Welcome!History of the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards!
Formation of the Regiment & The Early Years
The regiment was originally raised in June 1685, this makes it the oldest line-cavalry regiment in the British Army. When James II came to the throne in 1685, the accession of a Catholic king was deeply unpopular in protestant Britain. The Duke of Monmouth, Charles II’s illegitimate son, played on this sentiment to launch a bid for the throne. In response James raised a number of regiments, one of which was Lanier’s Regiment of Horse, named after its first colonel, but then renamed the Queen’s Regiment of Horse in honour of James’ wife, Mary of Modena. The regiment’s first task was to escort Monmouth to London (and eventual execution) after his defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor.
By a strange irony of history, the regiment’s first experience of active service was as part of William III’s expedition to Ireland in 1690 against a rebellion raised by the now dethroned James during which they saw action at the Battles of the Boyne and Aughrim. They were part of Marlborough’s army during the War of Spanish Succession, earning their first battle honours at Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706) and Oudenarde (1708). They were also present at the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.
In 1714 they became the King’s Own Regiment of Horse, in honour of the accession of George I, and at Dettingen (the last battle commanded by a British king in person) in 1743 they stood their ground under prolonged French cannon fire and then engaged in a fierce hand to hand fight against a regiment of Gendarmes.
Dragoon Guards & The Musket EraBritish governments have always regarded the army as a prime source for cuts when they need to save money, which was the situation in 1746. Regiments of horse were more expensive than dragoons, so money could be saved by downgrading the King’s Own to dragoon status, a decision which was bitterly resented. A compromise was eventually reached. In 1751, along with several other regiments of horse, they became dragoon guards, and were given precedence over the existing dragoon regiments.
Their next continental expedition was during the Seven Years’ War when they twice saw action in 1760. At Corbach their successful charge was said to have saved the British army, while at Warburg they took part in another crucial charge, most famous for being the occasion when the Marquis of Granby lost his wig. (There are many pubs named the Marquis of Granby and the signs still denote the wigless Marquis.)
The unit's 18th century officers included William Pitt the Elder, later a noted wartime prime minister, and Banastre Tarleton, who became a notorious cavalry commander in the American Revolutionary War soon after joining the regiment.
The 1st Dragoon Guards took part in the first British expedition against the French revolutionary forces in 1793 and won a battle honour at Beaumont. Thereafter they were on home service until 1815 where they were called into service for the Waterloo Campaign. The King’s Dragoon Guards were increased to strength of twelve troops, totalling 1,148 officers and men. In early April 27 officers and 505 men with 537 horses, were ordered to the Low Countries under the command of Lt.Colonel William Fuller, to join the British army assembling around Brussels. Regimental HQ was established around at St Levens Asche with troops billeted around at Eygam, Liederkerke, Nyderhasselt, Aloste and Denderleur. The King’s Dragoon Guards were brigaded in the Household Cavalry Brigade under the command of Major General Lord Edward Somerset. The brigade was made up of two squadrons each of the 1st and 2nd Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards, with four squadrons of the KDG. Of the 1,349 sabres of the brigade mustered at Waterloo, almost forty percent of the total, 530 sabres were KDG.
The KDG in the 19th & 20th CenturyThe KDG suppressed uprisings in Canada in 1838 to 1843 and in India in 1857, as well as fighting at Sevastopol during the Crimean War. The unit fought in the Second Chinese War of 1857 to 1860 and then spent most of the rest of the 19th century in India. It also deployed to the Zulu War in 1879, where one of its officers, Major Richard Marter, led the cavalry patrol which captured the Zulu king Cetshwayo. The regiment fought in South Africa in 1881 and 1901 and during the first of these conflicts Private John Doogan of the regiment won the Victoria Cross. In 1896 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria became the regiment's colonel-in-chief
At the commencement of war in 1914 the KDGs were stationed in Lucknow, India as part of the Lucknow Cavalry Brigade. The regiment was ordered to France and arrived at Marseilles on 7 November. The KDGs formed part of 1st Indian Cavalry Division serving on the Western Front. The regiment returned to India in 1917 and joined 1st (Peshawar) Division.
