| The King's Royal Hussars | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the King's Royal Hussars | |
| Active | 2 December 1992- |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Line cavalry |
| Role | Tank warfare |
| Size | One regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | HHQ -Winchester Regiment -Tidworth |
| March | Quick -The King's Royal Hussars Slow -Coburg Other -The Eagle |
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Officer | Lt Col David Welford MBE |
| Colonel-in-Chief | Anne, Princess Royal |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Brigadier J. Nicholas N. Orr |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Arm Badge |  Crossed Kukris From 14th/20th King's Hussars |
| Abbreviation | KRH |
TheKing's Royal Hussars (KRH) is an armouredregiment of theBritish Army formed in 1992. Based atTidworth it serves as one of the armoured regiments of the12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT).[1]
The regiment was formed on 4 December 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments:[2]
The regiment was based at York Barracks inMünster at the time of amalgamation from where it deployed units toNorthern Ireland onOperation Banner in June 1994 and toBosnia and Herzegovina in January 1996.[3]
The regiment deployed units to Bosnia and Herzegovina again in June 1997 and to both Bosnia and Herzegovina andKosovo in autumn 1999.[3] The regiment returned to Aliwal Barracks atTidworth Camp in March 2000 from where it deployed units to Northern Ireland in October 2002; it also deployed units to Iraq onOperation Telic 1 in June 2003, Operation Telic 6 in May 2005 and Operation Telic 10 in June 2007.[3] The regiment also deployed onOperation Herrick 7 in September 2007 and Operation Herrick 16 in April 2012.[4]
The regiment currently serves in thearmoured role, equipped withChallenger 2 tanks, and is based inTidworth,Wiltshire. The regiment is organised into a total of five squadrons, each of which perpetuates the title of one of its antecedent regiments:
C Squadron traditionally is the senior squadron of the King's Royal Hussars in perpetuation of the honour accorded to C Squadron the 11th Hussars in Egypt.[5]
As part of theFuture Soldier reforms, the regiment's reconnaissance troop (known as recce troop) will be equipped withAjax armoured fighting vehicles.[1]
The regiment wears crimson trousers when in full dress, No. 1 dress or No. 2 dress, and (for officers and NCOs)mess dress. They may also be worn in shirt sleeve order by officers, including those on secondment to the regiment from other units.[6] This distinctive feature, which is unique in the British Army, derives from the honour accorded to the 11th Hussars byPrince Albert, the future consort of Queen Victoria. The regiment, then based at Canterbury, formed the escort for the Prince from his arrival at Dover en route tohis wedding in London. The Prince was so impressed with the bearing and turnout of the troops that he ordered that they should henceforth wear his livery as a mark of distinction.[5]
The regiment wears a unique brownberet. This practice began when the 11th Hussars were mechanized in 1928. It was found that the traditionalforage cap with a peak was inconvenient when peering through an armoured vehicle gunsight, so it was decided to adopt a beret. It is believed that the brown colour was selected by the then quartermaster's wife as a practical choice for working with oily vehicles, rather than horses. The beret was originally worn without a cap badge but with a broad crimson band. On almagamation with the10th Hussars PWO (the senior regiment of the two), who had a red patch behind their cap badge, it was agreed in discussions between representatives of both regiments (10th and 11th) to retain the patch but the colour was changed to crimson to represent the crimson band. Since 2003 theRoyal Wessex Yeomanry has also worn the brown beret.[7]
The regiment wear the crossedkukri of theGurkhas as an arm badge. This relates back to 1945 when C Squadron,14th/20th King's Hussars assaulted the town ofMedicina inItaly alongside the 2nd Battalion,6th Gurkha Rifles, inflicting heavy losses on the German defenders despite being outnumbered. In commemoration of this action the 14th/20th King's Hussars adopted the crossed kukri badge, a tradition maintained by the regiment.[8]
During theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813, the14th Light Dragoons captured from a French baggage train, a silverchamber pot belonging to KingJoseph Bonaparte which he had received from his brother,Emperor Napoleon. The regiment gained the regimental nickname of"The Emperor's Chambermaids" and retained the chamber pot as aloving cup known as "The Emperor". The King's Royal Hussars, as the successor to the 14th Light Dragoons, still retain "The Emperor", and their officers drink from it on mess nights.[9]
"HorsePower: The Museum of the King's Royal Hussars" is the regiment's museum and forms part ofWinchester's Military Museums inWinchester,Hampshire.[10]
Colonels of the Regiment have been:[11]
Commanding Officers have included:[13]
| 1881Childers Reforms | 1922 Amalgamations | 1966Defence White Paper | 1990Options for Change - today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (Prince Of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars | Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) | King's Royal Hussars | |
| 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars | |||
| 14th (The King's) Hussars | 14th/20th King's Hussars | ||
| 20th Hussars | |||
Canada -1st Hussars
Australia -10th Light Horse Australia -2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) Australia -4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
New Zealand -Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
Pakistan -The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force)
Zambia - Zambia Armoured Car Regiment
Royal Navy -HMSDauntless
Royal Air Force -IX(B) Squadron
France –5e Régiment de Dragons| Preceded by | Cavalry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
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