Light Dragoons
| The Light Dragoons | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Light Dragoons | |
| Active | 1 December 1990– |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Line cavalry |
| Role | Light Cavalry |
| Size | One regiment |
| Part of | N/A |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ – Newcastle upon Tyne Regiment – Catterick Garrison |
| Nickname(s) | "England's Northern Cavalry" |
| Motto(s) | Viret in aeternum (It Flourishes Forever) Merebimur (We shall be Worthy) |
| March | Quick – Balaklava Slow – Denmark |
| Engagements | 1st Battle of Fallujah |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The King of Jordan |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Major General David Rutherford-Jones |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Arm Badge | NCOs – Royal Crest From 15th/19th King's Royal Hussars ORs – South Africa flash From 13th/18th Royal Hussars |
| Abbreviation | LD |
The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment is a light cavalry regiment with a history in the reconnaissance role which dates back to the early eighteenth century. It is currently based in Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire.
History
The regiment was formed in 1992 at Haig Barracks in Hohne from the amalgamation of two regiments, the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars. All of the antecedent regiments had been regiments of "light dragoons" during the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Napoleonic Wars.[1]
B Squadron (The Guards) was the first squadron of the newly formed regiment to do a tour of duty; sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 1993 on peacekeeping duties. They were followed by C Squadron (The Legion) in November 1993 and later by A and D squadrons in 1994. For all of those initial tours the Light Dragoons deployed on Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked (CVRT) [2] The Light Dragoons also sent units to Iraq on Operation Telic 2 in July 2003 and Operation Telic 6 in May 2005.[3]
Elements of the regiment were deployed on a tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 5 with 3 Commando Brigade in October 2006 and then with 12 Mechanised Brigade on Operation Herrick 6 in April 2007.[4] The regiment deployed as a battle group on Operation Herrick 10 in April 2009 and took part in Operation Panther's Claw in the summer of 2009.[3] The regiment's last deployment to Afghanistan was on Operation Herrick 16 in April 2012.[4] It subordinated to 4th Infantry Brigade and moved to a new home at Gaza Barracks in Catterick Garrison in 2015.[4]
Role
The regiment's role includes scouting for information about the enemy, engaging enemy targets and guiding fast jets. The regiment recently converted to the Jackal armoured fighting vehicles under Army 2020.[5][6] The Light Dragoons recruit principally in the North East of England (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham) and in South Yorkshire and have strong connections with these areas. For this reason, the regiment is known as England’s Northern Cavalry although as it is now England's only Light Cavalry regiment it is also termed "England's Light Cavalry"[7]
Colonels-in-chief
Colonels-in-Chief have included:
- HRH The Princess of Wales (1992–1996)[8]
- HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1997–2002)[9]
- HM The King of Jordan (2003–)[10][11]
Lineage
| 1881 Childers Reforms | 1922 Amalgamations | 1990 Options for Change - today |
|---|---|---|
| 13th Hussars | 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) | Light Dragoons |
| 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars | ||
| 15th (The King's) Hussars | 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars | |
| 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars |
Alliances
Canada – The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal)- Canada – The South Alberta Light Horse
Australia – 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers
India – 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse)
Pakistan – 6th Lancers- Pakistan – 19th Lancers
Malaysia – 2nd Royal Armoured Regiment
Royal Navy – HMS Northumberland
France – 4e Chasseurs d'Afrique
Affiliated yeomanry
Order of precedence
Notes
- ^ "Hussars" (PDF). Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "British units deployed to Bosnia". Britain's small wars. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Light Dragoons". British Empire. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Light Dragoons". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Light Dragoons". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "Army 2020 report" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Hundreds gather in Barnsley to welcome the Light Dragoons". army.mod.uk. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "History". Light Dragoons Regimental Association. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "HRH The Princess Margaret". British Empire. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "No. 57032". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 August 2003.
- ^ "New Royal Colonels appointed". British Monarchy. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
References
- Light Dragoons: The Making of a Regiment By Allan Mallinson . Pen and Sword books . 362 pages . 2006. ISBN 1-84415-448-3
External links
- The Light Dragoons Regimental Association
- Through Helmand desert with the Dragoons
- British Army Locations from 1945
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