| 20th Hussars | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the 20th Hussars | |
| Active | 1858–1922 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Role | Line Cavalry |
| Size | One Regiment |
| Nickname | Nobody's Own[1] |
The20th Hussars was acavalry regiment of theBritish Army. After service in theFirst World War it was amalgamated with the14th King's Hussars to form the14th/20th King's Hussars in 1922.
The regiment was originally raised inBengal by theEast India Company as the2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry in 1858, for service in the response to theIndian Rebellion.[2] It was renamed the2nd Bengal European Cavalry in 1859 and in 1862, while based inMathura, it was transferred to the British Army and renamed the20th Regiment of Hussars.[2] It became the20th Hussars in 1877.[2]
The regiment remained on theNorth West Frontier and participated in theAmbela Campaign in autumn 1863 and theHazara Expedition in October 1868 before moving to England in 1872.[3] The regiment was based in Ireland from 1879 to 1884.[3]
The regiment was sent toSudan as part of theSuakin Expedition in February 1885 and took part in theBattle of Tofrek in March 1885[4] and theBattle of Ginnis in December 1885.[5] It also took part in theBattle of Gemeizeh in December 1888 during theMahdist War when it made a series of charges against the enemy. In this battle, three of the swords of the 20th Hussars broke short, an incident which later caused debate in theHouse of Commons.[6] It undertook another successful charge at theBattle of Toski in August 1889.[7] After their return to England in 1890, the regiment was awarded the battle honour "Suakin 1885" for its services in Egypt and also the battle honour "Vimiera" in respect of the earlier services of its predecessor regiment, the20th Light Dragoons.[2] The regiment returned to India in 1895.[3]
The regiment was not deployed toSouth Africa until December 1901 for service in theSecond Boer War and therefore only took part in the final drives against the Boer commandos in spring 1902.[8] The regiment was based in Ireland again from 1908 to 1911.[3]
The regiment, which was based inColchester at the start of theFirst World War, landed inFrance as part of the5th Cavalry Brigade in the2nd Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on theFirst World War.[9] The regiment saw action at theBattle of Mons in August 1914[10] and both theFirst Battle of the Marne and theFirst Battle of the Aisne in September 1914.[11] It went on fight at theFirst Battle of Ypres in October 1914,[12] theBattle of Arras in April 1917[13] and theBattle of Cambrai in November 1917.[14] It later took part in theGerman spring offensive in 1918,[15] theBattle of Amiens in August 1918[16] and the final push as the war drew to a close.[17]
A nationalist uprising in Turkey caused the allies to send troops toConstantinople. The regiment was deployed to theİzmit peninsula in 1920 as part of a formation under GeneralSir Edmund Ironside's command. The regiment charged Turkish positions in July near the village ofGebze and successfully routed the enemy. Although mounted action did take place inSyria during theSecond World War, this was the last regimental charge ever made by British cavalry. The regiment suffered one casualty, although several horses were also wounded.[18][19] The regiment was amalgamated in 1922 with the14th King's Hussars to form the14th/20th King's Hussars.[2]
TheMuseum of the 14th/20th King's Hussars was in theMuseum of Lancashire inPreston until it closed in 2016.[20]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[2]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[2]2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry
20th Regiment of Hussars (1862)
20th Hussars
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