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  • 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London

Cavalry

1st Reserve Regiment of Cavalry in training, 1914
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Cavalry on the Western Front

In the First World War, the cavalry could no longer deliver the decisive charges it had performed in the past. But it continued to carry out a variety of useful roles that contributed to British success.

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Cap badge, 20th Hussars, c1902

20th Hussars

This cavalry regiment was raised as an East India Company unit in 1858. It soon transferred to British Army service and existed until 1922, when it was merged into the 14th/20th Hussars.

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Other ranks' cap badge, Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, c1958

The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars

Formed in 1958, this armoured regiment served with the British Army until 1993, when it was merged into The Queen’s Royal Hussars (The Queen’s Own and Royal Irish).

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Cap badge, other ranks, 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars, c1900

8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars

This British Army cavalry regiment was raised in Ireland in 1693. It went on to serve in many campaigns until 1958, when it merged into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars.

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Other ranks' cap badge, 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars, c1900

4th Queen’s Own Hussars

This British Army cavalry regiment was formed in 1685. It served in many campaigns until 1958, when it was merged into The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars.

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Cap badge, 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars, c1900

7th Queen’s Own Hussars

This cavalry regiment was raised in 1689. It went on to serve with the British Army until 1958, when it merged with the 3rd Hussars to form The Queen’s Own Hussars.

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Cap badge, 3rd The King's Own Hussars, 1902

3rd The King’s Own Hussars

This cavalry regiment was formed in 1685. It went on to serve in many British Army campaigns until 1958, when it became part of The Queen’s Own Hussars.

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Other ranks' cap badge, The Queen's Own Hussars, c1960

The Queen’s Own Hussars

This armoured unit was formed in 1958 by amalgamating the 3rd Hussars and the 7th Hussars, both of which had existed since the 1680s. It was the senior light cavalry regiment of the British Army.

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10th (Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars, 1812

Cavalry roles

Soldiers who fought on horseback were known as cavalry. Often dominating the battlefield, they performed a variety of roles, from smashing enemy formations to scouting and reconnoitring.

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The charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava, 1854

Death or glory: Famous cavalry charges

Cavalry charges might win a battle, but with poor leadership they could end in disaster. Many are remembered and celebrated because of the risk involved, whether successful or not.

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Other ranks' cap badge, 5th Dragoon Guards, c1900

5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s)

The 5th Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment dating back to 1685. The regiment was amalgamated after nearly 240 years of service following the First World War.

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Thomas the cavalry horse, c2012

Horse heroes

Horses have played a vital role in supporting soldiers on and off the battlefield. Explore the stories of some of the most incredible horses in British military history.

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