He died on the 19th of March, 1804; and his funeral was honoured with the presence of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge, and of many noblemen and General Officers.
Richard Vyse,
Appointed 2nd April, 1804.
General Vyse entered the army, on the 13th of February, 1762, as Cornet of the Fifth Royal Irish Dragoons; obtained the rank of Lieutenant in 1766; and, having become particularly proficient in the duties of his profession, was appointed Adjutant of the regiment in March of the following year. Having purchased a Captaincy in 1771, he procured the commission of Major in the Eighteenth Light Dragoons in 1777; and, in 1784, was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the King's Dragoon Guards, which corps he brought into a high state of discipline and efficiency; and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army in 1791. On the breaking out of the war with France, in 1793, he proceeded with his regiment on foreign service; and, in the following year, commanded a brigade of heavy cavalry under his Royal Highness the Duke of York, and distinguished himself on several occasions—particularly at the battle of Cateau, on the 26th of April, 1794, where, after the fall of Major-General Mansel, he commanded two brigades throughout the remainder of the day, and materially contributed to the victory gained on that occasion. In October of the same year he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; in 1797 his Majesty gave him the Colonelcy of the Twenty-ninth Dragoons; and, in 1801, promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
After the decease of Sir William Fawcett, the King conferred the Colonelcy of the Prince of Wales' Dragoon Guards on Lieutenant-General Vyse, who was advanced to the rank of General on the 1st of January, 1812; and died in 1825.
Sir William Payne, Bart.,
Appointed 2nd June, 1825.
Sir William Payne first entered the army, as Cornet in the Royal Dragoons, on the 25th of January, 1776; and, having served in the subordinate commissions, was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment in 1794. He served in the Netherlands under his Royal Highness the Duke of York, and was present at the principal actions during the campaign of 1794. In 1796 he was removed from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Royal Dragoons to the Third Dragoon Guards; in 1798 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army; and, in 1805, he was removed to the Tenth Light Dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in the same year, and served four years on the Staff in Ireland. In November, 1807, he obtained the Colonelcy of the Twenty-third Light Dragoons; and, in 1809, he proceeded to Portugal with the local rank of Lieutenant-General, and served the campaign of that year under Sir Arthur Wellesley. He took an active part in the operations by which the French were driven from Oporto; and commanded the British cavalry at the memorable battle of Talavera, fought on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809, for which he received a medal. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on the 4th of June, 1811; was removed from the Twenty-third to the Nineteenth Light Dragoons in July, 1814, and to the Twelfth Lancers in January, 1815. He was further advanced to the rank of General on the 27th of May, 1825; and, in the following month, he obtained the Colonelcy of the Third Dragoon Guards. He subsequently took the name of Galway; and died in April, 1831.
Samuel Hawker, G.C.H.,
Appointed 22nd April, 1831.