| 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) | |
|---|---|
 Regimental Badge | |
| Active | 1688–1922 |
| Country |  England (1688–1707)
 United Kingdom (1801–1922) |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Role | Heavy Cavalry |
| Size | 550 |
| Nicknames | The Black Horse The Virgin Mary's Bodyguard[1] |
| March | (slow) 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Defunct |
The7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was acavalry regiment in theBritish Army, first raised in 1688 asLord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the8th Horse in 1694 and the7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards forPrincess Charlotte in 1788. It saw service for two centuries, including theFirst World War, before being amalgamated with the4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, to form the4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.
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During the 1688Glorious Revolution,William Cavendish, later Duke of Devonshire, raised a troop of horse to provide an escort forPrincess Anne, younger daughter ofJames II. After James fled into exile, a number of independent troops were brought together to formLord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse.[2]
During theWilliamite War in Ireland, it fought at theBattle of the Boyne in July 1690, before moving toFlanders in 1692 to serve in theNine Years' War. It took part in the action at Dottignies in July 1693 and thesiege of Namur in July 1695, before the war ended with the 1697Treaty of Ryswick.[3] Saved from disbandment by being transferred onto the Irish establishment, it served in Europe throughout theWar of the Spanish Succession, fighting atBlenheim,Elixheim,Ramillies andMalplaquet.[4]
After the 1713Treaty of Utrecht it returned to Ireland, where in 1720,French Huguenot exile and futureField MarshalJohn 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.'[5] As late as 1913, recruits were still taught about Ligonier, while his personal crest and motto were borne by every member of the regiment.[6]
Sent back to Flanders in 1742 for theWar of the Austrian Succession, the regiment fought in the battles ofDettingen andFontenoy. AtLauffeld in July 1747, it took part in a famous charge led by Ligonier that allowed their infantry to escape what was an Allied defeat.[7] After the 1748Treaty 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".[8] It remained in Ireland until July 1760, when it fought atWarburg, during theSeven Years' War.[9]
In 1788, it was retitled7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards, afterPrincess Charlotte.[10] It remained in Ireland and England throughout thewars with France and helped suppress the1798 Irish Rebellion.[11] During the Victorian era, it was sent to South Africa in 1843, where it remained until after the1846–1847 Xhosa War. Before leaving, the regiment was rearmed with a version of theBrunswick rifle:[12][13] despite the shortcomings of this weapon,[14][15] it dismounted to fight as infantry so frequently that on its return to England theInspector-General of Cavalry recommended that additional infantry officers be drafted into the regiment.[16] In 1857, it was posted toIndia, returning home in 1867 where it remained until the 1882Anglo-Egyptian War.[17]
Following the outbreak of theSecond Boer War in late 1899, the regiment was again sent abroad for service inSouth Africa. A total of 24 officers and 500 men leftSouthampton aboardArmenian on 8 February 1900.[18] The regiment fought at theBattle of Diamond Hill in June 1900.[19]
The regiment, which had been serving inSecunderabad at the start of theFirst World War, landed inMarseille as part of the9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade in the1st Indian Cavalry Division in October 1914 for service on theWestern Front.[20] A squadron from the regiment rode ten miles to capture the town ofLessines on 11 November 1918 shortly before thearmistice.[21] It was re-titled as the7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) in 1921, and was amalgamated with the4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, to form the4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.[22]
The regimental collection is held in the York Army Museum at theTower Street drill hall inYork.[23]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:
InNorwich Cathedral there are memorial windows to those members of the 7th Dragoon Guards who died in theSecond Boer War andWorld War I. 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.[24] 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'.[25][26]
The colonels of the regiment were as follows:[27]
from 16938th Regiment of Horse
in 1746 transferred to the Irish establishment and ranked
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".
in 1788 transferred to the British establishment and ranked
from 19217th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's)
from 19224th/7th Dragoon Guardsafter amalgamation with4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards
