King's Royal Hussars
Encyclopedia
The King's Royal Hussars (KRH) is a cavalry regiment
of the British Army
. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps
and was formed on 4 December 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiment
s:
The regiment currently serves in the armoured role
, equipped with Challenger 2 tank
s, and is based in Tidworth
, Wiltshire
. Until recently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
served as an officer in the regiment.
The regiment is organised into a total of five squadrons, each of which perpetuates the title of one of its antecedent regiments:
C Squadron traditionally is the senior squadron of the King's Royal Hussars in perpetuation of the honour accorded to C Squadron the 11th Hussars in Egypt.
. They may also appear in shirt sleeve order as worn by officers, including those on secondment to the regiment from other units. This distinctive feature, which is unique in the British Army, derives from the honour accorded to the 11th Hussars by Prince Albert
, the future consort of Queen Victoria. The regiment, then based at Canterbury, formed the escort for the Prince from his arrival at Dover en route to his wedding in London. The Prince was so impressed with the bearing and turnout of the troops that he ordered that they should henceforth wear his livery as a mark of distinction.
has also worn the brown beret.
The KRH wear the crossed kukri
of the Gurkhas as an arm badge. This relates back to 1945 when C Squadron, 14th/20th King's Hussars
assaulted the town of Medicina
in Italy
alongside the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles, inflicting heavy losses on the German defenders despite being outnumbered. In commemoration of this action the 14/20 adopted the crossed kukri badge, a tradition maintained by the KRH.
- 10th Light Horse - 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry)
- 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
- Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
- The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) - Zambia Armoured Car Regiment - HMS Dauntless
Cavalry regiments of the British Army
There are currently nine regular cavalry regiments of the British Army, with two tank regiments provided by the Royal Tank Regiment, traditionally classed alongside the cavalry, for a total of eleven regiments. Of these, five serve as armoured regiments, and five as formation reconnaissance...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
and was formed on 4 December 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s:
- The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1969 to 1992.It was formed by the amalgamation of the 10th Royal Hussars , and 11th Hussars ....
an amalgamation of the 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The 10th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969.-Early history:In response to the Jacobite Rebellion, the regiment was raised in 1715 as Humphrey Gore's Regiment of Dragoons...
, and 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) - 14th/20th King's Hussars14th/20th King's HussarsThe 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992.- History :Originally styled the 14th/20th Hussars, the regiment was created in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars, as part of the reductions in the Army...
an amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars.
The regiment currently serves in the armoured role
Armoured regiment (United Kingdom)
The Type 58 armoured regiment is one of two organisations currently provided by cavalry regiments of the British Army, and is a battalion-sized formation equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks. It is the descendant of traditional heavy cavalry, intended to provided massed armour for use in a...
, equipped with Challenger 2 tank
Challenger 2 tank
FV4034 Challenger 2 is a British main battle tank currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. It was designed and built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems . The manufacturer advertises it as the world's most reliable main battle tank...
s, and is based in Tidworth
Tidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. Until recently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
Alexander Patrick Gregers Richard Windsor, Earl of Ulster is the only son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. As the eldest son and heir of the Duke of Gloucester, he is accorded the title Earl of Ulster...
served as an officer in the regiment.
The regiment is organised into a total of five squadrons, each of which perpetuates the title of one of its antecedent regiments:
- C Squadron (The Eleventh Hussar11th HussarsThe 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
Squadron) - A Squadron (The Twentieth Hussar20th HussarsThe 20th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. In 1922 it was amalgamated with the 14th Hussars to form the 14th/20th Hussars, later the 14th/20th King's Hussars.-History of the 20th Hussars:...
Squadron) - B Squadron (The Fourteenth Hussar14th King's HussarsThe 14th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 14th/20th Hussars in 1922....
Squadron) - D Squadron (The Tenth Hussar10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The 10th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969.-Early history:In response to the Jacobite Rebellion, the regiment was raised in 1715 as Humphrey Gore's Regiment of Dragoons...
Squadron) - HQ Squadron
C Squadron traditionally is the senior squadron of the King's Royal Hussars in perpetuation of the honour accorded to C Squadron the 11th Hussars in Egypt.
