1745
The establishment having been augmented, the regiment was joined in the spring of 1745, by a number of men and horses from England. Soon afterwards it took the field, and advanced with the troops commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, to the relief of Tournay, which fortress was besieged by an immense French army. On the 10th of May, two troops of the Queen's Own dragoons were employed in driving back the enemy's out-guards and piquets; and on the following day, they were engaged in supporting the attack of the infantry on the formidable position, occupied by the French, near the village of Fontenoy. The centre of the position was twice forced by the British regiments; but the Dutch having failed in their point of attack, a retreat was ordered. Towards the close of the action, several squadrons of cavalry charged with signal intrepidity, but were unable to retrieve the fortune of the day, and the army withdrew to Aeth.
The regiment lost, on this occasion, ten men, and forty-six horses killed; Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, Captain-Lieutenant Ogilvy, Lieutenant Forbes, Cornet Maitland, Quartermaster Smith, thirty-five men, and forty-seven horses wounded; one man and two horses missing.
After the capture of Tournay, the French army advanced with such overwhelming numbers, that the allies were unable to prevent the loss of several important towns. The Queen's Own dragoons were employed in defensive operations, and were encamped a short time before Brussels.
1746
Meanwhile, a rebellion had broken out in Scotland, and Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, was at the head of the insurgent clans. Several corps were ordered to return to England; and in February, 1746, the Queen's Own dragoons proceeded to Williamstadt and embarked; but some delay was occasioned by severe weather, and one transport was stranded. The regiment disembarked to wait for more favourable weather; in the mean time, the prospect of a speedy termination to the rebellion occasioned the order for its return to be countermanded.
The war on the continent was continued; the regiment, having received a remount of one hundred and two men, and one hundred and fifty-six horses, took the field in the summer of 1746, and served on the Dutch frontiers, under the command of General Sir John Ligonier, and afterwards under Prince Charles of Lorraine. On the 11th of October, the regiment was formed in line, with the Greys and Inniskilling dragoons, with its right behind Roucoux, a village near the city of Liege, while the infantry occupied the houses and streets of several hamlets along the front. An immense French force, commanded by Marshal Saxe, advanced and attacked the left of the allied army; and by superior numbers, succeeded in carrying the villages, and a retreat was ordered. As the enemy's infantry emerged from among the houses, the Greys, Inniskilling, and Queen's Own dragoons, dashed forward, broke their ranks, and chased them back in gallant style. The army afterwards withdrew to the vicinity of Maestricht; and the regiment passed the severe winter months in cantonments in the country along the Lower Maese.
1747
In the spring of 1747, the regiment encamped a short period near the banks of the Scheldt, and was subsequently employed in operations on the Great Nethe and the Demer, during which period a remount of fifty men and one hundred and twenty horses, joined from England. On the 1st of July, it confronted the French army in one of the valleys in the province of Liege, and passed the night in a state of constant readiness for action.
The French infantry descended from the hills on the following morning, and made a furious attack on the troops stationed in the village of Val. After much severe fighting, the enemy, by means of a great superiority of numbers, forced the centre of the Allied army. The cavalry of the left wing was ordered forward, and the Queen's Own dragoons had another opportunity of distinguishing themselves. Having broken the enemy's first line, the British dragoons continued their victorious career, and overthrew a second line with terrific violence; then, mixing with the French horsemen and musketeers, used their broad swords with dreadful execution. While pursuing their opponents, they received a volley from some French infantry posted in a hollow, and behind hedges, and several men and horses fell mortally wounded. The survivors rushed furiously upon the infantry, drove them from behind the hedges, and pursued them across the fields with great slaughter. This brilliant success enabled the Duke of Cumberland to make arrangements for a retreat; and the army withdrew to Maestricht, where it arrived on the same evening.