2nd Life Guards - Other Rank PoWs 1914

There are just 17 men on this list of 2nd Life Guards other ranks who were captured in 1914. The data comes from a single source now archived at the Imperial War Museum. Item B.O.2 1/167 consists of a single-page typed list to Sir Enest Goodhart sent from the officer i/c 2nd Life Guards dated 7th January 1919. My full transcription of these men (not reproduced here) also contains the home address and/or next of kin address for the majority of the men.

For more information about these so-called 'Princess Mary tin PoWs' see my 1914 PoWs page. Any transcription errors are my own.

I research soldiers! 

Contact me if you need help.

2414 Corporal of Horse H J Anstice DCM, 2875 Trooper D Cameron, 2176 Trooper H Claxton, 2929 Trooper E Cooper, 2947 Trooper T G Dallimore, 2565 Corporal of Horse G H Hayward, 2667 Trooper F Hoskin, 2915 Trooper J H Hucker, 2443 Corporal E Kimberley, 6444 Trumpeter Thomas F Leng, 2778 Trooper J McClusky, 2575 Trooper G F Norridge, 2838 Trooper F E Read, 2925 Trooper C J Rowe, 3874 Pte Harry Smith, 2488 Corporal of Horse W Taylor, 2553 Corporal of Horse B C Tomlinson.

The full transcription is available for £15 as part of my Household Cavalry PoW collection. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

4th (Queen's Own) Hussars - other rank PoWs 1914

The following 25 men were all serving with the 4th Hussars when they were captured in 1914. Read more about this data source on my 1914 PoWs page. This data has been transcribed from the Imperial War Museum's collection, specifically item B.O.2 1//153 which is an eight page hand-written letter dated 1919 at York and sent by the officer i/c cavalry records (Hussars).  Many pages are virtually unreadable due to fading.   My full transcription of these men (not reproduced here) also contains the home address of most of the men.

The full transcription is available for sale as part of a Hussars PoW roll - 350+ names in all - for £20. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

8544 John J Ballancie 
7801 Lance-Corporal G R Berry 
9957 George R Berry 
5653 Private James Braine 
1271 Private Patrick Brennan 
9564 Alexander F Brightley 
2217 Private A E Caldwell 
6049 Ernest Collis 
448 Private Patrick Costello 
4163 Private P Dempsey 
1217 Private Herbert P Dommett
9961 Private Harold A Emberson 
9951 John Fanning 
1244 Harry Fitzell 
10081 Private Percival Germains 
10026 Private Frank Hay
3046 Private Albert Jennings
7027 Arthur Moss 
6267 Edgar G Peters
2261 Private Percy F Sandford 
2133 Arthur J P Smith
1236 Private Samuel Smylie
9575 Frederick Tapp 
4830 J Taylor
5328 Private Melton Waterfield

I research soldiers! Contact me if you need help with your military ancestor.

13th Hussars

This post will look at numbering in the 13th Hussars between 1881 and 1904 (I have no data at all for 1905 and 1906 when numbering by cavalry regiment ceased).

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records). All of these series are now online. Click on the links for further information.

2031 joined on 16th June1881
2061 joined on 12th January 1882
2106 joined on 10th February 1883
2149 joined on 27th September 1884
2314 joined on 9th February 1885
2394 joined on 22nd January 1886
2782 joined on 7th October1887
2856 joined on 30th August 1888
2895 joined on 24th February 1889
2985 joined on 9th January 1890
3125 joined on 28th January 1891
3188 joined on 19th February 1892
3338 joined on 24th March 1893
3446 joined on 20th September 1894
3502 joined on 5th January1895
3688 joined on 1st January 1896
3859 joined on 25th April 1897
4132 joined on 29th September 1898
4214 joined on 4th January 1899
5384 joined on 24th April 1900
5801 joined on 24th April 1901
6252 joined on 21st January 1902
6459 joined on 30th April 1903
6819 joined on 13th August 1904

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 10th Hussars was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the all of the Hussars regiments:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

See also, my posts on numbering in the Corps of Hussars 1907-1914, Queen's and King's Regulations: regimental numbering and cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards. The information on this post has been compiled from a study of 3rd Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with Findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).

