1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry)

Cap badge of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry)
Active 1 January 1959-
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Type Line cavalry
Role Formation Reconnaissance
Size One regiment
Part of Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ RHQ - Cardiff
Regiment - Sennelager, Germany
Nickname The Welsh Cavalry
Motto Pro rege et patria (For King and Country) (Latin)
March Quick - The Radetzky March and Rusty Buckles
Slow - 1st Dragoon Guards and 2nd Dragoon Guards Slow March
Engagements Most notable battle honours are Blenheim, Waterloo, Tobruk and El Alamein.
Commanders
Current
commander		 Lieutenant Colonel W.H.L. Davies MBE
Colonel-in-Chief HRH The Prince of Wales KG GCB KT
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Arm Badge Royal Cypher of Queen Caroline
From the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards)
Abbreviation QDG

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment, of the line of the British Army. The regiment is part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

History

Members of 1st Queens Dragoon Guards under training to operate the Coyote vehicle
A soldier from the Queen's Dragoon Guards fires an FN Minimi

The current regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of 1st King's Dragoon Guards (raised in 1685 as Lanier's or 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse by James II of England in reaction to the Monmouth Rebellion) and the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) (the former Peterborough's or 3rd Regiment of Horse, also raised in 1685 by James II in reaction to the Monmouth Rebellion).[1]

The regiment has spent much of its history based in Germany at various times. It served during the Aden Emergency in 1966 and 1967 and its squadrons were dispersed throughout the Middle East during that time.[1] Perhaps the best known member in the 1970s was Captain Mark Phillips, one-time husband of The Princess Anne: they married in 1973.[2]

In 1983 the regiment was deployed to Lebanon in support of the allied Multinational Force, in 1990 it was sent to the Middle East for the Gulf War and in 1996 it was deployed to Bosnia as part of NATO peacekeeping forces during the Yugoslav Wars.[1]

In 2003 the regiment served in Iraq during the invasion of Iraq providing the reconnaissance and light armour support necessary to allow 3 Commando Brigade's advance north to Basra.[3]

The regiment celebrated their fiftieth anniversary on 31 July 2009 with a ceremony at Cardiff castle and a parade through the streets of Cardiff city both attended by their Colonel-in-Chief The Prince of Wales. The regiment received a great response from the people of Cardiff. That same year the unit was also awarded with the Freedom of the City of Swansea.[4]

The regiment completed its second tour of Afghanistan between October 2011 and April 2012 (Operation Herrick XV).[5]

In May 2012, there was speculation that the unit would become a victim of the defence budget cuts. As it was one of only three regiments historically associated with and still largely recruits from Wales, there was much support from the Welsh public to keep the QDG. However, Ministry of Defence officials announced no such plan has been made.[6][7]

As part of the Army 2020 plans, most units based in Germany will return to the UK and the QDG is scheduled to move to Swanton Morley, Norfolk by 2015.[8] They will re-role as "light cavalry", using Jackal vehicles.[9]

Operational role

The regiment operates in a light cavalry role and is now equipped with Scimitar armoured fighting vehicles and Jackal armoured fighting vehicles.[10]

Uniform, cap badge and march

In 1896 Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards and allowed the regiment to wear the Austrian imperial coat of arms, which is still used as the regiment's cap badge today. (The collar badge is that of The Queen's Bays.) Also the regiment adopted an Austrian military march, Radetzky March, as quick march. The current Regimental March is Radetzky March and Rusty Buckles, the latter being the Regimental March of The Queen's Bays.

Other items of uniform draw on the regiment's dual heritage: thus whilst the cap of 1st King’s Dragoon Guards is worn, trousers have the distinctive broad white stripe of The Queen's Bays. Full dress is still worn by some on ceremonial occasions:[11] the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards tunic (scarlet with blue velvet facings) being paired with Queen's Bays white-striped overalls. The KDG red-plumed cavalry helmet is also worn, together with pouch belts and other accoutrements.[12]

Regimental museum

Collections relating to 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards are displayed at Firing Line: Cardiff Castle Museum of the Welsh Soldier.[13]

Battle honours

Notable COs

Alliances

Commonwealth

Non-Commonwealth

Affiliated yeomanry

Order of precedence

Preceded by
The Blues and Royals
(Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)		 Cavalry Order of Precedence Succeeded by
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
(Carabiniers and Greys)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The History of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Iconic weddings: Princess Anne and Mark Phillips". 27 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Welsh Cavalry pushes in to Iraq". BBC News. 21 March 2003.
  4. ↑ "1st Queen's Dragoon Guards". Swansea City Council. July 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Newsletter 3rd Quarter 2012" (PDF). 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards: Ray Scanlon in 'save regiment' call". BBC News. 30 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fears for future of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards - The Welsh Cavalry". BBC News. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Regular Army Basing Plan - 5 Mar 2013" (PDF). Ministry of Defence.
  9. ↑ "The Welsh Cavalry swap Scimitars for jungle boots". Ministry of Defence. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  11. ↑ BBC Hereford & Worcester
  12. ↑ www.qdg.org.uk
  13. ↑ "Museum of the Welsh Soldier". Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Gulf Battle Honours". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 19 October 1993. Retrieved 3 May 2014.

External links