Historical Record of the Third, or Prince of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon Guards / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1838

by Richard Cannon

This nobleman entered the Life Guards, in which corps he attained, in the spring of 1686, the rank of Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Colonel. He was one of the first officers who joined the Prince of Orange at the Revolution in 1688, and he took with him several private gentlemen of the fourth troop of Life Guards. On the removal of Sir John Fenwick, the Colonelcy of the Fourth Regiment of Horse was conferred on Viscount Colchester, who attended King William in Ireland, and was at the battle of the Boyne and the siege of Limerick. His lordship was removed to the Colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards in 1692, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick, and he served with distinction under his Majesty in several campaigns on the Continent. He succeeded to the title of Earl Rivers in 1694; and, in the early campaigns of the wars of Queen Anne, he served under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. In 1706 he commanded an expedition designed to make a descent on the French coast; but the fleet having been delayed by contrary winds until the design was frustrated, he proceeded to Spain, where he left the troops under the command of the Earl of Galway, and afterwards returned to England. He was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards in 1712; and died in the same year.

John Lord Berkeley,

Appointed 23d January, 1692.

This nobleman was the son of Sir John Berkeley, a descendant from the ancient Barons of Berkeley Castle (and a distinguished loyalist in the time of Charles I. and Charles II.), who was raised to the peerage by the title of Lord Berkeley, of Stratton. Having entered the Royal Navy, he rose to the rank of Admiral, and was also Colonel of a regiment of Marines (afterwards disbanded) in the reign of Charles II. It was common at this period for the Admirals to hold commissions in the army. After the Revolution of 1688, Lord Berkeley sustained a military character, and was appointed Colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Horse in January, 1692. He, however, quitted the regiment in the following year, and held a naval command, in which he distinguished himself against the French. Lord Berkeley died on the 29th of February, 1697.

Cornelius Wood,

Appointed 24th January, 1694.

This officer was the son of a clergyman of Staffordshire, and having been unfortunate in commerce, in the reign of Charles II., he entered Queen Catherine's Troop (now Second Regiment) of Life Guards, as a private gentleman, at the time when the ranks of that corps contained many young men of distinction who were aspiring to commissions in the regular army. Mr. Wood evinced great attention in acquiring a knowledge of his profession, which, with a strict performance of all his duties, soon procured him the approbation and favour of Sir Philip Howard, the Captain and Colonel, and of Sir George Hewytt, the Lieutenant-Colonel, through whose recommendation he was advanced to the post of Sub-Corporal with the rank of Cornet; and, on the 15th of June, 1685, King James II. promoted him to the degree of Corporal (or Brigadier) with the rank of Lieutenant. During the remainder of the short reign of James II., Brigadier Wood is said to have witnessed with regret the violent conduct of the King; and, being faithful to the principles which he had imbibed in his youth, he adhered to the Protestant interest at the Revolution in 1688, and was promoted, by King William III., to the Captaincy of a troop in the Ninth Horse (now Sixth Dragoon Guards), the command of which corps had been conferred on his friend, Sir George Hewytt, afterwards Viscount Hewytt. The intrepidity which he displayed in the wars in Ireland and in Flanders[59] gained him a high reputation, and he was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the regiment on the 31st of December, 1692. His gallant conduct at the battle of Landen, on the 19th of July, 1693, attracted the attention of King William, who complimented him on his bravery, made him a present of a valuable charger, and, in January of the following year, His Majesty promoted him to the Colonelcy of the Fourth Horse; at the head of which regiment he served in Flanders until the peace of Ryswick in 1697.

On the breaking out of the war in 1702, Colonel Wood was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and sent with his regiment to Holland, to serve under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough; and, in the following year, he was advanced to the rank of Major-General. The several campaigns of this war form a glorious era in the military history of Great Britain; and few officers acquired greater celebrity than General Wood. In the annals of that war his name is associated with exploits of particular brilliancy; and he is mentioned among those who materially contributed to the victories at Schellenberg, Blenheim, and Ramilies. At the latter engagement, the Duke of Bavaria and Marshal Villiers narrowly escaped being taken prisoners by him, as more particularly stated in the record of the Third Dragoon Guards. He also distinguished himself at the battle of Malplaquet, and in several skirmishes.

The death of this distinguished officer was occasioned by the fall of his horse in May, 1712.