2036 joined on 3rd January 1881
2064 joined on 31st August 1882
2203 joined on 4th April 1883
2313 joined on 8th March 1884
2455 joined on 5th February 1885
2736 joined on 10th July 1886
3094 joined on 11th November 1887
3154 joined on 14th January 1888
3204 joined on 18th January 1889
3284 joined on 13th March 1890
3398 joined on 2nd January 1891
3533 joined on 26th January 1892
3608 joined on 21st May 1894
3624 joined on 23rd April 1895
3658 joined on 21st January 1896
3778 joined on 12th January 1897
3985 joined on 25th January 1898
4185 joined on 6th February 1899
4355 joined on 4th January 1900
4855 joined on 5th February 1901
5108 joined on 4th January 1902
5430 joined on 13th March 1903
5460 joined on 31st January 1904
5538 joined on 16th January 1905
5617 joined on 3rd January 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 completely changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 3rd Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoon Guards  to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 3rd Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 5482 could point to a 1st September 1904 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or January 1911 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays)

This post will look at numbering in the 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays). The information on this post has been compiled from a study of the 2nd Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with Findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).

2325 joined on 7th March 1881
2412 joined on 20th October 1882
2492 joined on 20th April 1883
2603 joined on 30th January 1884
2846 joined on 20th February 1885
3220 joined on 1st September 1886
3360 joined on 19th September 1887
3398 joined on 8th December 1888
3435 joined on 19th April 1889
3522 joined on 2nd April 1890
3735 joined on 31st August 1891
3810 joined on 23rd January 1892
4191 joined on 20th April 1893
4249 joined on 30th January 1894
4281 joined on 10th February 1896
4306 joined on 3rd June 1897
4505 joined on 11th May 1898
4785 joined on 20th March 1899
5119 joined on 7th March 1900
5714 joined on 26th September 1901
5869 joined on 2nd January 1902
6390 joined on 25th March 1903
6514 joined on 10th September 1906

I have some notable gaps in the sequence above with nothing for 1895 (when recruitment appears to have slowed to a trickle) and nothing either for 1904 and 1905. 1902 was a bumper year for recruitment with around 400 men joining the regiment. This drive certainly slowed the following year which also saw a number of transfers in from the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers).

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 2nd Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 2nd Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 2nd Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 2nd Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a September 1898 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards. The information on this post has been compiled from a study of 1st King’s (Dragoon) Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (British Army Pensions 1760-1913) (on-line with Findmypast) and WO 363 (British Army Service Records 1914-1920) and WO 364 (British Army Pensions) (on-line with Ancestry).

2337 joined on 22nd April 1881
2412 joined on 21st November 1882
2460 joined on 24th September 1883
2574 joined on 9th September 1884
2654 joined on 13th February 1885
3069 joined on 9th October 1886
3126 joined on 8th January 1887
3306 joined on 15th November 1888
3342 joined on 9th February 1889
3442 joined on 21st June 1890
3471 joined on 20th October 1891
3499 joined on 10th June 1892
3592 joined on 20th June 1893
3745 joined on 8th January 1894
3851 joined on 3rd April 1895
3960 joined on 12th August 1896
4018 joined on 23rd January 1897
4171 joined on 31st March 1898
4415 joined on 8th March 1899
4568 joined on 1st January 1900
5061 joined on 4th February 1901
5581 joined on 19th April 1902
5830 joined on 27th January 1903
5856 joined on 11th April 1904
5892 joined on 6th March 1905
6443 joined on 26th September 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a 1900 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

This post will look at numbering in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. The information on this post has been compiled as a result of examining service records in WO 97 (online with Findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (online with Ancestry).

