12th (or the PRINCE OF WALES’S) REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS.

[12th LANCERS.]

Rank in the
LIEUT.-COLONEL.Regiment.Army.
[1]Hon. F.C. Ponsonby, W.11June,1811Col., 4 June, 1814
MAJOR.
[2]James Paul Bridger10Dec.1811
CAPTAINS.
[3]Samson Stawell29Jan.180628 Feb. 1805
[4]George F. Erskine19May,1808
[5]Edwin W.T. Sandys, W.30Mar.180919 Aug. 1808
[6]Houston Wallace10Jan.181111 Jan. 1810
[7]Alexander Barton17Jan.1811
[8]Henry Andrews9July,1812
[9]Alexander Charles Craufurd (Volr.)9June,1814
LIEUTENANTS.
[10]Wm. Heydon13June,1805
[11]James Chatterton6June,1811
[12]John Vandeleur10July,1811
[13]Wm. Hay11July,1811
[14]Wm. H. Dowbiggen, W.31Dec.18118 Aug. 1811
[15]Albert Goldsmid20Feb.1812
[16]Abraham Lane30Mar.181515 Oct. 1812
Lindsey James Bertie, K.30Mar.18157 May, 1812
[17]John Henry Slade6Apr.1815
[18]Thomas Reed2May,1815
[19]John Griffiths (sic) Adjt.4May,1815
CORNET.
[20]John Elliott(sic) Lockhart, K.28Apr.1814
PAYMASTER.
[21]Wm. [Loftus] Otway14Feb.1811
QUARTERMASTER.
[22]Richard Sidley10June,1813
SURGEON.
[23]Benjamin Robinson15Oct.18032 Feb. 1795
ASSISTANT-SURGEON.
[24]John G. Smith28Oct.181311 Mar. 1813
VETERINARY SURGEON.
[25]James Castley17Aug.180918 June, 1807
Blue. Facings yellow. Lace silver.

[1]. Aftds. Maj.-Gen. Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, K.C.B. and K.M.T., Gov. of Malta. 2nd son of Frederick, 3rd Earl of Bessborough, by Lady Henrietta, 2nd dau. of 1st Earl Spencer. Bn. 6th July, 1783. Cornet 10th Lt. Dgns. 1800. Maj. 23rd Lt. Dgns. 1807. At head of this regt. distinguished himself at Talavera, in 1809. Lt.-col. of the regt. 1810. At Barossa, with a squadron of German dragoons, he charged the French cavalry covering the retreat, overthrew them, and took two guns. Lt.-Col. 12th Lt. Dgns. 1811. Again signally distinguished himself at the battles of Salamanca and Vittoria. His experiences at Waterloo were almost unique, as when lying grievously wnded. on the field, after a most gallant charge, in the French lines, a lancer who was passing by and saw Ponsonby move, exclaimed: “Tu n’est pas mort, coquin,” and struck his lance through the English officer’s back. “My head dropped” (wrote Ponsonby in his subsequent narrative of his experiences), “the blood gushed into my mouth, a difficulty of breathing came on, and I thought all was over.” But the bitterness of death was not yet past. Soon after, a tirailleur came up and roughly searched him all over, robbing Ponsonby of what money he had about him. He was hardly quit of this scoundrel before another appeared with the same intent. At last a good Samaritan appeared in the shape of a French officer, who administered brandy to the apparently dying Englishman, and then passed on “to pursue the retreating British”! What followed is best given in Ponsonby’s own words: “Presently another tirailleur appeared, who came and knelt and fired over me, loading and firing many times, and conversing with great gaiety all the while. At last he ran off.” The evening came, and with it the Prussians. “Two squadrons of Prussian cavalry, both of them two deep, passed over me in full trot, lifting me from the ground and tumbling me about cruelly. A German soldier, bent on plunder, came and pulled me about roughly before he left me.” An English private next appeared, and on Ponsonby telling him who he was, the soldier picked up a sword and stood sentry over him. Next morning Ponsonby was removed in a cart to a farmhouse, and laid in a bed from which poor Sir A. Gordon had just been carried out dead. Col. Ponsonby had received seven wounds; a surgeon slept in his room, and he was saved by continual bleeding—120 ounces in two days, besides the great loss of blood on the field.—Narrative. M., 1825, Emily, youngest dau. of 3rd Earl Bathurst, and had issue. D. 11th Jan., 1837.

[2]. Bt.-lt. col. for Waterloo, and C.B. Retd. in 1821. M., 1831, Jane, 4th dau. of John Copeland. D. 17th May, 1841.

[3]. Appears to have been a son of Sampson Stawell, of Kilbrittain, co. Cork. Lt.-col. of same regt. 1827. Present with his regt. at Queen Victoria’s coronation, and received a special gold medal. D. 21st Aug. 1849.

