14 April 2012

15th (The King's) Hussars 1881-1905


This post will look at numbering in the 15th (King's) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms which saw the majority of the infantry regiments being re-designated along territorial or county lines.  However, my starting point for this post is 1881 although my data goes back a good deal further than this. 

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

1767 joined on 19th May 1881
1862 joined on 5th January 1882
1988 joined on 26th May 1883
2109 joined on 16th April 1884
2205 joined on 13th February 1885
2305 joined on 27th June 1886
2403 joined on 5th January 1887
2537 joined on 13th February 1888
2641 joined on 27th March 1889
2737 joined on 20th March 1890
2814 joined on 1st March 1891
3054 joined on 26th July 1892
3132 joined on 23rd January 1893
3225 joined on 23rd January 1894
3383 joined on 7th January 1895
3491 joined on 22nd January 1896
3605 joined on 20th January 1897
3803 joined on 15th June 1898
3938 joined on 23rd January 1899
4115 joined on 7th May 1900
4205 joined on 16th May 1901
4313 joined on 24th February 1902
4354 joined on 15th January 1903
4653 joined on 6th September 1905

My last number on my 15th Hussars database prior to the change in numbering is 4664 on 1st October 1905. In late 1906 or early 1907 numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering.
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.


 
 
This from Naval & Military Press:
 
In August 1914 the organisation of the infantry division called for a reconnaissance element which was provided by a squadron of cavalry, and it was the role of the 15th Hussars (15 H) to provide that squadron for each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions. The other three divisions of the original BEF were served by squadrons of the 19th Hussars and so it may seem appropriate that when, in 1922, the number of cavalry regiments were reduced by amalgamations, the 15th combined with the 19th to form a new regiment - the 15th/19th Hussars. When war came in 1914 15 H had been back in England nearly two years after an overseas tour of fourteen years, and by 18th August the three squadrons were in France with their divisions. The first four chapters describe the involvement of the squadrons in the early fighting - Mons and the retreat, Marne, Aisne and Ypres. In April 1915 the regiment was re-formed as a single unit and posted to the newly formed 9th Cavalry Brigade in 1st Cavalry Division (as was 19 H); their places in the three infantry divisions were taken by Yeomanry. For the rest of the war the Regiment remained in the 9th Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division, on the Western Front and fought in many actions as their twenty-three Battle Honours testify. They were awarded one of the earliest VCs to be won, Cpl Garforth.
 
There are five appendices, one of them is a diary of marches, billets and bivouacs of the Regiment from 27th July 1914 to 6th September 1919 and another most useful one gives the strengths of the Regiment (officers and other ranks) on various dates between 29th April 1915 and 31st March 1921; figures are also given for riding, draught and pack horses and mules. The casualty lists show not only fatalities but also wounded, identifying those wounded more than once, and those missing. There is a list of officers of the Regiment and attached officers who served between 1914 and 1922, and a list of NCOs and men who were commissioned during the war. There is an index.

7 April 2012

19th (QAOR) Hussars 1881-1906



This post will look at numbering in the 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  The cavalry regiments, of course, were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms which saw the majority of the infantry regiments being redesignated along territorial or county lines.  However, I'll stick to my convention of using 1881 as a starting point for these line cavalry regiments although my data goes back a good deal further than this. 

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

2096 joined on 10th January 1881
2122 joined on 19th January 1882
2455 joined on 4th April 1883
2467 joined on 23rd February 1884
2669 joined on 9th April 1885
2868 joined on 25th January 1886
2896 joined on 7th January 1887
3074 joined on 11th April 1888
3319 joined on 3rd January 1889
3533 joined on 3rd February 1890
3711 joined on 23rd July 1891
3814 joined on 1st February 1892
3938 joined on 19th January 1893
4009 joined on 20th January 1894
4179 joined on 28th August 1895
4413 joined on 3rd February 1896
4525 joined on 3rd February 1897
4557 joined on 7th December 1898
4592 joined on 16th December 1899
4876 joined on 4th May 1900
5118 joined on 28th January 1901
5516 joined on 9th June 1902
5598 joined on 25th March 1903
5609 joined on 1st June 1904
5930 joined on 6th April 1905
6203 joined on 8th March 1906

