13th Light Dragoons
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13th Light Dragoon's Cap Badge 1801 |
The 13th Light Dragoons (later renamed
The 13th Hussars) were a cavalry regiment of the
British Army whose battle honours include
Waterloo and
The Charge of the Light Brigade.
British Light
dragoons were first raised in the
18th century. Initially they formed part of a cavalry regiment (scouting, reconnaissance etc), but due to their successes in this role, (and also in charging and harassing the enemy), they soon acquired a reputation for courage and skill. Whole regiments dedicated to this role were soon raised; the
15th Light Dragoons 1759 were the first, followed by the
18th Light Dragoons and the
19th Light Dragoons.
The 13th Light Dragoons were initially heavy dragoons known as Richard Munden's Regiment of Dragoons
1715. By
1751 the regiment title was simplified to the 13th Regiment of Dragoons and by
1783 had been converted to the light role. In
1861 the regiment had changed its name to the 13th Hussars and in
1922 the regiment amalgamated with the
18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) to form the
13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own). The 13th/18th were in turn consolidated with the
15th/19th King's Hussars to from the
Light Dragoons in
1992.
The 13th light Dragoons served around the world including the
Peninsular War,
Waterloo,
India and the
Crimean War.
The Peninsular War
On the 16th May,
1811, the 13th Light Dragoons formed part of Marshal Beresford's Allied-Spanish Army at
Albuera during the
Peninsular War. The French army, commanded by Marshal Jean-de-Dieu
Soult, Duc de Dalmatie, was attempting to relieve the French garrison of the border fortress of
Badajoz. Only after bloody and fierce fighting, and the steadfastness of the British infantry, did the allies carry the day. The 13th Light Dragoons, along with the
3rd Dragoon Guards and the
4th Dragoons, formed the Brigade of Brigadier George Grey (part of The Division of Brigadier General Sir William Lumley). The 13th numbered 403 in four squadrons equipped with Paget light cavalry carbine and sabre.
On the 21st June,
1813, the regiment saw action at the
Battle of Vittoria; the last major battle against Napoleon's forces in Spain opening the way for the British forces to invade France. The Allied army under the command of Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley,
Marquess of Wellington decisively defeated the French army under
Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain and brother of the Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte. Along with the
10th Light Dragoons and
15th Light Dragoons, the 13th Light Dragoons formed the 2nd Brigade (part of the right centre column), commanded by Colonel Colquohon Grant.
Light dragoons during this period wore light blue jackets and a
shako. Other battle honours of the 13th Light Dragoons during the Peninsular War include the
Battle of Orthes and the
Battle of Toulouse.
Waterloo
On 18th June,
1815, the armies of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley,
Duke of Wellington and
Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher decisively defeated the Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte at the
Battle of Waterloo.
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The 13th Light Dragoons at Waterloo 1815. Lord Hill - "Drive them back 13th" |
In total ten troops of the regiment, consisting of 895 men and 775 horses were readied for service. The 13th commanded by Lt-Colonel Patrick Doherty (later replaced due to illness by Lt-Colonel Boyse who in turn, after being wounded in the battle, was replaced by Major B. Lawrence), along with
3rd King's German Hussars of the
King's German Legion formed part of the 7th Cavalry Brigade under Colonel Sir F V Arentschildt. All cavalry was commanded by the
Earl of Uxbridge.
On the 17th June the regiment was ordered to join the 5th Cavalry Brigade (consisting of the
7th Hussars and
15th Hussars) under Major-General Sir Colquhoun Grant. On the morning of the battle, 18th June, Grant moved to the right centre of the position occupied by the army, taking up its position in the rear of the Brigade of Guards commanded by Major-General Byng.
Initially the brigade saw little action, however, when the French pushed forward with two columns of cavalry and infantry to force the British position, the cavalry brigade received orders to charge. The enemy broke and were pursued until other French cavalry on the left flank were detected. The brigade then retired behind the infantry until Lord Uxbridge and Lord Hill ordered the 13th forward again; this time against a square of French infantry. The enemy were completely routed, and dispersed.
The late afternoon brought renewed French attacks with infantry and cavalry in a last effort to win the day. The brigade, along with Major-General Dornberg's 3rd Cavalry Brigade on the left, attacked a heavy column of French infantry. An officer of the 13th wrote:
Our last and most brilliant charge, was at the moment that Lord Hill, perceiving the movement of the Prussian army, and finding the French Imperial Guard on the point of forcing a part of the British position, cried out, - "Drive them back, 13th!" such an order from such a man, could not be misconstrued, and it was punctually obeyed.