2071 joined on 7th April 1880
2153 joined on 12th January 1881
2222 joined on 22nd June 1882
2324 joined on 26th June 1883
2377 joined on 8th February 1884
2482 joined on 6th February 1885
2686 joined on 18th May 1886
2738 joined on 11th July 1887
2831 joined on 11th February 1888
2940 joined on 4th January 1889
3042 joined on 11th January 1890
3075 joined on 2nd January 1891
3240 joined on 6th October 1892
3274 joined on 16th January 1893
3486 joined on 10th August 1894
3515 joined on 2nd July 1895
3567 joined on 11th March 1896
3742 joined on 4th November 1897
4042 joined on 12th October 1898
4096 joined on 27th February 1899


Note that, although out of sequence numerically, the majority of numbers in the range 5001 to 5178 were also issued in late 1899 and early 1900. These were allocated to recalled reservists from other Dragoon and Dragoon Guards regiments who, on recall, were sent not to their own regiments but transferred straight into the 6th Dragoons. How much say the men had in the matter is unknown. There are exceptions to this numbering schema, however - see 5004 below - and I have published a separate post on 6th Dragoons transfers in the Boer War.

4366 joined on 10th April 1900
4559 joined on 16th March 1901
4722 joined on 3rd January 1902
5004 joined on 29th April 1903
5199 joined on 10th June 1904
5368 joined on 6th March 1905
5553 joined on 5th March 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 6th Dragoons was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and the 1st (King’s), 2nd (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s), 4th (Royal Irish), 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), 6th (Carabiniers) and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards. The following numbers and joining dates are snapshots taken from my database of this new Corps of Dragoons numbering sequence:

155 joined 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards on 29th January 1907
1598 joined the 5th Dragoon Guards on 27th January 1908
3003 joined the 3rd Dragoon Guards on 8th February 1909
4132 joined the 2nd Dragoons on 13th January 1910
5530 joined the 2nd Dragoon Guards on 12th January 1911
6624 joined the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards on 24th January 1912
D/7785 joined the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards on 11th January 1913
8707 joined the 5th Dragoon Guards on 27th January 1914

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 6th Dragoons and all other regiments of Dragoons and Dragoon Guards from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 6th Dragoons man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a 1901 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)

This post will look at numbering in the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys). I compiled the information on this post as a result of examining service records in WO 97 (online with Findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (online with Ancestry). Note that Findmypast has also indexed WO 363/4 (and uncovered an additional half a million names in doing so).

2291 Kames Kirkaldy joined on 2nd April 1880
2397 Alexander Dickson joined on 27th January 1881
2425 John Watt joined on 29th May 1882
2476 George Walter Price joined on 2nd March 1883
2661 Thomas Foster joined on 11th November 1884
2702 Robert Hunter joined on 20th March 1885
2785 William Rolph joined on 9th January 1886
3001 Horace William Jenkins joined on 17th August 1887
3055 Owen Deary joined on 23rd January 1888
3346 Edward George Morgan joined on 13th March 1889
3426 Charles Innes joined on 10th February 1890
3548 John Cameron joined on 2nd February 1891
3653 Charles James Betts joined on 2nd January 1892
3826 William John Reeves joined on 24th July 1893
3992 George William Francis Cunningham joined on 30th August 1894
4070 John Sloan joined on 8th March 1895
4276 John Lockhart joined on 17th March 1896
4392 Thomas Hornsby joined on 11th August 1897
4420 James Bowman joined on12th January 1898
4772 George Collings joined on 30th October 1899
4964 John Brake joined on 28th March 1900
5243 George Cartrwright (aka George Richardson) joined on 4th March 1901
5497 Richard Bain joined on 14th January 1902
5755 John Henry Shepherd joined on 24th January 1903
5938 William Swallow, formerly 3980 1st (Royal) Dragoons, transferred on 1st July 1904
6026 William Anderson joined on 15th March 1905
6230 John Burns joined on 12th January 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering as far as cavalry of the line was concerned. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were differentiated, and each corps of line cavalry was to use a separate number series extending to 49,999.

