History of the 17th
lancers, during the reign of Queen Victoria.
The value of light cavalry having been fully recognised in 1759,
George II decided on increasing the establishment by adding five new
light dragoon regiments to the army. Of these, the 17th Lancers
was one, and was first numbered the 18th; but on the reduction of Lord
Aberdour's regiment in 1763 it took rank as the 17th. Its first
colonel was John Hale, who had carried home the despatches announcing
the victory at Quebec; and in memory of his late chief, General Wolfe,
he obtained permission for the new regiment to bear on its standard the
Death's Head with the motto "Or Glory", which it still
retains.
Though it sent a detachment to serve under the Marquis of Granby in
1761, when it was dressed in scarlet coats with white epaulets and
facings, and a leather helmet ornamented with white metal and a scarlet
horse hair crest, it saw no serious service until 1775, when it was
despatched to America. It volunteered to send a dismount
detachment to assist in the questionable victory at Bunker's Hill;
landed in Long Island with Sir William Howe, to follow the retreating
Americans to New York; and at "White Plains", "Fort
Washington", and Rhode Island took part in the very ineffective
campaigns of 1776. Throughout 1777-78 it accompanied Howe in the
equally abortive operations which culminated in the evacuation of
Philadelphia and the retreat of the British Army to New York. Its
work was undoubtedly well done, and the history of the regiment shows no
more harassing and exhausting duty than that which the men had to
perform in this useless war. They were attached to Tarleton's
"legion", the one force of mixed "provincials" and
regulars which did good service, and with it accompanied Sir Henry
Clinton in his expedition to South Carolina. The whole history of
the American war is one of desultory and disconnected operations.
This was one. The siege of Charleston followed by its capture; and
that by some unimportant "affairs" at "Wacsaw" and
"Camden", where Gales was defeated, and at
"Cowpens". It is somewhat amusing to read in the
official history that the "American Colonel" Washington called
out during the fight, "Where is now the boasting Tarleton?"
when Cornet Patterson of the 17th rode up to attack him, and was killed
by Washington's orderly. Even as late as 1841 there were men in
England unwilling to give to the first President of the United States
the grade of General, which he had earned by faithful service towards
his native land, and by winning with the rawest levies a wonderful
success.
There were gleams of real heroism in this fateful war which are worth
recording. Corporal O'Lavery of the 17th was sent to accompany the
bearer of an important despatch; attacked on the way, the latter was
killed, but the Corporal, hiding the paper in his wound, rode on with it
till he fell from loss of blood. But his message was safe and was
delivered, and the appreciation of his gallantry is shown by the
monument his chief, Lord Rawdon, raised to his memory in his native
county of Down.
In 1783 the 17th Lancers returned home, and their uniform was changed
from scarlet to blue. After this they saw various but unimportant
service in Ireland, the West Indies, Holland, Monte Video, and Buenos
Ayres, where they acted as dismounted troops. The official history
of the regiment records a curious fact which, illustrating as it does
the varied service of the regiment before its present battle roll was
tabulated, is worth mentioning. In four successive years it
celebrated the King's birthday in the four quarters of the world.
"In 1806, in Europe, in England; in 1807, in America, at Monte
Video; in 1808, in Africa, at the Cape of Good Hope; and in 1809, in
Asia, at Surat.
Meanwhile, from South America it had gone by the Cape to India.
The uniform, both "field day" and "review" order,
was striking at this time. The dress was still blue, with a
scarlet "girdle", but the head covering was, in the former, a
tall conical cap with a plume in the top; and in the latter case a
helmet with a ridge of wool apparently from front to rear, with a tall
white plume at the side. There is no apparent record of a similar
dress, so it was probably a "Colonel's fancy".
From 1810 to 1822, when it returned to England and was constituted
Lancers, it was continuously employed in minor operations against
Burding, Anjar (in Cutch), the Pindarees, and Bheels. No regiment
seems to have changed its uniform more. In 1817 the dark blue coat
and pale blue overalls with white facings was surmounted by a broad
topped shako with a tall plume in front; the Lancer dress of 1824 had a
red and white plume in the lance cap, aiguillettes, and epaulets on the
coat; and in 1829 the general colour of the uniform was dark blue, with
a white top to the lance cap, in the case of officers, and a black
plume; in 1832 the coat was red, with epaulets, the trouser stripe was
also red, and the plume still black. Now, with the uniform, both
facings and plume are white.