Although sustaining heavy fire, the attack was again successful and the enemy routed. In total the 13th Light Dragoons at
Waterloo suffered 99 casualties with 113 horses lost.
The Crimean War
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A 13th private after Balaclava - Pencil drawing by Raymond Palmer 1970 - |
In
1854 the regiment received its orders from the War Office to prepare for service overseas. Five transport ships -
Harbinger,
Negotiator,
Calliope,
Cullodon, and the
Mary Anne â€" embarking between the 8th and 12th of May, carried 20 officers, 292 other ranks and 298 horses. After a troubled voyage, the regiment arrived at
Varna,
Bulgaria on the 2nd June. On the 28th August the entire Light Brigade (consisting of the
4th Light Dragoons and 13th Light Dragoons,
17th Lancers, the
8th Hussars and
11th Hussars, under the command of Major General the
Earl of Cardigan) were inspected by
Lord Lucan; five men of the 13th had already succumbed to
cholera. On the 1st September the regiment embarked for the
Crimea - a further three men dying en-route.
On the 20th September the regiment, as part the Light Brigade, took part in the first major engagement of the
Crimean War, the
Battle of the Alma. The Light Brigade covered the left flank, although the regiment's role in the battle was minimal. With the Russians in full retreat by late afternoon, Lord Lucan ordered the Light Brigade to pursue the fleeing enemy. However, the brigade was recalled by
Lord Raglan as the Russians had kept some 3,000 uncommitted cavalry in reserve.
According to regimental records, by the 25th October the 13th Light Dragoons had a parade state of 128 officers and men. However, other records state the number could have been as low as 103 out of a total strength of the Light Brigade of 673. Regimental records do not state who was in overall command of the regiment.
During the 25th October the regiment, as part of the Light Brigade, took part in the
Battle of Balaclava and the famous
Charge of the Light Brigade. At Balaclava A, B, D, and E troops were engaged:
A Troop - Captain Oldham and Cornet Montgomery. :B Troop - Captain Jenyns and Lieutenant Jervis.:D Troop - Captain Goad and (for a time) Cornet Goad.:E Troop - Captain Tremayne, Lieutenant Percy Smith, and Cornet Chamberlayne.
The A and B troops formed one squadron, the A troop being on the extreme right of the line. The D and E troops formed the other, E troop being on the left of the other squadron. The officers with the depot troops (troops C and F) in England were Captains Holden and the Hon. John Hely Hutchinson; Lieutenant Clayton and Lieutenant Davis; and Cornets Dearden and Fielden.
The 13th Light Dragoons formed the right of the front line along with the
17th Lancers on the left. The 13th and 17th moved forward; after 100 yards the
11th Hussars, in the second line, also moved off followed by the 4th and 8th. It was not long before the brigade came under heavy Russian fire.
Lord Cardigan, at the front of his men, charged into the Russian guns receiving a slight wound. He was soon followed by the 13th and 17th. The two squadrons of the 13th and the right squadron of the 17th were soon cutting down the artillerymen that had remained at their posts. Once the Russian guns had been passed, they engaged in a hand-to-hand fighting with the enemy that was endeavouring to surround them by closing in on either flank. However, the Light Brigade having insufficient forces and suffering heavy casualties, were soon forced to retire.
The 13th Light Dragoons lost three officers in the charge: Captains Oldham and Goad and Cornet Montgomery. Troop Sergeant-Major Weston, and ten rank and file were also killed. Two Troop Sergeant-Majors and 30 rank and file were wounded, while 10 rank and file were taken prisoner. However, the valorous conduct of the 13th Light Dragoons during the charge earned the regiment a
Victoria Cross awarded to Lance-Sergeant
Joseph Malone of the E Troop.
During the Crimean War the 13th also took part in the
Battle of Inkerman. The brigade played a minor role, although Captain Jenyns complained:
They put us under a very heavy fire at Inkerman, but luckily for us - and no thanks to any General - we had a slight rise on our flank, which ricocheted the balls just over our heads. Some ship's shells bowled over a few men and horses though. It was useless, as we could not act.
