16th The Queen's Lancers
Encyclopedia
The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment
in the British Army
, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.
was raised as the second of the new regiments of light dragoons in 1759, as the 16th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, also known as Burgoyne's Light Horse. In 1766 they were renamed after Queen Charlotte
as the 2nd (or The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, the number being an attempt to create a new numbering system for the light dragoon regiments. However, the old system was quickly reestablished, with the regiment returning as the 16th (The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1769.
They arrived in New York in September, 1776. They were involved in fighting at Brandywine
, Paoli, and Monmouth Court House. They returned to Britain in December, 1778.
They became lancers in 1816, as the 16th (The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers). The title was simplified in 1861 to the 16th (The Queen's) Lancers. After service in the First World War, the regiment retitled as the 16th The Queen's Lancers in 1921, and was amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers
to form the 16th/5th Lancers (later the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
) the following year.
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...
in 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...
, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.
History
The regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
was raised as the second of the new regiments of light dragoons in 1759, as the 16th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, also known as Burgoyne's Light Horse. In 1766 they were renamed after Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
as the 2nd (or The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, the number being an attempt to create a new numbering system for the light dragoon regiments. However, the old system was quickly reestablished, with the regiment returning as the 16th (The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1769.
They arrived in New York in September, 1776. They were involved in fighting at Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Paoli, and Monmouth Court House. They returned to Britain in December, 1778.
They became lancers in 1816, as the 16th (The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers). The title was simplified in 1861 to the 16th (The Queen's) Lancers. After service in the First World War, the regiment retitled as the 16th The Queen's Lancers in 1921, and was amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers
5th Royal Irish Lancers
The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British army originally formed in 1689 as James Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons.They fought in the Battle of the Boyne and at the Battle of Aughrim under William of Orange...
to form the 16th/5th Lancers (later the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
The 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.It was formed at Lucknow in India as 16th/5th Lancers by the amalgamation of two regiments, 16th The Queen's Lancers and 5th Royal Irish Lancers....
) the following year.
Battle Honours
- Beaumont, Willems, Talavera, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nive, Peninsula, Waterloo, Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839, Affghanistan 1839, Maharajpore, Aliwal, Sobraon, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1900-02.
- The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15, Gheluvelt, St. Julien, Bellewaarde, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18.