| The second Lancer Regiment in order of precedence dates its origin
from the year 1715. The death of Queen Anne had long been looked
forward to by the Jacobites, as giving their faction an
opportunity of placing their leader and head on the British throne as
James III. Whether the Chevalier de St George ever really came to
England and interviewed his sister the Queen, as Thackeray suggests in
"Esmond", may be doubted, but there was evidently enough
political disturbance in the air to render the Whig party, which
favoured the new dynasty, uneasy. They had reason for this, as
events proved; and, to promote a greater feeling of security, the small
standing army was increased by seventeen additional regiments of
dragoons and thirteen of foot. Of the former only six remain (now
the 9th, 11th, 13th, 10th, 12th, 14th), the others, with all the new
foot regiments, disappearing from the army list in 1718.
Major-General Wynne was the first colonel, and raised his six troops
chiefly in the southern counties. Their services were soon
required. Supported by France, the standard of rebellion was
raised by the Earl of Mar at Braemar, where the Duke of Argyll
commanded what loyal troops there were in Scotland. Another
insurgent centre was formed partly of Scots and partly of English, under
Lord Kenmuir, and this force, the under the command of General Foster,
invaded England, and reached Preston, which they had fortified and
barricaded, the approaches being commanded by guns.
Against this a force under General Wills advanced on the 12th of
November. It consisted of the 3rd Horse (afterwards the 2nd
Dragoon Guards), Wynne's, Honeywood's, Munden's, Dormer's and Stanhope's
Regiments of Dragoons, and the 26th Foot. The Cameronians,
supported by detachments of Dragoons, attacked from the Wigan Road, the
Lancaster route being assaulted by the rest of the force. But so
stout was the resistance that the village was fired before the defenders
gave way and it was only on the second day of the fight that the rebels
surrendered. With the return of the Pretender to France all
further conflict ceased, and Wynne's Dragoons embarked for Ireland.
In 1751 the clothing warrant describes the uniform as scarlet, with
buff facings and breeches. The colours were of red silk for the
King's guidon, and buff for the other troops. The former has the
rose and thistle crowned with "Dieu et mon Droit" in the
centre, and in the four compartments are panels bearing the the white
horse of Hanover and the regimental number on a buff ground; the other
guidons were centred with the regimental number on a crimson ground,
within a wreath of roses and thistles, while the panels in this case
were the white horse and a rose and thistle joined alternately. In
1783 they were converted into Light Dragoons, and the following year the
uniform was changed to blue. Their first service since the rising
of 1715 was again against rebels, in the Irish insurrection of 1798, and
throughout the whole of that troubled year they were employed,
frequently as isolated troops and in small bodies, against the
universally numerically superior bands that seem, without any connected
plan, to have been collected at different points. Much barbarity
was shown by the have savage insurgents. In one case, for
instance, Quartermaster Charles King, who had been taken prisoner in one
of these numerous skirmishes, was shot in cold blood "for
persisting in his loyalty to his sovereign".
The regiment remained in Ireland until 1803, and did not again embark
for foreign service until 1806, when it formed part of Sir Samuel
Auchmuty's expedition to the River Plate, which they reached in seven
weeks from England. They shared in the occupation of Monte Video,
though not in its storm. But no effort was made to replace the
dead and useless horses, so that after a while the regiment ceased to be
effective as cavalry, and were used, for the first and last time in
their history, as foot soldiers, in the brigade formed by the dismounted
troops of the 6th Dragoon Guards and the 40th and 45th Regiments of the
Line, under Colonel the Hon Thomas Mahon. To the dismounted
cavalry was given the honour of attacking one of the central streets,
with three troops of 9th Light Dragoons and four of the Carabiniers in
the first line, and the other five troops of the former in reserve, and
supported by two six-pounders. They behaved with the greatest
bravery, but the attack was, on the whole, a failure, and General
Whitelocke abandoned the place.
They next shared in the ill-fated Walcheren expedition, losing 152
men there by fever, and in 1811 embarked for Portugal. At Aroyo de
Molino they surprised General Girard, capturing 1,000 prisoners, the
artillery, baggage, and stores of the force and taking General Brune
prisoner. They took part in all the numerous skirmishes that
occurred between 1811 and 1813, when they returned home with the
permission to bear "Peninsula" on their appointments. In
1816 they were constituted Lancers, with, in 1830, the distinguished
title of "Queen's Royal", in honour of Queen Adelaide, consort
of William IV.
Embarking for India, they took part in the Gwalior campaign at
Punniar and Maharajpore, and soon after shared in the Sutlej campaign
against the Sikhs. "Sobraon", "Punjaub",
"Chillianwallah", and "Goojerat", are borne on their
colours for their brilliant services in that campaign, where the Sikh
horse was often "as numerous as the sands of the sea", where
Sir Hope Grant on more than one occasion led them, and where as the
enemy thought, "God had given them the victory." They
were the recipients of the first bronze star, which was given after the
war instead of the silver medal; and the regiment later on again gained
the distinction of the similar star given to those who joined in Sir
Frederick Roberts's march from Kabul to Kandahar. Again in the
Mutiny they did good work, as at Delhi, where they shared in the
skirmishes which preceded the fall of the city, one of which Colonel
Abercromby Yule was slain, and, at Lucknow, where they earned the
commendation of Lord Clyde. No cavalry regiment has a longer list
of Victoria Cross men than the 9th Lancers, and it is well their names
should be recorded. Thomas Hancock and John Purcell,
Privates, were decorated for gallantly standing by theitrBrigadier, the
J. H. Grant, C.B., when his horse was shot; Lieutenant A. S. Jones,
afterwards Adjutant at the Staff College, almost single-handed captured
one of the enemy's guns, but at Agra, four months later, was desperately
wounded, receiving no less than twenty three wounds, and losing the
sight of an eye by a sword cut; Lance-Corporal Goat, Private Newell,
Troops Sergeants-Major Spence and Rushe, Privates Donohoe, Freeman and
Roberts, distinguished themselves by attempts to save wounded officers
or comrades; as did Lance-Corporal Kells and Sergeant Hartigan.
The latter showed extreme gallantry on more than one occasion, and at
Agra was dangerously wounded. Lastly, Lord William Beresford, when
on the staff of the army operating in Zululand in 1879, won the highly
prized decoration for saving Sergeant Fitzmaurice's life in the retreat
of a reconnoitring party across the White Umvolosi River, in the
presence of a large body of Zulus, by mounting him behind him on his
horse and bringing him away, "under the close fire of the Zulus,
who were in great force, and coming on quickly".
Lastly, for their splendid services in Afghanistan, too long to
retell here, they carry on their battle roll the names of Charasiah,
Kabul 1879; Kandahar, 1880; and Afghanistan, 1878-80.
The blue uniform has scarlet facings and black and white plume; and
their honoured nickname is "The Delhi Spearmen", from the good
use to which they put their lances in the Mutiny. The badge is the
royal cypher within the Garter.
Extract from "The British Army and Auxiliary Forces"
Colonel
C. Cooper King, R.M.A. , 1894
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