5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards

Regimental Badge.

Active| 1922-1993
Country|  United Kingdom
Branch|  British Army
Type| Armoured
Role| Cavalry
Size| Regiment
Part of| Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ| Chester
Nickname(s)| "The Skins"
Motto(s)| Vestigia nulla retrorsum
(Latin: We do not retreat)
March| Quick: Fare Ye well Enniskillen
Slow: The Soldier's Chorus from Gounod's Faust
Anniversaries| Oates Sunday
Balaklava Day
Waterloo Day
Salamanca Day

Military unit

The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World War and the Korean War. In August 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, the regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards.

## History[edit]

### Formation[edit]

The regiment was formed in 1922, as the 5th/6th Dragoons, at Cairo, Egypt by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons.[1][2]

In 1923, the regiment was deployed to Risalpur, India.[3] In 1927, the regiment discarded the "6th" and inserted Inniskilling into its title, thereby becoming the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.[1] In the following year, the regiment moved to the UK for the first time, as the 5th Dragoon Guards. In 1935, it gained the Royal accolade to become the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.[1] In 1938, as part of the preparation for the Second World War, the regiment was mechanised; in the following year, it joined the newly formed Royal Armoured Corps (RAC).[1]

### Second World War[edit]

A Cromwell tank of 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards supporting infantry in Weseke, 29 March 1945.

On 3 September 1939, two days after the Wehrmacht had invaded Poland, the United Kingdom, France and their Allies declared war on Nazi Germany. Equipped with Vickers Mk.VI, the regiment, commanded initially by Lieutenant Colonel John Anstice, acted as the reconnaissance regiment of the 4th Infantry Division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was deployed to the continent shortly after the war broke out. On 10 May 1940, the German Army launched their invasion of the Low Countries, thus ending what was known as the Phoney War. The German invasion was swift and successful; the Allied forces in Belgium, which included the regiment, having to retreat to the Scheldt River. Fierce fighting continued, the BEF continuing to withdraw further until the order was given for them to withdraw to Dunkirk in northern France. The regiment was successfully evacuated from Dunkirk in June 1940.[3]

In December 1940, cadres drawn from the regiment and the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards were used to form a new regiment, the 22nd Dragoons, which was disbanded in December 1945.[4]

The 5th Dragoon Guards remained in the United Kingdom until late July 1944, when it landed in Normandy, over a month after the initial D-Day landings of 6 June, and joined the 22nd Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division (the famed 'Desert Rats'). Heavy fighting was still raging in Normandy and the regiment took part in actions in Mont Pincon in early August and, subsequently, at Saint-Pierre-la-Vieille. The regiment saw further service in Northern France, including helping in the capture of Lisieux on 23 August, and later crossing the Risle, advancing rapidly to the Seine.[3]

The Inniskillings began their advance on Belgium on 31 August-the 7th Armoured Division's objective was the city of Ghent-and crossed the Somme, where the regiment's predecessor regiments had fought during World War I, and Authie rivers. The division's remarkable advance on the Franco-Belgian border could not be maintained as the enormous amounts of fuel consumed had depleted available supplies. Instead, a smaller force, including the Innsikillings, was employed in the effort to capture Ghent; the Inniskillings and the 11th Hussars entered the city on 5 September. The 7th Armoured Division remained in Belgium to take part in operations against the remnants of the German forces and, thus, did not take part in Operation Market Garden. The regiment subsequently took part in heavy fighting around the Maas river during Operation Pheasant which began in late October.[3]

The regiment saw action during Operation Blackcock, the plan to clear the west bank of the Roer of Germans, which commenced on 16 January 1945. It subsequently took part in the crossing of the Rhine, which began on 25 March, with the objective of heading eastward, straight for the city of Hamburg. The regiment was now firmly inside German territory, encountering fierce resistance from the Germans. The regiment took part in the capture of a number of towns during the rapid advance into Germany. In April, the regiment took part in the efforts to capture Ibbenburen, seeing heavy fighting against the fierce defenders. The regiment saw further heavy fighting elsewhere before it, with the rest of its brigade, headed south for Bremen, where they helped capture Wildeshausen. Later, the Inniskillings took part in the successful attack on Soltau before the advance on Harburg, a suburb of Hamburg, resumed. Towards the end of April, the Germans negotiated the surrender of Hamburg, a city that had been devastated by the Allied bombing campaigns; the 7th Armoured Division entered the city on 3 May.[3]