What this meant for the 2nd Dragoons was that from late December 1906 they now shared one number sequence with the 1st and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and the 1st (King’s), 2nd (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s), 4th (Royal Irish), 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), 6th (Carabiniers) and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards. The following numbers and joining dates are snapshots taken from my database of this new Corps of Dragoons numbering sequence:

30 Ernest Dear the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 9th January 1907
1598 Edward Sidney Bast joined the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 27th January 1908
3011 Norman Smith joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoons) on 9th February 1909
4248 John Cullen joined the Corps of Dragoons (3rd Dragoon Guards) on 2nd February 1910
5530 Ernest Bowen joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoon Guards) on 12th January 1911
6546 Charles James Bishop joined the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 1st January 1912
D/7785 Albert Henry Long joined the Corps of Dragoons (4th Dragoon Guards) on 11th January 1913
8620 John Dunnett joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoons) on 6th January 1914

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 2nd Dragoons until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 2nd Dragoons and all other regiments of Dragoons and Dragoon Guards from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 2nd Dragoons man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4567 could point to a late 1890s joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

3rd (King's Own) Hussars 1881-1906

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd (King's Own) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms which saw the majority of the infantry regiments being redesignated along territorial or county lines.  However, my starting point for this post, in keeping with the self-imposed parameters of this blog, is 1881.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

1826 joined on 1st December 1881
1900 joined on 14th August 1882
2008 joined on 28th August 1883
2111 joined on 21st April 1884
2252 joined on 29th August 1885
2343 joined on 11th August 1886
2417 joined on 14th February 1887
2525 joined on 10th February 1888
2658 joined on 22nd June 1889
2716 joined on 19th February 1890
2834 joined on 1st Feb 1891
3265 joined on 8th September 1892
3339 joined on 18th April 1893
3494 joined on 2nd July 1894
3540 joined on 19th January 1895
3656 joined on 12th February 1896
3741 joined on 2nd January 1897
3948 joined on 17th January 1898
4150 joined on 4th March 1899
No data for 1900
4208 joined on 1st May 1901
4391 joined on 19th September 1902
4617 joined on 22nd September 1903
4661 joined on 17th December 1904
4705 joined on 22nd January 1905
4770 joined on 5th September 1906

In late 1906 or early 1907 numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering.
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

15th (The King's) Hussars 1881-1905

This post will look at numbering in the 15th (King's) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms which saw the majority of the infantry regiments being re-designated along territorial or county lines.  However, my starting point for this post is 1881 although my data goes back a good deal further than this. 

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

1767 joined on 19th May 1881
1862 joined on 5th January 1882
1988 joined on 26th May 1883
2109 joined on 16th April 1884
2205 joined on 13th February 1885
2305 joined on 27th June 1886
2403 joined on 5th January 1887
2537 joined on 13th February 1888
2641 joined on 27th March 1889
2737 joined on 20th March 1890
2814 joined on 1st March 1891
3054 joined on 26th July 1892
3132 joined on 23rd January 1893
3225 joined on 23rd January 1894
3383 joined on 7th January 1895
3491 joined on 22nd January 1896
3605 joined on 20th January 1897
3803 joined on 15th June 1898
3938 joined on 23rd January 1899
4115 joined on 7th May 1900
4205 joined on 16th May 1901
4313 joined on 24th February 1902
4354 joined on 15th January 1903
4653 joined on 6th September 1905

My last number on my 15th Hussars database prior to the change in numbering is 4664 on 1st October 1905. In late 1906 or early 1907 numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering.
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

History of the 15th The King's Hussars 1914-1927

 

 

This from Naval & Military Press:

 

