Handing over the barracks in Luneberg to the Bundeswehr It was decided that as the 8th Hussars had been in Wyvern Barracks, Luneberg, for six and a half years, a small unofficial ceremony should take place to hand it over to the 83rd Panzer Battalion, who were to occupy the buildings. Sgt Freeman, B.E.M ., and eleven men, with Capt R.J.H. Randall as guard commander were lined up at the entrance to the barracks as a similar detachment of the…

Korea The 8th Hussars arrived in Korea as part of the 29th British Infantry Brigade on 14 November 1950 and were sent south to Seoul where the Allied forces were already in retreat from the Chinese. Almost as soon as they arrived there, on 2 January 1951 they were involved in a bloody and vicious defensive action holding the northern perimeter of Seoul. In a disastrous action known as the ‘Battle of Happy Valley’ Recce Troop was completely cut off…

Malaya On the 20th of August 1948, the troopship Dilwera left Southampton bound for Singapore carrying 35 officers and 817 soldiers of the 4th Hussars. The vast majority of the regiment had plenty of active service experience, although, of course, not in this theatre or role. The enemy was almost wholly ethnic Chinese Malayan Communist Party (MCP), who had already spent upwards of three years in the jungle engaged in a war against the Japanese invaders. After a short stay…

Palestine The 3rd Hussars arrived in Palestine in October 1945 after a year in Lebanon and Syria following service in Italy. Stationed initially some 12 miles south-east of the Jewish city of Tel Aviv, within four months they became part of the 6th Armoured Division and absorbed some 400 of us on the disbandment of the Division’s Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment and 20th and 22nd Independent Parachute Companies. The task was to keep the peace between Arab and Jew and to…

Army of Occupation For the next five years the 8th Hussars had several homes moving first to Itzehoe in Schleswig Holstein, then a short time in Moll in Belgium where they converted to the new Comet tanks, and hence back to Itzehoe. On 15th August 1945 came news of the unconditional surrender of Japan which brought the war truly to an end. On July 7th Armoured Division moved to take over responsibility for an area in the west of the…

Middle East (Egypt and Libya) 1939-42 The Egyptian Frontier, 12 June – 12 September 1940 On the outbreak of war on 3 Sep 1939, the 8th Hussars were stationed in Egypt and assigned to the Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt), part of the Mobile Division (Egypt). In Feb 1940 the formations were renamed the 7th Light Armoured Brigade and the 7th Armoured Division which became known as “The Desert Rats” from their formation sign the jerboa or desert rat. In Apr…

South Africa, Egypt and India The British government was becoming apprehensive of the Cape of Good Hope falling under the control of the French by which the sea route to India was gravely menaced. To help in thwarting this the 8th Hussars found themselves embarking at Portsmouth and after a voyage of ninety days arrived in good order at the Cape in November 1796. For the next five years, they were constantly occupied in restoring law and order among the…

Between the Wars The 8th Hussars returned to England in 1919 and embarked almost immediately for India where they spent less than a year. They were soon ordered to Mesopotamia in order to deal with various native insurrections at Medali, which they put down, moving from there to Egypt. The regiment was re-titled as the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1921. In 1923, they moved back to York and completed a three-year tour as part of the occupation forces…

South Africa 1900-03 On the 26th of December, 1899, orders were received at the Curragh Camp for the 8th Hussars to mobilise, and all the reservists of the regiment, together with 50 reservists of the 15th Hussars, were ordered to re-join the colours between the 28th of December 1899, and the 2nd of January 1900. On the 13th of January 1900, 139 more reservists of the 15th Hussars were also ordered to re-join the colours between the 18th and 22nd…

Second Anglo-Afghan War The 8th Hussars returned to India in 1879 and then moved on to Afghanistan to bolster Lord Roberts’ army, which was engaged in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Afghanistan, 1879-80 The 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars were ordered to India, and thence to the North-West Frontier, on the declaration of war which resulted from Russian interference in the affairs of the Amir Shere Ali and his refusal to receive a British envoy in Kabul. The expeditions sent into…