
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The regiment was raised in theLondon area byGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield asElliots Light Horse as the first of the new regiments of lightdragoons in 1759.[2] It was renamed the15th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1760.[2] The regiment landed inBremen in June 1760 for service in theSeven Years' War.[3] The regiment were largely responsible for the victory, suffering 125 of the 186 allied casualties at theBattle of Emsdorf in July 1760. Lieutenant ColonelWilliam Erskine, commanding the regiment, presentedKing George III with 16 colours captured by his regiment after the battle.[4] During the battle the French commander, Major-General Christian-Sigismund von Glaubitz, was taken prisoner.[5] The regiment charged the French rear guard twice at theBattle of Wilhelmsthal in June 1762[6] and then returned home in July 1763.[7] In 1766 it was renamed for King George III as the1st (or The King's Royal) Regiment of Light Dragoons, the number being an attempt to create a new numbering system for the light dragoon regiments. Under this name it suppressed theNottingham cheese riot in October 1766.[2] However, the old system was quickly re-established, with the regiment being renamed as the15th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1769.[2]
The regiment landed atOstend in May 1793 for service in theFlanders Campaign and fought at theBattle of Famars in May 1793.[8] It formed part of the besieging force at theSiege of Valenciennes in June 1793[8] and formed part of the covering force at theSiege of Dunkirk in August 1793[9] and at theSiege of Landrecies in April 1794.[10] It undertook successful charges at theBattle of Villers-en-Cauchies in April 1794[11] and at theBattle of Willems in May 1794[12] and was present, but not actively engaged, at theBattle of Tournay later in May 1794.[13] The regiment returned to England in December 1795[14] and was next in action at theBattle of Alkmaar in October 1799 during theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland.[14]
The regiment was reconstituted as a hussar regiment in 1807 as the15th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars).[2] It landed atCorunna in November 1808 for service in thePeninsular War[15] and defeated two regiments of French cavalry at theBattle of Sahagún in December 1808.[16] At the battle two French lieutenant colonels were captured and the French1st Provisional Chasseurs à cheval, who lost many men captured, ceased to exist as a viable regiment.[17] However, the commanding officer of the 15th Hussars, ColonelColquhoun Grant, was wounded in the battle.[18] The regiment embarked at Corunna for their journey home in January 1809.[19]
The regiment were ordered to supportSir Arthur Wellesley's Army on theIberian Peninsula and landed atLisbon in February 1813.[20] It took part in theBattle of Morales in June 1813[21] and theBattle of Vitoria later in the month.[22] It then pursued the French Army into France and supported the infantry at theBattle of Orthez in February 1814[23] and at theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[24] It returned to England in July 1814.[25] The regiment was recalled for theHundred Days and landed atOstend in May 1815:[26] it took part in a charge at theBattle of Waterloo in June 1815[27] and returned to England in May 1816.[28]
The regiment played a pivotal role in the notoriousPeterloo Massacre in August 1819, when a 60,000 strong crowd calling for democratic reform were charged by the Yeomanry. Panic from the crowd was interpreted as an attack on the Yeomanry and the Hussars (led by Lieutenant Colonel Guy L'Estrange) were ordered in. The charge resulted in 15 fatalities and as many as 600 injured.[29]
The title of the regiment was simplified in 1861 to the15th (The King's) Hussars.[2] It was stationed inIreland between July 1824 and May 1827[30] and between April 1834 and May 1837.[31] It was then stationed inIndia between spring 1840 and 1854.[32] The regiment returned to India in 1867 and moved on toAfghanistan in 1878 for service in theSecond Anglo-Afghan War before being deployed toSouth Africa in January 1881 for service in theFirst Boer War.[32]
The regiment, which was stationed atLongmoor at the start of theFirst World War, landed atRouen in France on 18 August 1914: the squadrons were attached to different infantry divisions to form the divisional reconnaissance element: A Squadron was attached to3rd Division, B Squadron was attached to2nd Division and C Squadron was attached to1st Division. On 14 April 1915, the squadrons returned to regimental control and the regiment was placed under the command of the9th Cavalry Brigade in the1st Cavalry Division.[33] The regiment remained on theWestern Front throughout the war. It participated in most of the major actions where cavalry were used as a mounted mobile force. They were also used as dismounted troops and served effectively as infantry.[34]On 11 November 1918, orders were received that the 1st Cavalry Division would lead the advance of the Second Army into Germany, by 6 December 1918, having passed throughNamur, the division secured the Rhine bridgehead atCologne.[34]
After service in the First World War, the regiment, retitled as the15th The King's Hussars in 1921[2] was amalgamated with the19th Royal Hussars into the15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1922.[2]
The regimental collection is held by theDiscovery Museum inNewcastle upon Tyne.[35]
The regiment was awarded the following battle honours:[2]
Colonels of the regiment were:[2]