12th Royal Lancers

British Army cavalry regiment April 2014 November 2020 12th Royal Lancers Cap badge, 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers, 1902-1922.jpg 1902–1922 regimental cap badge 1715–1960 Great Britain (1715–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1960) British Army Line cavalry One Regiment The Supple Twelfth Ich Dien – I Serve Quick: God Bless the Prince of WalesSlow: Coburg March Major-General Phineas Bowles (Sr) Lieutenant-General Phineas Bowles (Jr) Lieutenant-General Thomas Bligh General Sir John Mordaunt Lieutenant-General George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville Lieutenant-General Edward Harvey General Sir William Pitt Lieutenant-General William Keppel General Sir William Payne-Gallwey Lieutenant-General Sir Colquhoun Grant Lieutenant-General Sir Hussey Vivian Lieutenant General Robert Broadwood Field Marshal William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood General Sir Richard McCreery The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. Originally raised as dragoons, they converted to lancers after the Napoleonic Wars, and then to the armoured reconnaissance role in the 20th century. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but was slated for reduction in the 1957 Defence White Paper, and was amalgamated with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) in 1960. History thumb|upright|1742 engraving of a regimental private thumb|upright|1751 painting of a regimental private thumb|upright|Three regimental officers being presented to Pope Pius VI in 1794 thumb|A regimental trooper in 1811 Early wars A dragoon regiment was raised in Reading by Brigadier-General Phineas Bowles as Phineas Bowles's Regiment of Dragoons in July 1715 during the Jacobite rising of 1715.http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/D12L.htm 12th Royal Lancers Regiments.org 21 August 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051028150913/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/D12L.htm 28 October 2005 It was employed escorting prisoners to London later in the year.Cannon, p.11 In 1718, the regiment was placed on the Irish establishment and posted to Ireland, where it remained for 75 years.http://www.12thlightdragoons.org.uk/Public_information_XII-12L_history.htm History of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers 31 December 2008 6 September 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080906142015/http://www.12thlightdragoons.org.uk/Public_information_XII-12L_history.htmRichards, p. 86 In 1751, the regiment was officially named the 12th Dragoons. In 1768, George III bestowed the badge of the Prince of Wales's feathers and the motto "Ich Dien" on the regiment, which was renamed the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons. A young Arthur Wellesley joined the regiment as a subaltern in 1789.13121 539 8 August 1789 In April 1794, the regiment took part in the siege of Bastia during the invasion of Corsica.Cannon, p. 18 It was subsequently sent to Civitavecchia, and news of the regiment's good conduct there led Pope Pius VI to award gold medals to three of its officers. thumb|upright|1832 painting of a regimental private The regiment landed at Alexandria in March 1801 and, although its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Mervyn Archdall, was seriously injured in skirmishes,Cannon, p.24 it saw action at the Battle of Alexandria later in the month.Cannon, p.27 The regiment, under a new commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Doyle, captured 28 officers and 570 other ranks of the French Dromedary Regiment (fr Régiment de Dromadaires) in an action in the Egyptian desert in May 1801.http://www.doyle.com.au/history_pt6.htm Doyle Clan History, part 6. Profile of General Sir John Doyle Bt GCB KCH 21 August 2016Cannon, p.26 It took part in the siege of Cairo securing the city in June 1801 and then participated in the siege of Alexandria taking that city in September 1801.Cannon, p.28 The regiment next deployed for the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in autumn 1809.Cannon, p.30 In June 1811 the regiment embarked for Lisbon and, under the command of Colonel Frederick Ponsonby, took part in the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812, the siege of Badajoz in March 1812Cannon, p.31 and the Battle of Villagarcia in April 1812 in the Peninsular War.Cannon, p.32 It also undertook two charges at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812Cannon, p.34 before taking part in the siege of Burgos in September 1812,Cannon, p.37 the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813Cannon, p.39 and the siege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813.Cannon, p.41 The regiment next advanced into France and supported the infantry at the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813.Cannon, p.42 The regiment marched through France and arrived in Calais in July 1814 from where it returned to England.Cannon, p.44 In the Waterloo Campaign, the regiment was attached to Sir John Vandeleur's light cavalry brigade. At the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, the regiment charged down the slope to support the Union Brigade of medium cavalry. Ponsonby fell, dangerously wounded, in the melee.Cannon, p.50 thumb|upright|1848 painting of a regimental captain In 1816, the 12th Light Dragoons was armed with lances after the cavalry of Napoleon's Army had shown their effectiveness at Waterloo and were re-titled 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers). In 1855, it reinforced the Light Cavalry Brigade in the Crimea after