| 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | Since 1 January 1959 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Dragoon Guards |
| Role | Light cavalry |
| Size | Regiment ~403 personnel[1] |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ –Cardiff Regiment –Swanton Morley |
| Nickname | The Welsh Cavalry |
| Mottos | Pro rege et patria (For King and Country) (Latin) |
| March | Quick –TheRadetzky March and Rusty Buckles Slow –1st Dragoon Guards and 2nd Dragoon Guards Slow March |
| Mascot | Welsh pony(Emrys Forlan Jones)[2] |
| Engagements | Combined battle honours of1st King's Dragoon Guards, and2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) Wadi al-Batin 1991 |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | Catherine, Princess of Wales |
| Regimental Colonel | Brigadier Alan Richmond |
| Commanding Officer | Lieutenant-Colonel David G. A. Landon |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical recognition flash |  |
| Arm badge | Royal Cypher ofQueen Caroline From the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) |
| Abbreviation | QDG |
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is an armoured cavalry regiment in theRoyal Armoured Corps (RAC) of theBritish Army that specialized in armoured reconnaissance, combined arms, counterinsurgency in desert terrain, counter-sniper tactics and special reconnaissance (snipers units only), desert warfare, ISTAR, maneuver warfare, and support to providing security in areas at risk of attack or terrorism.
NicknamedThe Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits fromWales and the bordering English counties ofCheshire,Herefordshire,Shropshire andWorcestershire. It is the senior RAC cavalry regiment and therefore seniorregiment of the line of the British Army.
The current regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of1st King's Dragoon Guards (raised in 1685 by Sir John Lanier as Lanier's or the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse in response to theMonmouth Rebellion) and the2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) (raised in 1685 by theEarl of Peterborough as Peterborough's or the 3rd Regiment of Horse, also in response to the Monmouth Rebellion).[3]
The regiment has spent much of its short history based in Germany. It served during theAden Emergency in 1966 and 1967 and its squadrons were dispersed throughout the Middle East during that time.[3] Perhaps the best known member in the 1970s wasCaptainMark Phillips, one-time husband ofThe Princess Anne: they married in 1973.[4]
In 1983, the regiment was deployed to Lebanon in support of the alliedMultinational Force, in 1990 it was sent to the Middle East for theGulf War and in 1996 it was deployed to Bosnia as part ofNATO peacekeeping forces during theYugoslav Wars.[3]
In 2003, the regiment served in Iraq during theinvasion of Iraq providing the armoured reconnaissance and light armour support necessary to allow3 Commando Brigade's advance north toBasra.[5] On their return from Iraq in 2005, Brigadier Rose of 3 Commando Brigade presented the Regiment with the Commando Dagger in recognition of the superb relationship between 'C' Squadron and theRoyal Marines during the liberation of Iraq. This squadron had the distinction of spending one of the longest periods of constant contact with the enemy for 20 days or so during this operation. In 2004, the QDG returned to Iraq on Op TELIC 5 in the counter insurgency role with B Squadron deploying from Basra in support of 1st Battalion, The Black Watch in support of operations around Fallujah. After operations in Basra and Maysan, the Regiment then took command of Al Muthanna Province as a Task Force of over 1000 personnel. In 2006, the QDG returned to Iraq onOp TELIC 8 and oversaw the successful transfer of Al Muthanna province back to Iraqi control.[6]
At the end of 2007, the Regiment leftOsnabrück and moved to Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager, where they trained for a six-month deployment toAfghanistan as part of 3 Commando Brigade. Here, they carried out a variety of frontline tasks acrossHelmand province. QDG were the first Formation Reconnaissance Regiment to deploy to Helmand as the Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Group (ISTAR Gp) onOperation HERRICK 15 in 2011. The ISTAR Gp consisted of HQ Squadron, 'C' Squadron, 'D' SquadronQRH, an Intelligence Company, K Battery5 Regt RA and 11 UAV Battery with 'B' Squadron initially detached to theDanish Battlegroup but joining the remainder of the Regiment towards the end of the tour.[6]
The regiment celebrated its fiftieth anniversary on 31 July 2009 with a ceremony atCardiff castle and a parade through the streets ofCardiff city, both attended by theColonel-in-Chief, the Prince of Wales (nowCharles III). The regiment received a great response from the people of Cardiff. That same year, the unit was also awarded with theFreedom of the City ofSwansea.[7]
