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The 3 Hussars
3rd KOH was originally formed in 1685 as the Queens Consul's Regiment of Dragons. They won their
first battle honour at Dettingen in 1743 where they captured two silver kettle drums. Replicas of these
are used today on the Regimental drum horse.
The Regiment played a major role during the Napoleonic wars and earned the reputation as 'the finest
Cavalry in the sub continent' when they moved to India in 1837. They served with distinction during
the Boer war in South Africa, and they fought in the bloody trenches in France and Flanders during
the Great War between 1914-1918. In 1936 the 3rd Hussars was the first cavalry Regiment to be
equipped with tanks. They served in the original 'Desert Rats' in North Africa and spear headed the
attack on the German Africa Korps at El Alamein in 1942. The Regiment played a key role in breaking
the German line and after 4 days of continuous fighting only 4 of the original 51 tanks of the Regiment
remained. The Regiment left North Africa in 1943 and fought through Italy in the advanced guard of
the allied forces.
After the war, the 3rd Hussars served in Palestine and Germany until amalgamation with the 7th
Hussars in 1958.
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The 7 Hussars
Cunningham's Dragoons were raised in Scotland in 1689, and won their first battle honour at
Dettingen alongside the 3rd Hussars. They fought during the Peninsular War and gained the
admiration of Wellington for their heroic charges at Waterloo. The 7th Hussars where then sent to
Canada helping to repulse an American invasion before staying on in a protective role.
In 1900 the Regiment joined the 3rd and 8th Hussars in the Boer War. They served in India during
much of the Great War before deploying to Mesopotamia in 1917 to fight the Turkish forces. They
found themselves in the Middle East at the outbreak of the Second World War. Here they fought with
distinction in the battle of Sidi Rezegh where having been given the mission to stop the advance of
200 German tanks they lost 47 of their original 51 tanks. In 1942 the Regiment covered the long
retreat through Burma where they gained the praise of General Alexander.
At the end of the Second World War, the Regiment served in England before amalgamation with the
3rd Hussars in 1958.
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The 4 Hussars
The 4th Hussars were raised in 1685 as Berkeley's Dragoons and won their first Battle Honour at
Dettingen in 1743 alongside the 3rd and 7th Hussars.
The 4th Hussars fought throughout Wellington's Peninsula Campaign and gained distinction in the
Afghan War. They participated in one of the most glorious actions of the British Cavalry when they
charged with the Light Brigade at Balaclava alongside the 8th Hussars. Private Samuel Parks was
awarded the Victoria Cross during the charge for saving the life of the Trumpet Major. The Regiment
served in France for the duration of the First World War, winning 21 Battle honours and nearly 100
awards for gallantry. They mechanised in 1936 and saw extensive action during the Second World
War in Greece, the Western Dessert (El Alamein) and Italy.
At the end of the Second World War the 4th Hussars served in the Malayan Campaign before
deploying to Germany and amalgamating with the 8th Hussar's in 1958. The Regiment is particularly
proud that that Sir Winston Churchill, 'the Greatest Hussar of them all' was commissioned into the 4
Hussars in 1899. He later became the Colonel of the Regiment from 1941 until his death in 1965.
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The 8 Hussars
Colonel Conyngham's Dragoons were raised in Ireland in 1693. They first saw active service during
the war of Spanish secession where, having defeated the Spanish Cavalry and stolen their crossbelts
they earned the name of 'The Crossbelt Dragoon's'. The Regimental Journal and Polo Team are still
called 'The Crossbelts'.
The Regiment saw extensive action during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and fought in the Flanders
campaign of 1784. They gained their first Battle Honour in 1803 in India. The 8 KRIH accompanied
the 4th Hussars down the 'Valley of Death' during the immortal Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.
Soon after they won 5 Victoria Crosses in Central India during the mutinies. The Regiment spent the
duration of the Great War suffering the privations of the trenches of the Western Front.
The Regiment mechanised in 1938 and fought alongside the 3rd, 4th and 7th Hussars in the Dessert
Rats during the North African campaign. They landed in Normandy in June 1944, and fought their way
across Europe to Hamburg. In 1950 the Regiment was sent to aid the UN in Korea where they earned
unreserved praise for their courageous action during the battle of Imjin River.
The Queen’s Own Hussars
The Queen's Own Hussars were formed from the amalgamation of the 3rd King's Own Hussars and
the 7th Queen's Own Hussars in Tidworth 1958. The Regiment remained in England until 1960 with
one squadron serving in Aden. It was bought back together as the armoured Regiment of the 6th
Infantry Brigade at Munster in northern Germany. They moved to Detmold two years later and back to
Catterick in 1965 except for "A" Squadron who became the first Berlin Armoured Squadron.
1967 was a very busy year for the Regiment as their role was converted to that of an armoured
reconnaissance Regiment and deployed to keep the fragile peace in Aden, where they were awarded
one MC and six mentions in despatches.
The following two years saw the Regiment blown to the four corners of the globe, with independent
squadrons serving in Singapore, Hong Kong, Maresfield and Cyprus. The Queen's Own Hussars
converted back to being an armoured Regiment in 1970, and were posted to Hohne as part of the 7th
Armoured Brigade for four years in which time they completed two tours of Northern Ireland, one in
armoured cars and the latter on foot. In 1974 they relocated to Bovington for two years, then Detmold
for seven years punctuated by another two tours of Northern Ireland, returning to England in 1983.
Their final move as a complete Regiment was out to Hohne in 1985, from where they completed a
United Nations tour of Cyprus in 1990, and in 1993, shortly before there amalgamation they had two
large independent squadrons, one as armoured reconnaissance in Cyprus and the other as the Maze
prison guard force in Northern Ireland.
The Queen’s Royal Irish
The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars were formed from the amalgamation of the 4th Queen's Own
Hussars and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in Hohne 1958. The first tour as a Regiment was in
Hohne itself as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade. In 1961 they re-roled as an armoured
reconnaissance Regiment deploying to Aden for a year of peaceful patrolling during which they
manned their own flight of aircraft.
The Regiment moved straight from Aden to Malaya in October in 1962 and were garrisoned in Ipoh,
Singapore and Sarawak. The Squadrons rotated through this series of widely dispersed camps,
patrolling to keep the peace from being broken by Indonesian communist forces, with which there was
some limited fighting. In 1964 the Regiment moved back to Wolfenbuttel as the armoured car
Regiment of the first division for four years. It then returned to England spending a short time in
Perham Down then Bovington for two years after which they returned to Paderborn in Germany. In
1974 the Regiment went on a short tour to Cyprus to help in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion as
part of the United Nations contingent.
In 1979 the Regiment moved back to Tidworth for three years during which an independent squadron
completed two tours as an armoured Recce squadron in Cyprus and a small contingent became
ceasefire monitors in Rhodesia. From 1982 - 1987 the Regiment was back in Munster, where it
completed a short tour in Ireland in 1983 as the Maze prison guard force. Two years in Bovington and
Catterick followed Munster, then back out to Germany in 1990 where the Regiment took part in the
Gulf War and liberation of Kuwait, spearheading the 7th Armoured Brigade 100 hour advance. Prior to
amalgamation in 1993 the Regiment completed another tour of Cyprus as the United Nations.