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The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War. Various amalgamations have resulted in its absorption into the Queen's Royal Lancers (which has also incorporated the 5th, the 16th and the 21st Lancers). == 1759–1854 == In 1759, Colonel John Hale of the 47th Foot was ordered back to Britain with General James Wolfe's final dispatches and news of his victory in the Battle of Quebec.〔Fortescue (1895), p. 6〕 After his return, he was rewarded with land in Canada and granted permission to raise a regiment of light dragoons. He formed the regiment in Hertfordshire on 7 November 1759 as the 18th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, which also went by the name of Hale's Light Horse.〔Frederick, John Bassett Moore (1969), ''Lineage book of the British Army; Mounted Corps and Infantry, 1660–1968'', p. 36〕 The admiration of his men for General Wolfe was evident in the cap badge Colonel Hale chose for the regiment: the Death's Head with the motto "Or Glory". The regiment was renumbered the 17th in 1761 and saw service in Germany. In 1766 it was renumbered again, this time as the 3rd Regiment of Light Dragoons. In 1764 the regiment went to Ireland, where it was based for many years. It regained the 17th numeral in 1769 as the 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons. The 17th was sent to North America in 1775, arriving in Boston, then besieged by American rebels in their War of Independence. The 17th fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill, a costly British victory. The 17th was withdrawn to Halifax. In 1776, the 17th fought in the Long Island campaign. Later, in 1780, the regiment provided a detachment for operations in the southern colonies as part of Tarleton's Legion, a mixture of infantry and cavalry, and was engaged in a number of battles.〔Babits, Lawrence E. (2001), ''A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens'', p. 46〕 The legion, commanded by Banastre Tarleton, was founded in 1778 by Loyalist contingents from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.〔Babits, Lawrence Edward & Howard, Joshua B. (2009), ''Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse'', p. 80〕 As the attached regular cavalry, the 17th clung on to an identity separate from the provincials, even refusing to exchange their fading scarlet clothing for the legion's green jackets.〔Fortescue (1895), p. 63〕 They sustained heavy losses in the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781 after being ordered by Tarleton to charge a formation of American militia. Although their charge was initially effective, the dragoons, numbering about 50, were quickly surprised and outnumbered by concealed American cavalry, under Colonel William Washington, and driven back in disarray.〔Babits, Lawrence E. (2001), ''A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens'', p. 125〕〔Babits, Lawrence E. (2001), ''A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens'', p. 154-5〕 The American War of Independence officially ended in 1783. An officer of the regiment, Captain Stapleton, had the distinction of delivering to George Washington the despatch confirming the declaration of the cessation of hostilities.〔Fortescue (1895), p. 61〕 The 17th returned to Britain, where it remained until 1795, when it sailed for the West Indies to reinforce depleted forces battling the French.〔Fortescue (1895), p. 69-70〕 Two troops were used to suppress an uprising by "Maroons" in Jamaica soon after arriving in the Caribbean.〔Fortescue (1895), pp. 81–3〕 Other detachments were embarked aboard HMS ''Success'' as "supernumeraries". Their experience at sea has been suggested by regimental historians to have gained the regiment the nickname "Horse Marines".〔Ffrench Blake, Robert Lifford Valentine (1968), ''The 17th/21st Lancers'', Volume 17, p. 41〕 In 1806, the 17th took part in the disastrous expeditions to Spanish-controlled South America, then an ally of France during the Napoleonic Wars. Sir Home Riggs Popham had orchestrated an expedition against South America without the British government's sanction. This invasion failed, but a second invasion was launched. The 17th was part of this second force, under Sir Samuel Auchmuty. The British force besieged and captured Montevideo. In 1807, the 17th were part of the force, now under John Whitelocke, that tried to capture Buenos Aires, but this failed abysmally. The British force (including the 17th), was forced to surrender, and did not return home until 1808. (Popham and Whitelocke were court-martialled.) The 17th was sent to India shortly after returning home. In 1817 they took part in the Third Mahratha War. Disease ravaged the regiment during its residency. Whilst in India, the British Army nominally re-classified the 17th as lancers,〔Fortescue (1895), p. 121〕 and added "lancers" as a subtitle to its regimental designation in 1822.〔 The 17th did not learn of its new status until 1823, when, during a stopover at Saint Helena on its journey back to Britain, a copy of the Army List was obtained.〔 Although the weapon's use had endured in parts of continental Europe,〔Featherstone, Donald F. (1978), ''Weapons and Equipment of the Victorian Soldier'', p. 53〕 the lance had not been in British service for more than a century.〔Adjutant General's Office (1841), ''Historical records of the British Army'', Issue 9, p. 50〕 Its reintroduction by the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, owed much to the performance of Napoleon Bonaparte's Polish Uhlans.〔Fortescue (1895), p. 116〕 The lancer regiments adopted their own version of the Uhlan uniform, including the czapka-style headdress.〔Wilson, Frank (1956), ''Regiments at a Glance'', p. 23〕 In 1826, Lord Bingham (later the 3rd Earl of Lucan) became the regiment's commanding officer when he bought its lieutenant-colonelcy for the reputed sum of £25,000 pounds.〔Raugh, Harold E. Raugh (2004), ''The Victorians At War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History'', P. 209〕 During his tenure, Bingham invested heavily in the 17th, purchasing uniforms and horses, giving rise to the regimental nickname "Bingham's Dandies". As lancers the 17th retained the white facings that had distinguished the regiment as light dragoons. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「17th Lancers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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