Queen's Royal Hussars - Privileges & Traditions

Privileges & Traditions

In over 300 years of distinguished service the Regiment has gained a number of unique privileges and traditions.

Regimental song

I'm a soldier in the Queen's Army.
I'm a galloping Queen's Hussar.
I've sailed the ocean wide and blue.
I'm a chap who knows a thing or two.
Been in many a tight corner.
Shown the enemy who we are.
I can ride a horse.
Go on a spree, or sing a comic song.
And that denotes a Queen's Hussar.

Regimental Colours

• Garter Blue: The primary colour of the Regiment is garter blue. This dates from 1685 when The Queen Consort's Regiment of Dragoons, later the 3rd Hussars, wore the Queen's livery with Garter Blue feathered hats. It has been in continuous use ever since.
• Green: The use of green dates from 1748 when it was the facing colour of Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Dragoons, later the 4th Hussars. It has a tenuous association with Ireland, which remains the Regiment's smallest recruiting area. Officers and Senior Ranks wear green jumpers and all ranks wear berets. Officers can be distinguished by their distinctive tent hats (the only item of army headress worn without a cap badge other than with combat uniforms).
• Yellow: The traditional Light Cavalry colour is yellow, which has been used by all of the Regiments predecessors.

Badges and Symbols

The White Horse of Hanover: Ranking second, after the Crown, among the Regiment's military badges, it was bestowed by the first three King Georges to certain regiments for the their part in suppressing the Jacobites. It was first granted, as a special head-dress badge, by King George I to the 3rd King's Own Regiment of Dragoons in 1715 for their part in defeating James Francis Edward Stuart (The Old Pretender).

Crossbelts: At the Battle of Almenar in 1710 the 8th Dragoons pursued the Spanish Cavalry Corps and, equipping themselves with the crossbelts of the enemy, cut down the Spaniards with their own swords. The crossbelts were worn with distinction for many years, and the nickname 'St Georges Crossbelts' was given to the Regiment. Although the crossbelt worn today is based on the original 4th Hussar pattern, the continuing tradition of titling the Regimental Journal 'The Crossbelts' is in recognition of this famous action, as is its use as the nickname for the regimental Polo Team.

The Maid of Warsaw: Every member of the Regiment wears the Maid of Warsaw, the crest of the City of Warsaw, on the left sleeve of his No. 2 (Service) Dress. This honour was awarded to the 7th Hussars by the Commander of the Second Polish Corps in recognition of their valour in support of the Polish Forces during the Italian Campaign in World War II. Traditionally the original crest presented to the Regiment is placed in front of the Commanding Officer on Dinner Nights.

The Fern Leaf: All vehicles in the Regiment display the emblem of New Zealand, the Fern Leaf, to commemorate the association of the 3rd Hussars with the 2nd New Zealand Division at the Battle of El Alamein. This honour was granted by General Lord Freyberg VC.

Kettle Drums: By command of King George II the silver kettle drums captured by The King's Own Regiment of Dragoons, later the 3rd Hussars, at Dettingen are borne by a drum horse ridden by a Sergeant Kettledrummer - both being additional to the Regimental establishment. The Drums are always carried at the head of the Regiment on ceremonial parades and are, uniquely amongst cavalry regiments, never covered by drum banners, the Battle Honours being engraved directly onto the sides of the drums. In 1772 when Lord Southampton commanded the Regiment, his wife gave a silver collar to be worn by the Kettledrummer, which is still worn today when parading in full dress with the Drums. The present drum horse is named Alamein and its nickname is Dudley.

Other Traditions

The Loyal Toast: After the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, all officers of the army were required to drink the health of the Sovereign in their mess after dinner as a token of loyalty to the King. The King, however, absolved the Regiment from this duty, saying that their loyalty had always been beyond question, and gave the Officers the privilege of never drinking the Loyal Toast in the Officers' Mess and of ignoring the National Anthem when it is played by the band after dinner. This privilege was reaffirmed by the Sovereign prior to the formation of the Regiment in 1993.

Winston Churchill: Winston Churchill, who has been described as 'the greatest Hussar of them all', was commissioned into the 4th Hussars in 1895, and later became the Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment from 1941, until the 4th Queen's Own Hussars was amalgamated with the 8th Hussars in 1958, after which he became Colonel-in-Chief of the new regiment, Queen's Own Royal Irish Hussars remaining so until his death in 1965. In recognition of this, The Churchill Cup is awarded to the top-scoring troop in the Regiment's annual gunnery competition. The Commanding Officer's tank is also named 'Churchill'.

The Regimental Pipes and Drums: The Pipes and Drums were first formed in Paderborn on the 17th March 1973 for St. Patrick's Day as a joint brain child of the then Commanding Officer Lt Col BR O'Rorke and Lord St Oswald, himself an Ex 8th Hussar. The pipes and drums performed for the first time on St Patrick's Day of that year. Due to the level of work at Regimental duty the pipes and drums declined, to be rejuvenated by a subsequent Commanding Officer, Lt Col Richard Barron in 1982 after the regiment moved to Muenster and had access to instruction from the locally based Irish Guards pipes and drums. The final push was made by Lt Col Sir Charles Lowther Bt, in 1987 and it is from all these combined efforts that a corps exists today.

The pipe band originally consisted of just two pipers but no drums, the uniform was a saffron kilt with a green piper's jacket, after two years the band grew by adding four Drummers and was now in a position to carry out more challenging engagements.

By the end of the 1970s and the start of the 1980s the pipe band received its first Pipe Major, Pipe Major Jimmy Walker, which in turn helped to improve the musical talents within the pipe band. To perform at the Royal Tournament in London was one of the main driving focus's at the time. Sadly this was not achieved until 1996 Under Pipe Major Walker's Successor, Pipe Major David Johnson who joined the Regiment and the Pipe Band from the Irish Guards in Munster in 1988.

Once the Pipe Band achieved its goal of playing at London the Military School of Piping in Scotland then started to use the Pipes and Drums more frequently thus helping the Pipe Band immensely because a young Trooper from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards joined the Regiment and the Pipe Band in 1991 to help and encourage the younger members of the band. He Became the Pipe Major before being replaced in 2008 by the first true Queen's Royal Hussar Pipe Major, Nicolas Colwell.

Under Pipe Major Massie in 1999 the Pipe Band was requested to appear at the Royal Tournament and the Edinburgh Tattoo, he also changed the Uniforms of the Pipe Band to a Saffron Kilt with a green but gold braided Pipers jacket and a garter blue and green shawl with the White Horse of Hannover as a brooch, the drummers wearing traditional Hussars ceremonial dress.

Recent engagements have included the south of France and South Africa supporting the Army Sales team, Pipers are also being sent to Brazil and Korea.

All the Soldiers currently serving in the Pipe Band are not just Pipers and Drummers but are also full crewmen of the regimental workhorse "the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank".

There has been no formal adoption of pipe music by the regiment, but the pipe tunes have become very much a part of Regimental Parades, the following tunes have become part of the Regiment's Music.

• Killaloe Composed by Robert Martin in 1887 as part of the show "Miss Esmeralda".
• The Minstrel Boy The original words were composed by Thomas Moore, set to an old traditional Irish air originally named "The Moreen".
• Highland Cathedral A Modern slow melody composed by M Korb for bagpipes, it is a haunting tune used as a slow march.
• St Patrick's Day Played by the Irish Pipes at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745, though it has long been a popular patriotic Irish song.

REGIMENTAL DAYS: The following are celebrated as battle honour days:

• Dettingen 27 June
• Balaclava 25 October
• El Alamein 2 November

St Patrick's Day is also celebrated.