My last number on my 19th Hussars database prior to the change in numbering is 6300 on 4th October 1906. In late 1906 or early 1907 numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering.
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

5 April 2012

18th Hussars - 1881-1906



This post will look at numbering in the 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars between 1881 and 1906.  1881 is an arbitrary date chosen purely to conform to the parameters of this blog.  The regiment though, was raised in 1858 (although two cavalry regiments had formerly been numbered 18th. See the sketch details on the image above for a brief outline of the regiment's history up until the Second South African War of 1899-1902.

1906 is chosen as the end date because it was from late 1906 or early 1907 that the line cavalry regiments stopped numbering by individual regiment and started numbering by corps instead.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

2450 joined on 10th January 1881
2497 joined on 15th August 1882
2534 joined on 9th january 1883
2665 joined on 5th January 1884
2783 joined on 2nd January 1885
3050 joined on 1st July 1886
3132 joined on 1st April 1887
3204 joined on 28th January 1888
3398 joined on 26th March 1889
3614 joined on 28th January 1890
3706 joined on 27th February 1891
3801 joined on 4th January 1892
3958 joined on 25th October 1892
4017 joined on 11th January 1893
4206 joined on 3rd May 1894
4407 joined on 10th January 1895
4564 joined on 24th August 1896
4623 joined on 1st October 1897
4691 joined on 20th June 1898
4801 joined on 13th february 1899
5281 joined on 11th August 1900
5810 joined on 17th January 1901
6102 joined on 16th July 1902
6247 joined on 9th February 1903
6328 joined on 19th April 1904
6460 joined on 13th January 1905
6667 joined on 14th January 1906

The last number in my database for this cavalry regiment before the Hussars started numbering by corps is 6900 which was issued on the 6th November.  There would have been another seven weeks worth of numbering in this regiment - another twenty to thirty recruits perhaps - and then it was all change in numbering for the line cavalry.  When the numbering changed to numbering by corps, one number series was effectively shared by all the Hussars regiments, another number series by the Dragoons, a third number series by the Lancers.

For further reading on numbering in the line cavalry regiments have a look at these posts:

The Queen's and King's Regulations affecting regimental numbers
Cavalry Numbering in 1906

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

3 April 2012

14th (King's) Hussars 1881-1906


This post will look at numbering in the 14th (King's) Hussars between 1881 and 1906. 1881 is an arbitrary date chosen to conform with the parameters of this blog, but as can be seen above, the regiment had a long history.  December 1906 was when numbering in the line cavalry changed from numbering by regiment to numbering by corps.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records).  All of these series are now online.  Click on the links for further information.

2042 joined on 16th September 1881
2076 joined on 2nd January 1882
2151 joined on 16th March 1883
2361 joined on 2nd January 1884
2503 joined on 16th July 1885
2590 joined on 2nd June 1886
2664 joined on 27th April 1887
2774 joined on 18th January 1888
2850 joined on 24th January 1889
2948 joined on 21st January 1890
3056 joined on 4th March 1891
3151 joined on 8th July 1892
3221 joined on 11th January 1893
3303 joined on 24th January 1894
3408 joined on 2nd January 1895
3529 joined on 27th January 1896
3675 joined on 5th May 1897
3817 joined on 9th May 1898
4086 joined on 16th January 1899
4347 joined on 6th February 1900
4500 joined on 9th March 1901
4812 joined on 12th March 1902
5058 joined on 5th June 1903
5161 joined on 14th April 1904
5344 joined on 3rd February 1905
5562 joined on 1st January 1906

In late 1906 or early 1907, numbering in the cavalry changed and numbers were allocated to corps rather than to individual regiments within those corps. 

For further reading see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

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