Vanishing Cavalry

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 189, 31 October 1927, Page 7

Vanishing Cavalry

Some Noted Regiments | is probable that the public will be so much the less concerned at the decree which is wiping- out ail the old cavalry distinctions of dragoons, lancers and hussars, to re-class them all as ‘cavalry of the line,” because since the days of the war their varied uniforms have given place to khaki and there is nothing to the non-expert eye to distinguish one from the other, writes Boyd Cable in the “Daily Chronicle.” The withdrawal of the old picturesque uniforms was a real loss of colourful patches in our streets and garrison towns especially, and it is a little odd to an old soldier to reflect that there is a well-risen generation that never knew the natty hussar in his braided jacket, breeches and boots, or trousers as tight as if he had been poured into them, busby with a flap of gaily-coloured cloth swinging from its crown: or the lancer in tunic of one colour with ‘‘breastplate” of another contrasting coloured cloth, his peculiarly shaped helmet with a sort of plumed “mortar-board” on top; or the dragoon and dragoon-guard, with shiny steel helmet and dangling plume and scarlet tunic. The Gay Lancers The lancer regiments were always more easily picked out because one had a blue tunic with scarlet breast, another red tunic, with blue breast, and the famous “Death or Glory Boys”—so called from their badge and motto of a skull and cross-bones over “Or Glory”—were in blue with white breasts. The 2nd Dragoons—Royal Scots Greys, so called from the grey horses they have always ridden from their beginning up to now—were specially distinctive' on parade because of the high bearskin head-dress, like that of our foot Guards, and worn only by the Greys among the cavalry. The ancient name of the Greys was the Scottish Regiment of White Horse, the North British Dragoons, and less formally “The Bubbly Jocks,” the Scottish name for turkey-cocks. Their badge is a Thistle in a Garter and a French Eagle, the latter in commemoration of the taking of an Eagle in the famous charge of the Heavies at Waterloo. The Dandy Eleventh The 11th I-lussars were another regiment easily picked out from their fellows because they were (or perhaps one should still say “are,” because J believe it is correct that the old uniforms remain officially recognised, and the khaki is merely the “service dress”) the only men in the Army for many years back to wear red breeches. The red is nearer a crimson than a scarlet, and this clierry-red of their breeches easily accounts for tlieir popular nickname in the Service. “The Cherry-pickers” (although there is another story told to account for that of them being caught by the enemy picking the fruit in a cherry garden) and “Bloody Breeches.” Only our Life Guards and Horse Guards Blue have returned to their full panoply of coloured tunics, white buckskin breeches, high boots, metal helmets with streaming horsehair plumes and the steel cuirasses which gave them their derisive nicknames of “Tin Bellies.” All the other gay uniforms have gone, reduced in numbers and strength, and perhaps vanishing soon for ever or changing over to steel “tankette” chargers and machine-guns instead of sword and lance. It is inevitable progress, of course., but there are few, even the most progressive in the Service, who will not regret the passing of the gallant and historic dragoons, lancers and hussars.