the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. In 1861, the regiment was renamed 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Royal Regiment of Lancers. It was stationed in India between 1857 and 1860 in response to the Indian Rebellion and in Ireland from 1865 to 1870, before fighting in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in the late 1870s.http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/12th-royal-lancers-prince-wales 12th Royal Lancers National Army Museum 21 August 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160822064420/http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/12th-royal-lancers-prince-wales 22 August 2016 Boer War The regiment was deployed to South Africa for service in the Second Boer War in October 1899, and took part in the relief of Kimberley and the ensuing Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900.http://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/imperial-units/497-12th-prince-of-waless-royal-lancers 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers Anglo-Boer War 21 August 2016 The commanding officer of the regiment, the 11th Earl of Airlie, was killed at the Battle of Diamond Hill in June 1900. Following the end of the war in 1902 they went to India. Almost 530 officers and men left Cape Town aboard SS Lake Manitoba in September 1902, arriving at Bombay the following month and was then stationed at Ambala in Punjab.The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home 27 September 1902 10 36884 First World War thumb|The regiment at Moy on 28 August 1914 The regiment, which had been based in Norwich at the start of the war, landed in France as part of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in the 2nd Cavalry Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front.http://www.1914-1918.net/lancers.htm The Lancers The Long, Long Trail 21 August 2016 On 28 August 1914, 'C' Squadron of the 12th Lancers, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Wormald, made a successful charge against a dismounted squadron of Prussian Dragoons at Moÿ-de-l'Aisne in the Great Retreat.Edmonds, p. 215-6 The 9th/12th Royal Lancers celebrated Mons/Moy Day annually, which commemorated the last occasions on which each predecessor regiment charged with lances.http://www.9th12thlancersmuseum.org/about A short history of the regiment 9th/12th Royal Lancers Museum 23 August 2016 Operating both mounted and as infantry, the regiment served on the Western Front throughout the war, participating in many of the major engagements, including the battles of Neuve-Chapelle, Cambrai and Amiens. 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/12th-royal-lancers-prince-waless www.nam.ac.uk London National Army Museum 3 August 2026 Inter-war era In 1921 the regiment was re-titled the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's). In 1928, it gave up its horses and was equipped with armoured cars, taking over vehicles left in Egypt by two Royal Tank Corps armoured car units, the 3rd and 5th Companies.Crow, p. 3 Late in 1934, the 12th exchanged equipment and station with the 11th Hussars, taking over 34 Lanchester 6×4 armoured cars at Tidworth. Its strength would have been 12 officers and 141 other ranks, organised in a company headquarters and three sections, each with five cars. Total numbers were sixteen cars, six motorcycles, a staff car, four 3-ton (3 LT t 0 on out) and seven 30-cwt (3360 lb kg on out) lorries. In January–February 1935 a provisional D squadron of the 12th Lancers with eight armoured cars served as a peacekeeping force in the Saar region.http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/RAC_9_12_Brief_history.pdf A brief history of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers Ministry of Defence 23 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20120810235504/https://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/RAC_9_12_Brief_history.pdf 10 August 2012 dead On 31 December B and C squadrons were sent again to Egypt with 29 armoured cars as a response to the Italian invasion of Abyssinia and strengthening garrisons in Libya. By the end of 1936 the squadrons were returned to Britain, where the regiment was re-equipped with Morris Light Reconnaissance Cars.http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1975-03-63-1-33 'New Morris Armoured Cars attached from 12th Royal Lancers', 1939 National Army Museum 23 August 2016 25 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160825210337/http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1975-03-63-1-33 deadStewart Patrick History of the XII Royal Lancers. 1950 Oxford University Press 328–30 Second World War thumb|Morris CS9 armoured cars of the regiment, 29 September 1939 The 12th Lancers was an armoured car regiment equipped with the Morris CS9, in the 1940 campaign in France and Flanders, playing a key part in shielding the retreat to Dunkirk. After evacuation (without their vehicles) from Malo-les-Bains on dredgers, they were first equipped with Beaverettes, then, in June 1941, with Humbers.http://www.iwmprints.org.uk/image/743239/mclaren-lieut-a-humber-mk-ii-armoured-car-of-the-12th-royal-lancers-on-patrol-south-of-el-alamein-july-1942 A Humber Mk II armoured car of the 12th Royal Lancers on patrol south of El Alamein, July 1942. Imperial War Museum 26 August 2016 11 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161011074131/http://www.iwmprints.org.uk/image/743239/mclaren-lieut-a-humber-mk-ii-armoured-car-of-the-12th-royal-lancers-on-patrol-south-of-el-alamein-july-1942 dead The Lancers landed in Port Tewfik, Egypt, in November 1941. Subsequently, the regiment fought as divisional