The 13th Light Dragoons also took part in the
Siege of Sevastopol,
1855, as part of the 2nd Light Brigade under Colonel
George Paget.
On the 8th April 1861 the
13th Light Dragoons were renamed the
13th Hussars. The regiment's uniform also changed, influenced by the
Austro-Hungarian army. However, the blues, and golds were soon replaced by khaki as the regiment found itself serving in,
India,
Afghanistan (during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War) and
South Africa (during the
Second Boer War).
The 13th Hussars served in India and Afghanistan from
1874 to
1884. There is little to chronicle in this relatively quiet period for the regiment. However, it is worth noting that in
1876 Sir Robert Stephenson Smyth (
Baden-Powell) joined his first regiment, the 13th Hussars, in India. The founder of the
Scout movement also served with the regiment in Afghanistan, South Africa and on home service in England. In 1911, he would be appointed Colonel of the Regiment.
On November 14th the 13th Hussars, after more than ten years in India, embarked on board the
Serapis at Bombay for England.
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Helemt Badge 13th Hussars 1900 |
The Second Anglo-Boer War
The 13th Hussars participated in the
Second Anglo-Boer War,
1899 â€"
1902.
On 5th December
1899 the 13th disembarked at
Durban,
South Africa. The 13th Hussars along with the
Royal Dragoons and the
14th Hussars formed Colonel Burn-Murdoch's Brigade; part of the force sent to relief the besieged town of
Ladysmith being invested by the
Boers. However, the regiment's role in the battle was minor.
First World War
The regiment, as part of the Meerut Cavalry Brigade, moved from
Meerut in India to France; arriving in
Marseilles in
1914. The Meerut Brigade served in the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division where for the next two years the regiment saw action in the western front in
France and
Flanders. The regiment fought both in the trenches and in their mounted role.
In July 1916, the brigade left the division and moved to
Mesopotamia where, together with the
13th Lancers and the
14th Lancers, it formed part of the 7th Indian Cavalry Brigade. The regiments battle honours include
Kut al Amara 1917 and the capture of
Baghdad in March 1917. The 13th Hussars also saw action at the last battle of the Mesopotamian front, the
Battle of Sharqat. The action saw the British regional Commander-in-Chief Sir William Marshall secure control of the
Mosul oilfields north of Baghdad.
After the war the army reduced in size. In
1922 the 13th Hussars amalgamated with the
18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) to form the
13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)).
1715 07.22 - Brig-Gen. Richard Munden
1722 11.19 - F.M. Sir Robert Rich
1725 09.20 - Maj-Gen. William (Stanhope), 1st Earl of Harrington
1730 07.07 - Lt-Gen. Henry Hawley
1740 05.12 - Col. Robert Dalway
1741 01.09 - Lt-Gen. Humphrey Bland
1743 04.18 - Col. James Gardiner
1745 10.01 - Col. Francis Ligonier
1746 03.03 - Col. Peter Naison
1751 01.26 - Maj-Gen. Sir Charles Armand Powlett, KB
1751 12.21 - F.M. Hon. Henry Seymour Conway
1754 07.08 - Gen. John Mostyn
1758 10.18 - Lt-Gen. Archibald Douglas
1778 11.27 - Lt-Gen. Sir Richard Pierson, KB
1781 02.15 - Gen. Francis Craig
1811 12.30 - Gen. Hon. Sir Henry George Grey, GCB, GCH
1845 01.29 - Gen. Hon. Edward Pyndar Lygon, CB
1860 11.12 - Lt-Gen. Allan Thomas Maclean
(1861- changed to 13th Hussars)1868 12.10 - Gen. John Lawrenson
1883 10.31 - Lt-Gen. Broadley Harrison
1890 07.01 - Lt-Gen. Richard Buckley Prettejohn, CB
1891 01.05 - Gen. Sir Wiliam Henry Seymour, KCB
1894 01.20 - Gen. Sir Baker Creed Russell, GCB, KCMG
1911 11.26 - Lt-Gen. Sir Robert Stephenson Smyth (
Baden-Powell), 1st Lord Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB
(1922 amalgamated with the
18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) to form the
13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own))
*
The Light Dragoons Regimental History*
The 13th Light Dragoons Waterloo*
The 13th Light Dragoons in the Crimea*
The 13th Light Dragoons at the Charge of the Light Brigade*
The 13th Hussars in Second Boer War*
13th Hussars