### Post-War[edit]

Memorial window at St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen

The regiment was sent to York Barracks in Munster to serve as part of 22nd Armoured Brigade in 1946 and then moved to Barker Barracks in Paderborn in December 1948.[5] The regiment returned to the UK in August 1951, from where the regiment was sent, a few months later, to Korea to take part in the Korean War—a war that had been raging ever since North Korea had launched a surprise attack against South Korea—as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division.[3] The Chinese launched a massive attack on 'The Hook', a tactically important position held by the British, on 18 November 1952, commencing the second battle for 'The Hook'.[3] The Black Watch, having stoutly defended their positions, were forced back by the overwhelming Chinese attack. Subsequently, the British launched a counter-attack that supported the Black Watch as they began the methodical effort to dislodge the Chinese from 'The Hook'; B Squadron of the regiment, which was armed with the powerful Centurion main battle tank, was part of this attack. Fighting raged on into the early hours of 19 November but, as dawn broke, the Chinese retreated, unable to consolidate their position on 'The Hook'. The regiment left Korea the following month, arriving in the Suez Canal Zone just prior to its handover to the Egyptians.[3]

In February 1957, the regiment moved to Athlone Barracks in Sennelager but returned to the UK in November 1962 from where it deployed troops to Libya in Autumn 1963 and to Aden and Hong Kong in December 1964.[5] A Squadron deployed to Cyprus in January 1966 to act in the reconnaissance role for the United Nations (UN) forces, which were there to prevent conflict from breaking out between the opposing Greek and Turkish Cypriots.[5] The regiment returned home in December 1967 but then moved to Harewood Barracks in Herford in March 1969 and to York Barracks in Münster in June 1970.[5] In October 1973, the regiment joined the UN forces in Cyprus, returning to its base in December 1974.[5]

The regiment moved to Imphal Barracks in Osnabrück in December 1976, from which it deployed to Northern Ireland on a four-month tour in April 1981.[5] The regiment returned to the UK in November 1984 and then moved to Barker Barracks in Paderborn in November 1986.[5] The regiment deployed on another four-month tour in Northern Ireland in September 1989 and again in January 1992.[5]

In August 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, the regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards.[3]

## Regimental museum[edit]

The regimental museum, along with that of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, is based in Enniskillen Castle.[6][7] A further display can be seen in the Cheshire Military Museum at Chester Castle.[8]

## Uniform[edit]

At the time of amalgamation, care was taken to ensure that the new regiment's uniform retained a balance of features from both former regiments. Thus in full dress, the red and white plume of the 5th Dragoon Guards was worn on the (silver) helmet of the 6th Dragoons, the helmet badge of the 5th was worn, but the collar badge of the 6th. Yellow facings (collar and cuffs) were retained from the 6th Dragoons, but in order not to lose the distinctive green facings of the 5th Dragoon Guards, it was proposed that green breeches/overalls be worn. (Green breeches had formerly been worn in the eighteenth century, when the regiment was known as 'the Green Horse'.) The proposal was accepted, and a new tradition established. After mechanisation, green trousers began to be worn with various orders of dress (a custom still maintained by the successor regiment, the Royal Dragoon Guards).[9]

## Battle honours[edit]

Regimental colours in St. Macartin's Cathedral displaying the honors from Mons to Korea

The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[10]

