Like many other of the Light regiments, the 3rd Hussars began life, in 1685, as one of ordinary Dragoons, five troops being formed in Berkshire, Middlesex, Herts and Essex, and attached to Lord Churchill's Royal Dragoons.  Shortly after this , another and independent regiment of Dragoons was formed by Colonel Berkley (afterwards the 4th Light Dragoons and Hussars).  One troop of this regiment, and four of the additional troops of the Royal Dragoons, were formed into a regiment, which took precedence of Berkeley's, and received the name of the "Queen Consort's Regiment of Dragoons".

They took no active part in the brief Civil War of 1688; and though they did not lose their honorary title on the accession of William and Mary, were usually called "Leveson's Dragoons".  With their colonel they served in Ireland in 1690, seeing much severe fighting at the Boyne, Limerick, Aughrim - where they fought gallantly by the side of the Royal Irish Dragoons - Galway etc., acquiring a good practical training in field work, which bore good fruit when they were ordered to Flanders in 1694, with Thomas Lord Fairfax as their colonel; and landing at Williamstadt in North Brabant, were brigaded with the Royals and Royal Scots Dragoons.  But they saw little service of value, and, surrounded in Dixmuyde, capitulated to the enemy through the pusillanimity of General Ellemberg.  For this he was tried and beheaded.

In 1698 they returned to England, where they remained until 1702, when they formed part of the expedition against Cadiz; but the place was too strong, and the army re-embarking, made its way to Vigo in Galicia, which, with a rich fleet in the harbour, unaccountably fell into the hands of the British.  It is rarely that a cavalry trooper would get naval prize money to the amount of £187 3s 4d per man, as he did on this occasion.

In 1706-7 they were serving in Portugal and Spain, and were present at the battle of Almanza, in which they bravely cut their way through the Franco-Spanish troops, though abandoned by their Portuguese allies, and escaped the disaster that befell the remainder of the army. 

In 1714 the title was altered to the "King's Own Regiment of Dragoons", and the following year they were engaged at Sheriffmuir, capturing a rebel standard; the Royal standard, "The Restoration", and six guns being taken elsewhere.  The first battle, however, on their roll is that of Dettingen, where their gallant charge against the French cavalry was made with desperate pertinacity, seven officers and one hundred and forty one men being killed and wounded, while the standards "were totally destroyed by shot and sabre cuts", and one was only preserved by Thomas Brown, trooper of the King's, who recaptured it from the gendarme who was taking it to the rear.  For this he was made "a private gentleman of the Life Guards".  The regiment was also engaged at Fontenoy, and in the second campaign of the Pretender in 1745 at Clifton Moor and Culloden.  A light troop was added in 1756, and ten years later the drummers were replaced by trumpeters, a silver collar, "engraved with military devices", to be worn by the kettle drummers, being presented to the regiment by the wife of Colonel Fitzroy in 1772.  The kettle drums themselves were captured either at the battle of Aughrim or at Dettingen - it is uncertain which.

About this time the coat was red, with light blue facings, waistcoat, and breeches.  The standard, of crimson, and the guidon, of light blue, were similar to those of other cavalry regiments, with, in the centre, the white horse within the Garter, and the motto "Nec aspera terrent".

Embarking for the Peninsula in 1811, the campaign there entitled the regiment to bear the names of "Salamanca", "Vittoria", "Toulouse", and "Peninsula" on their appointments; but they were also present at Ciudad Rodrigo, Almarez, St Christobal, Castrillos, Badajoz, Llerena, Burgos, Estepar, Pampeluna, and La Mosquiere, and marched across France to embark at Boulogne, after the cessation of hostilities, in forty two days.  Up to 1811 the horses were always black.

They were constituted Light Dragoons in 1818, and as such next saw service in India, whither they went in 1837, and in 1842 formed part of the army under General Pollock, despatched to relieve Sir Robert Sale.  They were engaged at Jugdulluck - where they found unburied the ghastly remains of Elphinstone's destoyed army - and Tezeen - at Cabul, capturing two guns - and Italif, and in the Khytul expedition.  The campaign of "the army of Sutlej" gave them the honour of adding to their official battle list the name of Moodkee, where they suffered severely, losing 6 officers and 134 men; Ferozeshah, capturing the whole of the Sikh batteries, though for forty hours they were without food or water, and lost 9 officers and 139 men out of a total of 400 strong; and Sobraon, where they rode in single file through the openings made in the entrenchments by the Sappers, and forming beyond the obstacle, again charged and took the guns.  In less than four months they had marched 600 miles.  

The uniform at that time was blue with gold lace, and epaulets.  The head-dress was a black gold rimmed shako, with a white horsehair plume in front, and a  Maltese cross.  In 1848 they operated with the army of the Punjaub, and fought at Ramnuggur, Sadoolapore, Goojerat, and Chillianwallah, bearing the two latter names and Punjaub on their colours for their "harvest of laurels gaines by their valorous conduct in India".  Between December, 1845, and February, 1849, some 11,000 officers and men of our army had fallen in the Sikh War.

The regiment became Hussars in 1861.  The blue uniform has scarlet facings; the busby bag is garter blue, and the plume white.  The only regimental nickname was "Lord Adam Gordon's Life Guards", from their being detained so long by him in Scotland at one period.

The 3rd THE KING'S OWN HUSSARS

Raised in 1685 as The Queen's Consort's Own regiment of Dragoons, later in 1861 changing their name to 3rd King's own Hussars,

Battle Honours, (shown on standards)

Stable Duty With the  3rd Hussars (1896)

The Riding Master of the 3rd Hussars (1896)

The "Drums of Horse" of the 3rd King's Own Hussars (1896)

Print now available, serial number UN306, image size 9" x 12", price £13 ($22)

From the supplement of the Army and Navy Gazette, January 4th 1889. Original chromolithograph image size 10" x 13". One copy available price £130.

The Narvik Squadron by Anthony Saunders (GS)