‘B’ (Balaklava) Squadron make it to the Finish Challenger 2 tanks and troops from the Queen’s Royal Hussars worked alongside members of the Finnish Armoured Brigade and American, Latvian and Estonian allies as the military alliance today flexed its muscles in response to Russian aggression. ‘B’ Squadron deployed to Finland in May 2022 on Ex ARROW 22 alongside forces from Finland, Latvia, US and Estonia. The war games, dubbed Exercise Arrow, will see Nato troops work alongside Finnish units to…

The Battle of Dettingen In 1742, the Queen’s Own mobilised for the War of the Austrian Succession and by June 1743 they were formed up in a disadvantageous position near the village of Dettingen in the valley of the River Maine. They spent the morning of 27 June standing next to The King’s Own Regiment of Dragoons, exposed to devastating fire from the French guns. The French commander in front of Dettingen, Grammont, at this point lost his head; he…

Rhodesia 1979-80 In November 1979, Lt Col Rhoderick-Jones was summoned by the local Task Force Commander to be told that he and a Commonwealth Force of 1,200, including some 25 Irish Hussars, were to fly to Rhodesia to monitor a cease-fire between the Security Forces of the country and the two factions of the Patriotic Front who had, for nine years been at war. After a number of false starts, Lt Col Rhoderick-Jones flew to Salisbury, Rhodesia, on the 21st…

The Gordon Riots – 1780 The 4th Light Dragoons were stationed in Canterbury when the Gordon Riots broke out in the summer of 1780. The riots caused considerable panic and for a few days, London was in peril. Lord George Gordon was the president of the “Protestant Association” an organisation for resisting any relaxing of the laws against Roman Catholics. At the beginning of June 1870, Parliament was considering amending the restrictions against the Catholics and the Protestant Association marched…

The Rebecca Riots – 1843 Whilst the 4th (Queen’s Own) Light Dragoons was stationed in Exeter, five troops were suddenly ordered to march into South Wales, to assist the civil authorities to control riots caused by “Rebecca and her Daughters. The members of the organisation wore women’s clothes, and hoped to obtain the abolition of turnpike gates on the biblical authority that they were the “daughters of Rebecca about to possess the gates of their enemies.” Unfortunately, their methods seriously…

The Battle of Nalapani was the first battle of the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–1816. The 8th Light Dragoons – Nalapani 31 October 1814 When, in October 1814, the aggressive policy of the government in Katmandu finally brought Britain and Nepal to blows, an Anglo-Indian army, in accordance with a plan formulated by the Governor-General, Lord Moria, advanced into Gurkha territory in five columns. Attached to the column commanded by General Robert Rollo Gillespie was a 100-strong squadron of the 8th…

We are all familiar with the early successes of the Jacobite rising of 1745, the victory of Prestonpans, the capture of Carlisle and the arrival at Derby on Black Friday, the 4th of December. As Carlisle had resisted, so London would resist even more strongly. The Scots dared not besiege London with The Duke of Cumberland’s and Field-Marshal Wade’s unbeaten armies in the field. Even had the Prince obtained and kept possession of it, he would inevitably in his turn…

The Second Matabele War Harold Paget was the commanding officer of the 7th Hussars during their 1896 campaign in Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Matabeleland 1896-7 The 7th Hussars were ordered to sail to Natal once more, in Oct 1895, having handed over their horses to the 20th Hussars. They took 489 horses with them on this voyage although one horse was accidentally killed when a timber fell through a hatchway. They sailed from Durban at 3 pm on 3rd May 1896…

The Battle of Almanza 1707 In February 1707, the long voyage from England came to an end. Eight thousand had embarked in England six months before; only four thousand four hundred survived to go ashore at Alicante. It was at Alicante where the Allied army had wintered. This army, English, Spanish and Portuguese, Dutch and French Huguenots was commanded by Lord Galway. Lord Rivers’ expeditionary force joined Galway’s army. Brigadier-General Carpenter agreed to serve under Galway and he fought with…

For 105 days up to 30,000 Protestant people held the walled city of Londonderry in the face of the Catholic King James II, until the relief fleet broke the boom across the River Foyle on July 28 and the Jacobite forces commenced their retreat on August 1, 1689. The Siege of Londonderry in 1689 The Glorious Revolution of 1688 is a relatively bloodless revolution in which James II, King of England, Ireland and Scotland and a Roman Catholic convert, is…