troops for the 1st Armoured Division at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942Joslen pp. 13–15 and then served as a corps-level reconnaissance unit in the Italian Campaign. Post-war era The regiment was deployed to Palestine in August 1946 before returning home in April 1947.http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/royal-armoured-corps/12th-royal-lancers.html 12th Royal Lancers British Army units 1945 on 21 August 2016 It was sent to Malaya in September 1951 in the Malayan Emergency and, having been posted to Harewood Barracks in Herford in January 1955 moved on to Northampton Barracks in Wolfenbüttel in March 1956. It returned home again in March 1959 and deployed to Cyprus in May 1959. The regiment was amalgamated with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) in September 1960. Regimental museum The Derby Museum and Art Gallery incorporates the Soldier's Story Gallery, based on the collection, inter alia, of the 12th Royal Lancers.http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Soldiers-8217-Story-gallery-celebrates-Derby-s/story-27585377-detail/story.html Soldiers' Story gallery celebrates Derby's 300-year link with the Lancers Zena Hawley Derby Telegraph 11 August 2015 11 June 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20151225002035/http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Soldiers-8217-Story-gallery-celebrates-Derby-s/story-27585377-detail/story.html 25 December 2015 dead Battle honours The regiment's battle honours were as follows: Early Wars: Egypt, Salamanca, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1851-2-3, Sevastopol, Central India, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899–1902 The Great War: Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Ypres 1914 '15, Neuve Chapelle, St. Julien, Bellewaarde, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917 '18, Somme 1918, St. Quentin, Lys, Hazebrouck, Amiens, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18 The Second World War: Dyle, Defence of Arras, Arras Counter Attack, Dunkirk 1940, North-West Europe 1940, Chor es Sufan, Gazala, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Advance on Tripoli, Tebaga Gap, El Hamma, Akarit, El Kourzia, Djebel Kournine, Tunis, Creteville Pass, North Africa 1941–43, Citerna, Gothic Line, Capture of Forli, Conventello-Comacchio, Bologna, Sillaro Crossing, Idice Bridgehead, Italy 1944–45 Colonel-in-Chief 1919–: F.M. HM King Edward VIII Regimental Colonels Colonels of the regiment were: 1715–1719: Maj-Gen. Phineas Bowles (senior) 1719–1740: Lt-Gen. Phineas Bowles (junior) 1740–1743: Col. Alexander Rose 1743–1746: Brig-Gen. Samuel Walter Whitshed 1746–1747: Lt-Gen. Thomas Bligh 1747–1749: Gen. Sir John Mordaunt, KB 1749: Gen. Hon. James Cholmondeley 1749–1750: Lt-Gen. George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville 1750–1763: Lt-Gen. Sir John Whitefoord, Bt. 12th Regiment of Dragoons (1751) 1763–1764: Lt-Gen. Edward Harvey 1764–1770: Gen. Benjamin Carpenter 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (1768) 1770–1775: Gen. Sir William Augustus Pitt, KB 1775–1782: Lt-Gen. Hon. William Keppel 1782–1791: Lt-Gen. Hon. George Lane Parker 1791–1815: Gen. Sir James Steuart, Bt., GCH 1815–1825: Gen. Sir William Payne, Bt. 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Royal Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers) 1825–1827: Lt-Gen. Sir Colquhoun Grant, KCB, GCH 1827–1837: Lt-Gen. Sir Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian, GCB, GCH 1837–1856: Gen. Sir Henry John Cumming, KCH 1856–1861: Lt-Gen. Sir Lovell Benjamin Badcock, KCB, KH 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers (1861) 1861–1872: Gen. Sir George Henry Lockwood, KCB 1872–1879: Gen. Edward Pole 1879–1892: Gen. Thomas Hooke Pearson, CB 1892–1894: Lt-Gen. Edward Burgoyne Cureton 1894–1896: Maj-Gen. Robert Hale 1896–1902: Lt-Gen. Sir Arthur Lyttelton-Annesley, KCB, KCVO 1902–1909: Maj-Gen. John Cecil Russell, CVO 1909–1917: Lt-Gen. Robert Broadwood, CB 1917–1920: Maj-Gen. Walter Howorth Greenly, CB, CMG, DSO 1920–1951: F.M. Sir William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, CIE, DSO 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) (1921) 1951–1960: Gen. Sir Richard McCreery, GCB, KBE, DSO, MC (to 9th/12th Royal Lancers) 1960: Regiment amalgamated with 9th Queen's Royal Lancers to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) See also British cavalry during the First World War References Sources Cannon Richard Historical Record of The Twelfth, or The Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment of Lancers: containing an account of the formation of the Regiment in 1715 and of its subsequent services to 1842 1842 J. W. Parker https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002040782568;view=1up;seq=13 Crow Duncan British and Commonwealth Armoured Formations 1919–46 Profile Publications Ltd, Great Bookham 1972 978-0853830818 Edmonds Sir James Edward Military operations, France and Belgium, 1914 1922 https://archive.org/stream/militaryoperatio01edmouoft/militaryoperatio01edmouoft_djvu.txt Richards Walter Her Majesty's Army 1 London: J.S. Virtue 1895 Further reading Stewart Patrick History of the XII Royal Lancers Oxford University Press 1950 External links Brief history of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers Category:Military units and formations established in 1715 Category:Cavalry regiments of the British Army L12 Royal Lancers 012 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1960 Category:1715 establishments in Great Britain Category:Military units and formations of the Second Boer War