[4]. George Francis Erskine. Was 2nd son of Hon. Hy. Erskine (2nd son of 5th Earl of Buchan), the eminent Scotch advocate. Maj. same regt. 24th Oct., 1821. Retd. as lt.-col.

[5]. Had served with distinction in the Pa. D. of his wounds soon after Waterloo. There have been generations of the name of Edwin Sandys, and this “Edwin W—— T—— Sandys” may have been a cadet of the noble house of Sandys, now extinct.

[6]. Quitted the service in 1822.

[7]. Promoted bt.-maj. 21st Jan., 1819, for distinguished conduct in the field while on service in the Pa. In 1826 a body of British troops was sent to Lisbon to aid the Portuguese Govt. Four troops of the 12th Lancers (so styled since 1817), commanded by Maj. Barton, embarked at Portsmouth in December for Portugal, where they remained for two years. Living in 1830.

[8]. Retd. on h. p. as maj. 25th Jan., 1828. Restored to full pay as Maj. 3rd Lt. Dgns. D. in Bengal, 1838.

[9]. A volunteer from the 2nd Ceylon Regt. Was transferred to 12th Lancers as capt. 26th Oct., 1820, and received a bt. majority in Aug., 1821. His Waterloo medal was for long in the Seaforth collection. Only son of Sir James Craufurd, Bart., of Kilbirney, co. Stirling. M., 1818, Barbara, 4th dau. of 7th Earl of Coventry, and d. s. p. 1838.

[10]. This unfortunate officer was twenty years a lieut. in this regt. Promoted capt. 2nd June, 1825, and placed on h. p. 22nd Dec. same year. Living 1830.

[11]. 2nd son of Sir Jas. Chatterton, Bart., by Rebecca, dau. of Abraham Lane, of Cork. Bn. 1792. Saw much service in the Pa. Aftds. held high commands. K.C.B. and K.H. M., 1825, Annetta, dau. of James Atkinson, of York. Succeeded to the baronetcy in 1855. On the occasion of the Queen’s coronation, commanded the 4th Dgn. Gds., and received a special gold medal. At the Duke of Wellington’s funeral carried the “Great Banner,” by Her Majesty’s request, “in consideration of his long, faithful, and distinguished services.” Gen. and Col.-in-Chf. 5th Lancers, 1858. D. s. p. in London, Jan. 1868.

[12]. Aftds. commanded the 10th Hussars, and received a special gold medal at the Queen’s coronation. Elder son of John Ormsby Vandeleur, of Maddenstown, co. Kildare, by Frances Pakenham, dau. of Thos., 1st Lord Longford.

[13]. Served with 52nd L.I. in the Pa. Quitted the service before 1824, with rank of capt. Aftds. C.B. and Second Commissioner Metropolitan Police, 1839. D. 29th Aug., 1855.

[14]. Served in the Pa. with the 52nd L.I. Placed on h. p. as lieut., 1821. Living 1846. M. Lady Georgiana Maule, and had issue.

[15]. Served in the Pa. Aftds. maj.-gen., retd. list. D. in London 6th Jan., 1861.

[16]. Cousin to Sir James Chatterton, being grandson of Abraham Lane, of Cork. Capt. same regt. 6th Nov., 1823. Maj. 76th Foot, 1826. Lt.-col. unatt., 1830.

[17]. Eldest son of Gen. Sir John Slade, Bart., of Maunsell House, co. Somerset, by Anna, dau. of James Dawson. Maj. h. p. 1827. Predeceased his father. D. a lt.-col. h. p. 30th Aug., 1843, at Barnes. He had m., 1st Feb., 1837, Frances McVeagh. She m., secondly, Adm. J.A. Paynter.

[18]. Aftds. Gen. Sir Thos. Reed, K.C.B., Col.-in-Chf. 44th Foot. Served in India, and commanded a brigade of the Army of the Sutlej. Received the thanks of the Gov.-gen. in India for his valuable services during the mutiny. D. 1883.

[19]. Griffith. Had been appointed adjt. 29th July, 1813. Adjt. to 5th D.G. 10th Apr., 1823. Lieut. 28th Foot 15th Oct., 1829. Capt. 1st W.I.R. 28th June, 1839. Ret. f. p. before 1846. D. 15th Nov., 1859.

[20]. Eldest son of Wm. Eliott, of Borthwickbrae, M.P. for co. Selkirk for twenty-four years, by Marianne, only child of Allan Lockhart, of Cleghorn, after which marriage W. Eliott assumed the additional surname of Lockhart.

[21]. H. p. as paymaster 1st W.I.R. 6th July, 1820. Living in 1830.

[22]. D. in Oct., 1823.

[23]. H. p. 30th June, 1825. Living in 1846.

[24]. Serving in 1817.

[25]. Serving in 1830.