| 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards |
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| Active | January 1, 1959- |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Cavalry |
| Role | Formation Reconnaissance |
| Size | One regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ - Cardiff Regiment - Sennelager,Dempsey barracks, 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 | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, GCB, KT |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
Major General 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, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior Cavalry Regiment, and therefore senior Cavalry Regiment of the Line. The regiment is part of the Royal Armoured Corps.
Contents |
Operational role
The regiment operates in the formation reconnaissance role and is equipped with vehicles from the CVR(T) family. These include the Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle; the Sultan command vehicle and Samaritan ambulance; the Spartan armoured personnel carrier and the Samson armoured recovery vehicle.
Current status
The regiment is currently serving in Germany, having recently returned from Iraq on Operation Telic, its third tour to the region in three years. In 2003, C Squadron QDG was attached to 3 Commando Brigade, providing the reconnaissance and light armour support necessary to allow the brigade's advance north to Al Basrah. Members of C Squadron won a variety of operational awards for their efforts on Op Telic 1, most notably the Military Crosses awarded to Lieutenant Simon Farebrother and Major Henry Sugden.
History
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 Queen's Bays or 2nd Dragoon Guards (the former Peterborough's or 3rd Regiment of Horse, also raised in 1685 by James II in reaction to the Monmouth Rebellion). 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. Also the regiment adopted an Austrian military march, Radetzky March, as quick march. The regimental museum is located in Cardiff Castle.
Perhaps the best known member in recent years was Captain Mark Phillips, one-time husband of Princess Anne.
The regiment celebrated their fiftieth anniversary on July 31 2009 with a ceremony at Cardiff castle and a parade through the streets of Cardiff city both attaneded by their colonel in chief Charles, The Prince of Wales. The regiment received a great response from the people of Cardiff.
Battle honours
- [combined battle honours of 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, and The Queen’s Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards)], plus:
- Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991; Al Basrah, Iraq 2003
- Beirhaus1988
Notable COs
- 1971-1973: Maurice Robert Johnston
Alliances
Commonwealth
Canada - The Governor General's Horse Guards
Australia - 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers
South Africa - 1 Special Service Battalion
Pakistan - 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
Sri Lanka - 1st Reconnaissance Regiment
Royal Navy - HMS Monmouth
Non-Commonwealth
Affiliated Yeomanry
- The Shropshire Yeomanry
- The Cheshire Yeomanry (The Earl of Chester's)
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) |
External links and sources
- Official site
- Brief History and Summary from the website of the Royal Armoured Corps
- Welsh Cavalry pushes in to Iraq, a BBC article on the regiment's early participation in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
- The regiment's homepage
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
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