In the Crimea the regiment shared in the battle of the Alma, and
still more in the glory of the Light cavalry charge at Balaklava, where
they were in front line. Lieutenant-Colonel Morris led the
regiment with nine troop leaders and subalterns, but when the guns were
reached five of the subordinates had fallen, Winter and Thompson dead.
the others desperately wounded. With the shattered remnants of the
regiment, now broken up into groups, the wild charge continued.
Morris ran the leader of the Russian cavalry through, but unable to
withdraw his sword from the body of his adversary, was severely wounded,
and fell from his horse, to be wounded a second time by the Cossacks who
surrounded him. The he surrendered; but as no one remained to make
him prisoner, he attempted to retreat on a loose horse, which fell with
him, crushing his leg. Extricating himself, he fell senseless by
the side of his dead friend Nolan, to be rescued by Dr Mouatt of the
Inniskillings, as already related by Sergeant-Major Wooden, both of whom
won the Cross for Valour; the latter for "proceeding, under a heavy
fire, to his assistance when he was lying very dangerously wounded in an
exposed situation". Two other men of the 17th won the same
distinction in the campaign; the one, Troop Sergeant Major John
Berryman, who, present at the Alma, was engaged in the pursuit at
Mackenzie's farm, capturing three Russian prisoners; and in the
Balaklava charge, where his horse was shot, he "stopped on the
field with a wounded officer (Captain Webb of the 11th Hussars) amidst a
shower of shot and shell, although repeatedly told by that officer to
consult his own safety and leave him; but he refused to do so, and on
Sergeant John Farrell coming by, with his assistance carried Captain
Webb out of the range of the guns". For his share in this
cool and gallant action Quartermaster-Sergant Farrell was also
decorated, he having also had his horse killed under him in the charge.
The 17th also bear on their appointments "Inkerman", where
they suffered the loss of one officer and some men, forming at the time
part of the Light Brigade, which the numbered only about 200 men!
They served next in "Central India" after the Mutiny was
broken, and in 1879 proceeded to South Africa with the reinforcements
ordered by Lord Chelmsford. They were brigaded with the Kin's
Dragoon Guards, under General Marshall, and were present at the
reconnaissance in the direction of the Erzungayan Hill, on the 5th June,
where their adjutant, Lieutenant E. F. Cockayne-Frith, was killed; and
later on at Ulundi were represented by two squadrons, commanded by
Colonel Drury-Lowe. When, at 9.25am on that day, Lord Chelmsford
gave the order "Go at them, Lowe, but don't pursue too far",
they dispersed the broken fragments of the last Zulu attack to meet a
close mass of the enemy concealed in a donga, under whose fire fell
Captain Wyatt Edgell and several men. But the charge continued and
broke these also, though, strangely enough, lances were slung, and the
work done with the sword.
One Victoria Cross, in addition to those already named, has been won
by a former officer of the regiment, the Lieutenant H. Evelyn Wood, now
commanding the Aldershot division. For in 1858, during the action
of Sindwaho, when in command of a troop of the 3rd Light Cavalry, he
attacked with much gallantry, almost single handed, a body of rebels who
had made a stand, and whom he routed; also for having subsequently, near
Sindhora, gallantly advanced with a Duffadar and Sowar of Beaton's
Horse, and rescued from a band of robbers a Potail; Chenum Singh, whom
they had captured and carried off to the jungles, where they intended to
hang him.
Their several names are "The Death or Glory Boys", from
their regimental badge and their origin; "Bingham's Dandies",
from their colonel, who was punctiliously careful as to the fit of the
men's uniforms; and, lastly, the title "Duke of Cambridge's
Own" was conferred on them in 1876, in honour of the
Commander-in-Chief, who once served in the regiment.
Extract from "The British Army and Auxiliary Forces" Colonel
C. Cooper King, R.M.A. , 1894
