17th Lancers

The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lancers to form the 17th/21st Lancers in 1922.

In 1759, Colonel John Hale of the 47th Foot was ordered back to Britain with General James Wolfe's final dispatches and news of his victory in the Battle of Quebec in September 1759. After his return, he was rewarded with land in Canada and granted permission to raise a regiment of light dragoons. He formed the regiment in Hertfordshire on 7 November 1759 as the 18th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, which also went by the name of Hale's Light Horse. Colonel Hale chose for the regiment: the Death's Head with the motto "Or Glory".

The regiment saw service in Germany in 1761 and was renumbered the 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in April 1763 In 1764 the regiment went to Ireland. In May 1766 it was renumbered again, this time as the 3rd Regiment of Light Dragoons. It regained the 17th numeral in 1769 as the 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons.

Led by Lt Col Samuel Birch, the regiment was sent to North America in 1775, arriving in Boston, then besieged by American rebels in the American Revolutionary War. It fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill, a costly British victory, in June 1775. The regiment was withdrawn to Halifax. It fought at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 at the Battle of White Plains in October 1776 and at the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776. It was in action again at the Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery in October 1777, the Battle of Crooked Billet in May 1778 and the Battle of Barren Hill later that month.

A troop from the 17th was attached to the British Legion, under the command of Colonel Banastre Tarleton, and was engaged in a number of battles of the southern campaign. With regimental pride, the regular dragoons of the 17th preserved an identity separate from the provincial unit. They kept their fading scarlet coats rather than adopting the green of the Legion.

A lieutenant was killed and several private soldiers were killed or wounded at the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781. The Legion cavalry included many volunteers from prisoners captured at the Battle of Camden. These replacements refused orders to engage the enemy at Cowpens. Tarleton combined Legion officers with the men of the 17th and led about 50 in a charge, attempting to support the right flank. Although initially successful, the dragoons were counter-charged by a larger force of concealed Patriot cavalry.

The American War of Independence officially ended in 1783. An officer of the regiment, Captain Stapleton, had the distinction of delivering to George Washington the despatch confirming the declaration of the cessation of hostilities.

The regiment returned to Ireland, where it remained until 1795, when it sailed for the West Indies to reinforce depleted forces battling the French. Two troops were used to suppress an uprising by "Maroons" in Jamaica soon after arriving in the Caribbean. Other detachments were embarked aboard HMS Success as "supernumeraries". Their experience at sea has been suggested by regimental historians to have gained the regiment the nickname "Horse Marines". Part of the regiment were stationed in Grenada during the Fédon Rebellion and saw active combat. The regiment returned to England in August 1797. It was based in Ireland again from May 1803 to winter 1805.