The KDGs remained in garrison at Meerut until October 1918 when they exchanged stations with 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers and moved to Risalpur. On 2 May 1919 Afghan troops seized control of wells on the Indian side of the border. The Afghan Amir Amanullah was warned to withdraw, but his answer was to send more troops to reinforce those at the wells and to move other Afghan units to various points on the frontier. The KDGs were mobilised on 6 May and formed part of the British Indian Army's 1st Cavalry Brigade. The regiment served throughout the Third Afghan War and saw action at the Khyber Pass and Dakka. On 8 August a peace treaty with Afghanistan was officially signed and the KDGs returned to Risalpur on 28 August.
During the Second World War, the Regiment fought with distinction in North Africa and Sicily and Italy, landing at Salerno against concentrated enemy opposition. They were the first Allied unit into Naples. The Welsh writer Norman Lewis, in his celebrated account of life in Naples claimed that the King's Dragoon Guards was the first British unit to reach Naples in 1943, and that many of its officers immediately went on a looting spree, cutting paintings from their frames in the prince's palace.
In November 1939 it deployed to Egypt and turned into an armoured car regiment. It fought exclusively in North Africa and Italy for the next five years, before serving in peacekeeping and counter-insurgency roles in Greece, Palestine, Northern Ireland and Malaya from 1944 until amalgamation. It also spent five years as part of the occupying force in West Germany from 1951 onwards. In 1959 it merged with the 2nd Dragoon Guards to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.
Rank Structure
Senior Officers
Colonel [Col]
Lieutenant Colonel [LtCol]
Major [Maj]
Junior Officers
Captain [Capt]
Lieutenant [Lt]
Cornet [Cor]
Non Commissioned Officers
Warrant Officer [WO]
Squadron Corporal Major [SCM]
Corporal of Horse [CoH]
Lance Corporal of Horse [LCoH]
Enlisted
Lance Corporal [LCpl]
Trooper [Trp]
Horseman [Hsm]
Cadet [Cdt]
Recruit [Rct]
RosterOfficers
Colonel Lozza
Lieutenant Colonel Barrett
Non Commissioned Officers
Warrant Officer BlodN
Warrant Officer Samo
Corporal of Horse GMcC
Lance Corporal of Horse Arnold
Enlisted
Trooper Obi
Horseman Flapjack
Cadet Eragon
Cadet CuriousComet
Recruits
Recruit bashibasuk
Recruit Emre
Recruit Cassivelauno
Recruit AlexSoldier
Recruit Zahari
Recruit Zodo
Recruit Nathan
Joining the Regiment
The 1st King Dragoon Guards recruit any experience level from across the world - all that is required is that you are able to understand English well, are able to use Teamspeak 3 and want to improve both yourself and the regiment. The regiment itself is based on the concept of having fun whilst playing this game, but rules are always necessary.
The main rules are as follows:
1. This is a game, the whole point of it is to have fun. Just know where the line is and don't take stuff over the top.
2. Banter is encouraged between our soldiers, but once again - know the line and don't cross it. Keep it within the regiment, as other people may take it the wrong way.
3. Unless you inform an officer, you are expected to turn up to trainings and line battles. We don't mind if you simply don't want to play tonight or you're playing another game, just let us know so that we have a rough idea of what numbers the Regiment can field. As mentioned in rule 1 - this is a game and we're all here to have fun. Nobody is going to force people to play.
4. Finally, applicants are expected to have some level of maturity. We don't mind what your age is, as long as you are aware that one of our pet hates is immature people who always take the joke too far or constantly ignore orders. We are not in desperate need of members, so we are more than happy to release members who cause too much trouble.
If you're still reading this and think that you've got what it takes to make it as a Cavalryman, then add [BA] Lozza on Steam.