* Early Wars: (Battle Honours for predecessor regiments): Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Warburg, Beaumont, Willems, Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, Balaklava, Sevastopol, Defence of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899–1902
* First World War (Battle Honours for predecessor regiments):
* Western Front: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Somme 1916'18, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917 and 1918, St Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouk, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914–18
* Second World War:
* North-West Europe: Withdrawal to Scheldt, St Omer-La Bassée, Dunkirk 1940, Mont Pincon, St Pierre La Vielle, Lisieux, Risele Crossing, Roer Triangle (Operation Blackcock), Ibbenburen, North-West Europe 1940 '44–45
* Korea: The Hook 1952, Korea 1951–52

## Commanding Officers[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2020)

|

The Commanding Officers have been:[11]

* 1960–1962: Lt.-Col. Harry C. Walker MC
* 1962–1965: Lt.-Col. Gavin S. Murray
* 1965–1967: Lt.-Col. Henry G. Woods
* 1967–1970: Lt.-Col. Guy L. Wathen
* 1970–1972: Lt.-Col. Charles E. Taylor
* 1972–1975: Lt.-Col. Richard C. Keightley
* 1975–1977: Lt.-Col. Patrick G. Brooking
* 1977–1980: Lt.-Col. Nicholas G. P. Ansell
* 1980–1982: Lt.-Col. William A. Evans
* 1982–1984: Lt.-Col. Water J. Courage
* 1984–1987: Lt.-Col. Patrick A. J. Cordingley
* 1987–1990: Lt.-Col. Brian R. Anderson
* 1990–1992: Lt.-Col. David W. Montgomery

## Colonels-in-Chief[edit]

The colonels-in-chief were as follows:[1]

* King Albert I, King of the Belgians (1922)
* King Leopold III, King of the Belgians (1937)
* The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (1985)

## Regimental Colonels[edit]

Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]

5th/6th Dragoons then 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (1927)

* 1922–1928 (6th Dragoons): Maj-Gen. Sir Michael Frederic Rimington, KGB, CVO (ex 6th Dragoons)
* 1922–1937 (5th Dragoon Guards): Lt-Gen. Sir George Tom Molesworth Bridges, KCB, KCMG, DSO (ex 5th Dragoon Guards)

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (1935)

* 1937–1947: Maj-Gen. Roger Evans, CB, MC
* 1947–1957: Gen. Sir Charles Frederic Keightley, GCB, GBE, DSO
* 1957–1962: Col. Sir Michael Picton Ansell, CBE, DSO
* 1962–1967: Gen. Sir John D'Arcy Anderson, GBE, KCB, DSO, DL
* 1967–1972: Brig. Arthur Carr, OBE
* 1972–1981: Gen. Sir Cecil Blacker, GCB, OBE, MC
* 1981–1986: Brig. William Francis Allan Findlay, OBE
* 1986–1991: Maj-Gen. Richard Charles Keightley, CB
* 1991–1992: Maj-Gen. Patrick Guy Brooking, CB, MBE (to Royal Dragoon Guards)
* 1992: Regiment amalgamated with 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form The Royal Dragoon Guards

## Alliances[edit]

* Canada 10th Brant Dragoons (1922–1936) - Canada
* Canada 2nd/10th Dragoons (1936–1946) - Canada
* Canada The British Columbia Dragoons (1960–1992) - Canada
* Australia 9th Light Horse (The Flinders Light Horse) (1927–1943) - Australia
* Australia 3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles) (1951–1992) - Australia
* New Zealand 6th (Manawatu) Mounted Rifles (1922–1944) - New Zealand

Yeomanry

* United Kingdom The Cheshire Yeomanry (Earl of Chester's)
* United Kingdom North Irish Horse

## Former officers[edit]

See also: Category:5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards officers

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f "5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
2. ^ "5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards". National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards". Cheshire Military Museum. Archived from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
4. ^ "22nd Dragoons". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h "5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
6. ^ "Enniskillen Castle". Retrieved 6 August 2016.
7. ^ "Inniskillings Museum". Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
8. ^ Cheshire Military Museum, Army Museums Ogilby Trust, archived from the original on 17 June 2011, retrieved 18 February 2011
9. ^ "History of the green trousers". Royal Dragoon Guards Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
10. ^ "Battle Honours of the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards". Inniskillings Museum. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
11. ^ "Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie" (PDF). p. 18. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

## Further reading[edit]

* Blacker, C.; Woods, H. (1978). Change and Challenge: 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 1928-1978. Privately printed.
* Evans, Roger (1951). The Story of the Fifth Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Gale & Polden.

