5th Dragoon Guards
The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially raised in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse or the Earl of Shrewsbury's Horse.
| 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) | |
|---|---|
Badge of the 5th Dragoon Guards | |
| Active | 1685–1922 |
| Disbanded | 1922 |
| Country | England (1685–1697) Ireland (1698–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1922) |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Cavalry of the Line |
| Role | Heavy Cavalry |
| Size | 1 battalion |
| Nickname(s) | The Green Horse The Green Dragoons The Old Farmers |
| Motto(s) | Vestigia nulla restorsum (Latin – We do not retreat) |
| March | (Quick) The Gay Cavalier (Slow) Soldier's chorus from Gounod's Faust |
| Anniversaries | Salamanca Day |
| Engagements | The Boyne 1690 Blenheim 1704 Ramillies 1706 Malplaquet 1709 Salamanca 1812 Balaclava 1854 |
| Battle honours | Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Beaumont, Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, Peninsula, Balaklava, Sevastopol, Defence of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899–1902; France and Flanders 1914–18 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | 1st Earl Cadogan 7th Earl of Cardigan |
By 1687, it was known as Langsdale's Horse, from 1687 to 1688 as Hamilton's Horse, then from 1688 to 1691 as John Coy's Horse. In 1691, it was given a number and known as the 6th Horse. In 1697 the regiment was known as Arran's Horse and later became Cadogan's Horse.
As Coy's Horse, the regiment fought at the Battle of the Boyne. In 1804 it became the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Regiment of Dragoon Guards.
In 1922, the regiment was amalgamated with the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons to form the 5th/6th Dragoons. Its history and traditions continue today in the Royal Dragoon Guards, an armoured cavalry unit of the British Army.