British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle Honours

WAR BOOKS
BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT
PUBLISHED FOR THE DAILY TELEGRAPH BY HODDER & STOUGHTON, WARWICK SQUARE, LONDON, E.C.
REGINALD HODDER
HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO MCMXIV
The Author wishes to express his indebtedness to Mr. J. Norvill for his valuable assistance and suggestions.
The Rusty Buckles.
The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) got their name of The Bays in 1767 when they were mounted on bay horses—a thing which distinguished them from other regiments, which, with the exception of the Scots Greys, had black horses. Their nickname, The Rusty Buckles, though lending itself to a ready explanation, is doubtful as to its origin; but one thing is certain that the rust remained on the buckles only because the fighting was so strenuous and prolonged that there was no time to clean it off.
The Royal Irish.
The 4th Dragoon Guards received this title in 1788, in recognition of its long service in Ireland since 1698. The regiment also has the name of the Blue Horse from the blue facings of the uniform.
The Green Horse.
The 5th Dragoon Guards were given this name in 1717 when their facings were changed from buff to green. Some time later, after Salamanca, they were also called the Green Dragoon Guards.