In August 1914 the organisation of the infantry division called for a reconnaissance element which was provided by a squadron of cavalry, and it was the role of the 15th Hussars (15 H) to provide that squadron for each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions. The other three divisions of the original BEF were served by squadrons of the 19th Hussars and so it may seem appropriate that when, in 1922, the number of cavalry regiments were reduced by amalgamations, the 15th combined with the 19th to form a new regiment - the 15th/19th Hussars. When war came in 1914 15 H had been back in England nearly two years after an overseas tour of fourteen years, and by 18th August the three squadrons were in France with their divisions. The first four chapters describe the involvement of the squadrons in the early fighting - Mons and the retreat, Marne, Aisne and Ypres. In April 1915 the regiment was re-formed as a single unit and posted to the newly formed 9th Cavalry Brigade in 1st Cavalry Division (as was 19 H); their places in the three infantry divisions were taken by Yeomanry. For the rest of the war the Regiment remained in the 9th Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division, on the Western Front and fought in many actions as their twenty-three Battle Honours testify. They were awarded one of the earliest VCs to be won, Cpl Garforth.

 

There are five appendices, one of them is a diary of marches, billets and bivouacs of the Regiment from 27th July 1914 to 6th September 1919 and another most useful one gives the strengths of the Regiment (officers and other ranks) on various dates between 29th April 1915 and 31st March 1921; figures are also given for riding, draught and pack horses and mules. The casualty lists show not only fatalities but also wounded, identifying those wounded more than once, and those missing. There is a list of officers of the Regiment and attached officers who served between 1914 and 1922, and a list of NCOs and men who were commissioned during the war. There is an index.

19th (QAOR) Hussars 1881-1906

This post will look at numbering in the 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  The cavalry regiments, of course, were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms which saw the majority of the infantry regiments being redesignated along territorial or county lines.  However, I'll stick to my convention of using 1881 as a starting point for these line cavalry regiments although my data goes back a good deal further than this. 

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

2096 joined on 10th January 1881
2122 joined on 19th January 1882
2455 joined on 4th April 1883
2467 joined on 23rd February 1884
2669 joined on 9th April 1885
2868 joined on 25th January 1886
2896 joined on 7th January 1887
3074 joined on 11th April 1888
3319 joined on 3rd January 1889
3533 joined on 3rd February 1890
3711 joined on 23rd July 1891
3814 joined on 1st February 1892
3938 joined on 19th January 1893
4009 joined on 20th January 1894
4179 joined on 28th August 1895
4413 joined on 3rd February 1896
4525 joined on 3rd February 1897
4557 joined on 7th December 1898
4592 joined on 16th December 1899
4876 joined on 4th May 1900
5118 joined on 28th January 1901
5516 joined on 9th June 1902
5598 joined on 25th March 1903
5609 joined on 1st June 1904
5930 joined on 6th April 1905
6203 joined on 8th March 1906

My last number on my 19th Hussars database prior to the change in numbering is 6300 on 4th October 1906. In late 1906 or early 1907 numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering.
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

14th (King's) Hussars 1881-1906

This post will look at numbering in the 14th (King's) Hussars between 1881 and 1906. 1881 is an arbitrary date chosen to conform with the parameters of this blog, but as can be seen above, the regiment had a long history.  December 1906 was when numbering in the line cavalry changed from numbering by regiment to numbering by corps.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

2042 joined on 16th September 1881
2076 joined on 2nd January 1882
2151 joined on 16th March 1883
2361 joined on 2nd January 1884
2503 joined on 16th July 1885
2590 joined on 2nd June 1886
2664 joined on 27th April 1887
2774 joined on 18th January 1888
2850 joined on 24th January 1889
2948 joined on 21st January 1890
3056 joined on 4th March 1891
3151 joined on 8th July 1892
3221 joined on 11th January 1893
3303 joined on 24th January 1894
3408 joined on 2nd January 1895
3529 joined on 27th January 1896
3675 joined on 5th May 1897
3817 joined on 9th May 1898
4086 joined on 16th January 1899
4347 joined on 6th February 1900
4500 joined on 9th March 1901
4812 joined on 12th March 1902
5058 joined on 5th June 1903
5161 joined on 14th April 1904
5344 joined on 3rd February 1905
5562 joined on 1st January 1906

In late 1906 or early 1907, numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. 

For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.