* v
* t
* e

Royal Dragoon Guards

Predecessors|

| 1st generation|

* 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards (1685–1922)
* 7th Dragoon Guards (1688–1922)
* 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons (1688–1922)
* 5th Dragoon Guards (1685–1922)

|

2nd generation|

* 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards (1922–1992)
* 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (1922–1992)

Victoria Cross|

* Adrian Carton de Wiart
* John Norwood
* James Mouat

See also|

* Dragoon
* Dragoon Guards
* Cavalry regiments of the British Army
* Armoured regiment
* Royal Armoured Corps
* 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade
* 4th Armoured Brigade
* "The Enniskillen Dragoon"
* "Is This the Way to Armadillo"
* Irish in the British Armed Forces
* Royal Irish Regiment
* Irish Guards
* Queen's Royal Hussars
* North Irish Horse

* v
* t
* e

RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War

Regular|

| Dragoons|

* 1st King's Dragoon Guards
* 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
* 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards)
* 4th/7th Dragoon Guards
* 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
* 22nd Dragoons
* 25th Dragoons
* Royal Scots Greys

|

Hussars|

* 3rd The King's Own Hussars
* 4th Queen's Own Hussars
* 7th Queen's Own Hussars
* 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
* 10th Royal Hussars
* 11th Hussars (Prince Alberts Own)
* 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Marys Own)
* 14th/20th King's Hussars
* 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
* 23rd Hussars
* 26th Hussars

Lancers|

* 9th Queen's Royal Lancers
* 12th Royal Lancers
* 16th/5th Lancers
* 17th/21st Lancers
* 24th Lancers
* 27th Lancers

Royal Tank
Regiments|

* 1st RTR
* 2nd RTR
* 3rd RTR
* 4th RTR
* 5th RTR
* 6th RTR
* 7th RTR
* 8th RTR
* 9th RTR
* 10th RTR
* 11th RTR
* 12th RTR
* 39th RTR
* 40th RTR
* 40th/41st RTR
* 41st RTR
* 42nd (7th East Surrey) RTR
* 43rd (6th Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) RTR
* 44th RTR
* 45th RTR
* 46th RTR
* 47th RTR
* 48th RTR
* 49th RTR
* 50th RTR
* 51st RTR
* 61st RTR
* 62nd RTR
* 65th RTR
* 101st RTR
* 102nd RTR

Regiments
RAC|

* 46 RAC
* 107 (King's Own) RAC
* 108 (Lancashire Fusiliers) RAC
* 109 RAC
* 110 (Border) RAC
* 111 RAC
* 112 RAC
* 113 RAC
* 114 RAC
* 115 RAC
* 116 RAC
* 141 RAC
* 142 RAC
* 143 RAC
* 144 (East Lancashire) RAC
* 145 RAC
* 146 RAC
* 147 RAC
* 148 RAC
* 149 RAC
* 150 RAC
* 151 RAC
* 152 RAC
* 153 RAC
* 154 RAC
* 155 RAC
* 156 RAC
* 157 RAC
* 158 RAC
* 159 RAC
* 160 RAC
* 161 RAC
* 162 RAC
* 163 RAC

Reserve|

* 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry
* 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry
* 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
* 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
* 1st Lothians and Border Horse
* 2nd Lothians and Border Horse
* 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
* 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
* 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
* 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
* 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
* 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry
* 1st East Riding Yeomanry
* 2nd East Riding Yeomanry
* Cheshire Yeomanry
* Inns of Court Regiment
* North Irish Horse
* North Somerset Yeomanry
* Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons
* Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
* Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
* Staffordshire Yeomanry
* Warwickshire Yeomanry
* Westminster Dragoons (2nd County of London Yeomanry)
* Yorkshire Hussars

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