In 2012, the regiment were called in to provide security for the2012 London Olympics with composite squadrons focused on supporting the beach volleyball and securing the athletes village.[8] In May of that year, there was speculation that the unit would become a victim of the defence budget cuts. As it was one of only three regiments historically associated with and one that still largely recruits from Wales, there was much support from the Welsh public to keep the QDG. However,Ministry of Defence officials announced no such plan has been made.[9][10]
As part of theArmy 2020 plans, most units based in Germany returned to the UK and the QDG moved toRobertson Barracks,Swanton Morley,Norfolk in June 2015.[11] They re-roled as "light cavalry", usingJackal vehicles.[12]
In 2014, the Regiment deployed on the final British combat deployment toHelmand Province on Operation HERRICK 20. Battlegroup Headquarters worked alongside the senior leadership of 3/215 Brigade of the Afghan Army.[13] 'A' Squadron worked with the Afghan Army to develop the latter's capabilities and professionalism in a training capacity. 'B' Squadron formed the Afghan National Security Forces Liaison Team, patrolling to the forward operating bases across the southern part of the province. 'C' Squadron formed the Brigade Reconnaissance Force.[14]
In 2018, the QDG conducted two tours ofPoland onOperation Cabrit providing the role for NATO as the enhanced forward presence in order to protect and reassure NATO's Central and Northern European member states on NATO's eastern flank of their security.[15]
In June 2021 'C' Squadron, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards deployed to Mali with2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment to form the Long Range Reconnaissance Group for Op Newcombe rotation 2 for 6 months.[8] Op Newcombe was a peacekeeping operation in support of theUnited Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Whilst deployed C squadron assisted in facilitating war crime investigations[9] and also came under fire for the first time since combat operations in Afghanistan 2014[10] where the welsh cavalry were also at the time. A member of C squadron QDG earned a mention in dispatches while deployed for courageous actions in the face of the enemy.[13]
In December 2021, the regimental headquarters and 'A' squadron, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, with support from a company fromThe Royal Irish Regiment, took over from 'C' squadron to start a further 6 months tour of Mali.[14]
In July 2022, once all squadrons were back from Op Newcombe in Mali, the regiment as a whole took part in freedom parades in Wales, most notably in Cardiff where King Charles III (then Prince Charles) was in attendance. The regiment then went onto parade in Wrexham, Swansea and Newport.[16]
As part of theFuture Soldier programme, the regiment will remain in their armoured cavalry role but move toCaerwent 'not before' 2027.[17]
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The regiment's role is reconnaissance using theJackal 2 andCoyote high mobility vehicles.[18]
The regimental collection is displayed atFiring Line: Cardiff Castle Museum of the Welsh Soldier inCardiff.[19]
In 1896, EmperorFranz Joseph I of Austria was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st King's Dragoon Guards and allowed the regiment to wear theAustrian imperial coat of arms, which is still used as the regiment'scap badge today; the collar badge is that of The Queen's Bays. Also the regiment adopted an Austrian military march,Radetzky March, as quick march. The current Regimental March is the Radetzky March and Rusty Buckles, the latter being the Regimental March of The Queen's Bays. Other items of uniform draw on the regiment's dual heritage: thus, whilst the cap of 1st King's Dragoon Guards (with dark blue velvet strip and piping) is worn, trousers have the distinctive broad white stripe of The Queen's Bays.[20]
Full dress is still worn by some on ceremonial occasions:[21] the 1st King's Dragoon Guards tunic (scarlet with blue velvet facings) being paired with Queen's Bays white-striped overalls. The KDG red-plumed brass cavalry helmet is also worn, together with pouch belts and other accoutrements.[22]
In the QDG,lance corporals wear two chevrons, corporals wear two chevrons surmounted by the Bay's emblem, which is worn by all senior NCOs.Squadron quartermaster sergeants wear four chevrons surmounted by a crown.[22]
The Commanding Officers have been:[24]
Colonels-in-chief were as follows:
Regimental colonels were as follows:[25]
Royal Navy
Affiliated Regiment
Allied Royal Air Force Squadron
Affiliation
Commonwealth
Canada –The Governor General's Horse Guards[27]
Australia –1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers[27]
South Africa –1 Special Service Battalion[27]
Pakistan –11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)[27]
Sri Lanka –1st Reconnaissance Regiment[27]Non-Commonwealth
Austria – Panzergrenadierbataillon 35[27]
France –1er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie(Twinned Regiment)[27]| Preceded by | Cavalry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
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