Crimson trousers
The regiment wears crimson trousers when in ceremonial, No1 or No2 dress, and (for officers and NCOs) mess dressMess dress
Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit...
. They may also appear in shirt sleeve order as worn by officers, including those on secondment to the regiment from other units. This distinctive feature, which is unique in the British Army, derives from the honour accorded to the 11th Hussars by Prince Albert
Prince Albert
Prince Albert was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria.Prince Albert may also refer to:-Royalty:*Prince Albert Edward or Edward VII of the United Kingdom , son of Albert and Victoria...
, the future consort of Queen Victoria. The regiment, then based at Canterbury, formed the escort for the Prince from his arrival at Dover en route to his wedding in London. The Prince was so impressed with the bearing and turnout of the troops that he ordered that they should henceforth wear his livery as a mark of distinction.
Brown beret
The regiment wears a unique brown beret. This practice began when the 11th Hussars were mechanized in 1928. It was found that the traditional forage cap with a peak was inconvenient when peering through an armoured sight, so it was decided to adopt a beret. It is believed that the brown colour was selected by the then quartermaster's wife as a practical choice for working with dirty, oily vehicles, rather than nice, clean horses. The beret was originally worn without a cap badge but with a broad crimson band. This band is represented today by the crimson patch backing the cap badge. Since 2003 the Royal Wessex YeomanryRoyal Wessex Yeomanry
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army consisting of four squadrons, each of which bears the cap badge of an old yeomanry regiment:*B Squadron*A Squadron...
has also worn the brown beret.
The Gurkha link
Kukri
The kukri is a curved Nepalese Knife, similar to the machete, used as both a tool and as a weapon...
of the Gurkhas as an arm badge. This relates back to 1945 when C Squadron, 14th/20th King's Hussars
14th/20th King's Hussars
The 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992.- History :Originally styled the 14th/20th Hussars, the regiment was created in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars, as part of the reductions in the Army...
assaulted the town of Medicina
Medicina
Medicina is an Italian comune with c. 16,000 inhabitants in the province of Bologna, part of the region of Emilia-Romagna.-Name:The origins of its name are quite uncertain and many hypotheses have been made on it...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
alongside the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles, inflicting heavy losses on the German defenders despite being outnumbered. In commemoration of this action the 14/20 adopted the crossed kukri badge, a tradition maintained by the KRH.
Alliances
- 1st Hussars1st Hussars
The 1st Hussars is an armoured Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Forces, currently based in London, Ontario and Sarnia, Ontario.-Foundation and organisation:...
- 10th Light Horse - 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry)
2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment
The 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment is a regiment of the Australian Army and forms part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. The regiment was formed in 1952 though sentimentally traces its lineage to 1860...
- 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
The 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse is a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army. The regiment in its current composition was formed in 1948 when the Citizens Military Force was re-raised after the completion of the demoblisation process following the end of the Second World War and it was...
- Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles is an armoured squadron of the New Zealand Army and forms part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The squadron was formed in 1864 and is currently an armoured cavalry unit equipped with NZLAV.- History :...
- The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) - Zambia Armoured Car Regiment - HMS Dauntless
HMS Dauntless (D33)
HMS Dauntless is the second ship of the Type 45 class of air defence destroyer built for the Royal Navy...
Affiliated Yeomanry
- The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (Prince of Wales's Own)Royal Wiltshire YeomanryThe Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of the TA was greatly reduced...
- The Royal Gloucestershire HussarsRoyal Gloucestershire HussarsThe Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a unit of the British Army.Raised in 1795 following William Pitt's 1794 order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain, through various re-organisations, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars remain today on the establishment of the Territorial...
- The Duke of Lancaster's Own YeomanryDuke of Lancaster's Own YeomanryThe Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry has its origins in the various troops of light horse raised in the eighteenth century in the county of Lancaster, the earliest of which was the Bolton Light Horse formed in 1798....
Order of precedence
External links
- Official site
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
- The King's Royal Hussars Association The King's Royal Hussars Association
- Noahs Arc - The Club of the 14th/20th King's Hussars Noahs Arc - The Club of the 14th/20th King's Hussars