| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Royal Horseguardsman to open again? | |
| Posted by: | Kevin Farnan | |
| Date/Time: | 15/11/10 21:33:00 |
| Emma, Jim & all. I think that the Scottish connection may be correct. At first I thought it might be connected to South Africa but it goes further back than that. The Blues & Royals which are part of the Household Cavalry are an amalgamation of two former Army Regiments (see below). The Blues and Royals were formed in 1969 from an amalgamation of the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons). The Royal Horse Guards The Royal Horse Guards trace their origins back to a force raised by Oliver Cromwell prior to the second invasion of Scotland, but the parliamentary officers were replaced by royalists in 1660. The Regiment then saw almost continuous service from The Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685, to Flanders, the Boyne, the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War, during which the Marquis of Granby (famous in regimental folklore) commanded the Regiment. The Regiment went on to see service during the Peninsular War, fighting at the decisive battle of Vitoria in 1813 and as part of The Household Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) trace their origins back to a troop of horse raised by King Charles II in 1661 to form part of the garrison at Tangier, which was part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza. They became Dragoons on their return to England in 1683. The term dragoon derived from the 'dragon', a musket suitable for mounted infantry. They received the battle honour Tangier, the oldest battle honour carried on standards, guidons and colours in the British Army. The years afterwards were spent in Germany, Cyprus and Windsor before the regiment amalgamated with The Royal Dragoons in March 1969. Emma, not sure that I know of any barracks which were in that part of Brentford unless it may have been a drill hall for some Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. The nearest Cavalry would have been at Windsor or more likely Hounslow. |