Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or the King's, Regiment of Light Dragoons / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment and of Its Subsequent Services

by Richard Cannon

Appointed 9th April, 1720.

This Officer entered the army at the Revolution in 1688, and he served under King William III, in the Netherlands. He also served in the wars of Queen Anne; was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of Munden's regiment of foot, with which he served in Spain, and signalized himself at the battle of Saragossa in 1710; but was made prisoner at Brihuega. He was shortly afterwards exchanged, and at the close of the campaign of 1711, he was rewarded with the rank of colonel in the army. At the peace of Utrecht, his regiment was disbanded; and in the summer of 1715, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the thirteenth dragoons. In 1720 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Fourteenth dragoons, from which he was removed to the eighth dragoons in 1737, and in 1739, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. In 1740, he was appointed colonel of the sixth horse, now fifth dragoon guards; and in 1743, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died in 1744.

Archibald Hamilton.

Appointed 27th June, 1737.

Archibald Hamilton entered the army in November, 1688, and at the Revolution he adhered to the Prince of Orange, afterwards King William III, under whose command he served in Flanders. In the reign of Queen Anne, he served in Portugal and Spain, and his regiment (Montjoy's foot), was nearly annihilated at the battle of Almanza in 1707, where he was taken prisoner. This corps was subsequently incorporated into other regiments, and the officers sent home to recruit, and at the peace of Utrecht it was disbanded. In the summer of 1715, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the eleventh dragoons, and in May, 1732, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the twenty-seventh foot: from which he was removed, in 1737, to the Fourteenth dragoons. He died in 1749.

James Lord Tyrawley.

Appointed 24th July, 1749.

The Hon. James O'Hara was appointed lieutenant in the royal regiment of fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of March, 1703, and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the relief of Barcelona. In the following year he served on the staff of the army in Spain, and was wounded at the battle of Almanza, where, it is said, he was instrumental in saving the Earl of Galway's life. He served several years at Minorca, and, in 1713, obtained the colonelcy of the royal fusiliers in succession to his father, at whose decease, in 1733, he succeeded to the dignity of Baron Tyrawley. The rank of brigadier-general was conferred on his lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of major-general on the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August of the latter year, he was removed from the royal fusiliers to the fifth horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and in the following month obtained the colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards, from which he was removed, in 1745, to the third troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick. In 1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the third and fourth troops of life guards, his lordship was removed to the tenth foot; he was removed, in 1749, to the Fourteenth dragoons; in 1752, to the third dragoons; and in 1755, to the second, or Coldstream regiment of foot guards. He was appointed Governor of Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of General on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of Governor of Minorca for several years, and was employed as envoy and ambassador to the courts of Portugal and Russia. He died at Twickenham on the 13th of July, 1773.

Louis Dejean.