A History of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)

by Sir J. W. Fortescue

1824.

From this point for the next thirty years the history of the regiment is merely that of home duty in England and Ireland; and as the changes of quarter are recorded in the Appendix, there is no need to repeat them here. Let it, however, be noted that the Seventeenth took the London duty for the first time in 1824, 1825. and that in the following year it found itself once more at Chichester, where we hope that it was welcomed by the Mayor and Corporation.

1826.

In 1826, George, Lord Bingham, who had exchanged into the Seventeenth eleven months before, succeeded Colonel Stanhope in command of the regiment. We shall meet with him again as Lord Lucan twenty-eight years hence; not without results. Lord Bingham retained the command until 1837, and brought the regiment up to a very high pitch of efficiency. He was a keen soldier, who had taken the pains to study his profession; a very rare thing in those days; and had even taken the trouble to join the Russian army in the war of 1828–29 against the Turks, in order to gain experience of active service. He came to the Seventeenth at a time when such a commander was especially valuable, for the slack period of the British army, perhaps inevitable after the exertions of the great war, was telling heavily on the cavalry. The drill was stiff, unpractical, and obsolete—designed, apparently, to assimilate the movements of cavalry and infantry as far as possible to each other. It was so useful (this was the pretext alleged) for officers to be able to handle horse and foot with equal facility. “It is hardly credible,” writes a critic in 1832, “that the late regulations did not contain a single formation from column into line, in which one or more of the squadrons had not to rein back as a necessary and essential part of the movement.” Even when this was altered, officers were still posted in the ranks instead of in front of their troops. At this time, too, and for years after, changes of formation were always carried out to the halt. A regiment that required to take ground to the right, wheeled into “columns of troops to the right,” to the halt; then advanced as far as was necessary, then halted, and then wheeled into line, once again to the halt. In many regiments “field cards” were issued, “drawn out in all the pride of red ink,” with each movement numbered and marked in its regular succession; and thus the programme for the day of review was rehearsed for weeks beforehand.

1829.

Lord Bingham had not long been in command before the uniform of the regiment was again changed. When the change was made I cannot with accuracy say; but in 1829 we find the white lapel-like facings on the jacket done away with, and a plain blue jacket with white collar and cuffs preferred in its place. The old red and white plume also disappears at this period for ever, and a black plume is worn in its stead.

1830.

A year later King William IV. came to the throne and made yet another change. Whether from jealousy of the colour of his own service, the Navy, or from whatever cause, he clothed the whole Army, except the artillery and riflemen, in scarlet. The Lancer regiments, one and all, were accordingly arrayed in a double-breasted scarlet jacket with two rows of buttons and gorgeous embroidery, and blue overalls with a double scarlet stripe. The plume for the officers was of black cocktail feathers; and as the cap was very high, and measured ten inches square at the top, and the plume was sixteen inches long, it may be guessed that heads were sufficiently covered. Large gold epaulettes and gold cap-lines with large gold tassels completed the dress. Those were merry days for the army tailor, if not for the Army. That there were curses both loud and deep from the service we need not doubt; but the King at least permitted the Seventeenth to retain its facings, which was more than he allowed to the Navy. With almost incredible want of tact the sailor-king altered the time-honoured white facings of the Navy to scarlet. Happily neither of these changes lasted long; though the appropriation of gold lace to the regular army, and the relegation of silver to the auxiliary forces, has continued to be the rule up to the present day. As a finishing touch to the trials of the Lancers at this period, a general order compelled the shaving of the moustaches which had been so carefully cultivated for the previous eight years.

1828–32.

From 1828 to 1832 the Seventeenth was quartered in Ireland. In the latter year they encountered an old Indian enemy in Dublin, namely Asiatic cholera, by which they lost three men. On crossing to England in June they were isolated for some months, lest they should spread the disease from their quarters.