Formation to end 18th century The regiment was formed at
Colchester in July 1715 by
Philip Honeywood as '''Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons''', one of 16 raised in response to the
1715 Jacobite rising. It fought in the
Battle of Preston that ended the revolt in England and while many of these formations were disbanded in 1718, Honeywood's remained in being. During the
Jacobite rising of 1745, the regiment took part in the December 1745
Clifton Moor Skirmish, allegedly the last military engagement on English soil, as well as
Battle of Culloden in April 1746, often cited as the last pitched battle on British soil. After 1751, regiments were numbered, rather than being named after the current Colonel, and it became the
11th Regiment of Dragoons. When the
Seven Years' War broke out in 1756, the regiment took part in the 1758 raids on
St Malo and
Cherbourg. Attempting to divert French forces from
Hanover, they failed to achieve this aim and the regiment was shipped to Germany in May 1760 as part of the
Marquess of Granby's cavalry corps, winning its first
battle honour in July at
Warburg. It was also present in the Allied victory at
Villinghausen in July 1761, which forced the French onto the defensive and ultimately led to the
Treaty of Paris in 1763. In 1755, each dragoon regiment added a reconnaissance or 'light' troop; in February 1779, these were detached, that from the 11th helping form the
19th Light Dragoons, which in 1862 became the
19th Royal Hussars. It was also involved in the
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, including the October 1799 battles of
Alkmaar and
Castricum.
The 19th century , October 1854; 11th Hussars, second line, left flank With the exception of a short spell in
Egypt during the victorious campaign of 1801, the regiment did not see active service again until it was sent to
Portugal in April 1811, where it joined the
Peninsular War campaign. It fought at
Badajoz in April 1812 and the
Battle of Salamanca in July 1812 before returning to Britain. During the campaign of 1815, it arrived at Ostend as part of
Vandeleur's brigade, and went on to fight at
Quatre Bras and
Waterloo. It was deployed at the
Siege of Bharatpur between 1825 and 1826. Shortly before returning to Britain, the
Earl of Cardigan became lieutenant-colonel; embarked on a series of changes, which were intended to increase regimental prestige but resulted in a number of highly publicised disputes, including the so-called 'Black Bottle' affair. In 1840, the 11th Light Dragoons served as escort to
Prince Albert on his arrival in England to marry Queen Victoria. She appointed Prince Albert
colonel of the regiment. The regiment served in the
Crimean War, as part of the
Light Brigade commanded by Cardigan, now a Major General and fought at the
Battle of Alma in September 1854. It was also involved in the
Charge of the Light Brigade in October 1854; due to miscommunication, Cardigan led the brigade against unbroken and more numerous Russian forces and while able to withdraw to its starting position, it suffered heavy losses as a result. The 11th lost three officers and 55 men in the debacle, while Lieutenant Dunn was awarded the
Victoria Cross for rescuing two members of his troop.
Edward Woodham of the 11th Hussars later acted as chairman of the organising committee for the 21st Anniversary dinner held at
Alexandra Palace for survivors of the Charge. The regiment was renamed the '''11th (or Prince Albert's Own) Hussars''' in 1861. In 1911 Prince Albert's great-grandson
Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia became
colonel-in-chief of the regiment. He was removed in October 1914 following the outbreak of the First World War.
The First World War winter 1914–1915 The regiment landed in France as part of the
1st Cavalry Brigade in the
1st Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on the
Western Front with the
British Expeditionary Force. The regiment took part in the
Great Retreat and the regiment, working with the
2nd Dragoon Guards, conducted a cavalry charge which led to the capture of eight
guns at
Néry in September 1914. and, in an ambush east of
Bardia, captured General Lastucci, the Engineer-in-Chief of the
Italian Tenth Army. Following the
Italian invasion of Egypt in September 1940, the regiment took part in the British
counterattack called
Operation Compass, launched against Italian forces first in Egypt, then Libya. It was part of an
ad hoc combat unit called
Combeforce, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
John Combe, that cut the retreating Tenth Army off and led to their surrender at the
Battle of Beda Fomm in February 1941. The regiment fought at the
Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. The regiment took part in the
Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943 and, after the
Normandy landings in June 1944, took part in the
North-West Europe Campaign.
Post-war The regiment was posted to Wavell Barracks in
Berlin in 1945 and, after tours at various locations in
Lower Saxony including
Jever,
Delmenhorst,
Osnabrück and
Wesendorf, it returned home in March 1953. It deployed to
Johor Bahru in
Malaya in July 1953 during the
Malayan Emergency. After returning home, it moved to
Hadrian's Camp in Carlisle as an Armoured Basic Training Unit in August 1956, then to Lisanelly Barracks in
Omagh back into the armoured reconnaissance role in August 1959, and then deployed to
Aden in November 1960 shortly before the
Aden Emergency. It returned to England in November 1961 and then moved to Haig Barracks in
Hohne in October 1962 where, after becoming the first regiment to use
Chieftain tanks in regular service in 1967, it remained until returning home again in January 1969. The regiment was amalgamated with the
10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own), to form the
Royal Hussars on 25 October 1969. ==Regimental museum==