The Royal Dragoon Guards: A Regimental History, 1685–2018

The Royal Dragoon Guards have a long and distinguished history dating from 1685. Originally raised as regiments of horse and dragoons, they were subsequently designated as the 4th, 5th and 7th Dragoon Guards and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. They fought in all of Britain’s major wars from the late 17th century onwards, charging at Blenheim with Marlborough’s cavalry, at Waterloo with the Union Brigade, and at Balaklava with the Heavy Brigade. In the 19th century, they also saw service in India and Africa. All four regiments served in France and Flanders during the First World War and one regiment fired the first British shot on the Western Front. They were then amalgamated into two regiments – the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Both regiments were mechanised shortly before the Second World War, in which they played a leading role in the D-Day landings. In 1992, the two regiments amalgamated again to form the Royal Dragoon Guards. Recent conflicts have taken the regiment to Iraq and Afghanistan, continuing a record of operational service covering more than three centuries. This regimental history of the Dragoons tells their story as it played out across the centuries, exploring their role in both major and minor conflicts of the last 300 years. The title examines the development of the regiment up to the present day and highlights key figures across its history. The text is supported throughout with photographs and illustrations.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Introduction CHAPTER ONE – REGIMENTAL LIFE Roles Organisation Training Campaigning Home Service Music and Sport CHAPTER TWO – KEEPING THE PEACE India, 1857–1928 Palestine, 1938–48 Suez Canal Zone, 1951–53 South Arabia, 1964–66 Cyprus, 1966–88 Libya, 1967 Northern Ireland, 1972–99 Bosnia, 1997–98 CHAPTER THREE – SMALL WARS Jacobite Rebellions, 1715 and 1745 Ireland, 1798 South Africa, 1845–47 Egypt and Sudan, 1882–85 South Africa, 1881–1902 Mesopotamia, 1920–21 CHAPTER FOUR – MAJOR WARS OF THE 17TH CENTURY Williamite War in Ireland, 1688–91 War of the Grand Alliance, 1691–97 CHAPTER FIVE – MAJOR WARS OF THE 18TH CENTURY War of the Spanish Succession, 1702–13 War of the Austrian Succession, 1742–48 Seven Years’ War, 1756–63 French Revolutionary War, 1793–95 CHAPTER SIX – MAJOR WARS OF THE 19TH CENTURY Napoleonic Wars, 1811–15 Crimean War, 1854–56 CHAPTER SEVEN – THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1914–18 France and Flanders, 1914 France and Flanders, 1915 France and Flanders, 1916 France and Flanders, 1917 France and Flanders, 1918 Armistice CHAPTER EIGHT – THE SECOND WORLD WAR, 1939–45 France and Belgium, 1939–40 The Long Wait, June 1940–June 1944 Normandy assault and bridgehead, 1944 Breakout from Normandy Advance to the frontiers Winter campaign and final round CHAPTER NINE – THE COLD WAR Korean War, 1951–52 British Army of the Rhine End of the Cold War and amalgamation CHAPTER TEN – 21ST-CENTURY OPERATIONS Iraq, 2004–08 Afghanistan, 2010–13 The future Appendices Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Peter Macfarlane was commissioned into the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in 1989. He served with the regiment and its successor, the Royal Dragoon Guards, in Germany and Britain and on active service in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He was asked by the Colonel of the Royal Dragoon Guards to write this short history in order to record the regiment’s exploits for new generations. He lives in the UK.

Review :
The book is nicely written, with brief but clear descriptions of the battles and the less glamorous but still necessary smaller actions. - IMPS / USA Reviews