The
Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (RGH) was a unit of the
British Army.
Raised in 1795 following
William Pitt's 1794 order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend
Great Britain, through various re-organisations, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars remain today on the establishment of the
Territorial Army as C (RGH) Sqn
Royal Wessex Yeomanry. Their main function is to provide Tank Replacement Crew for the
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. They also train in a forward reconnaissance role on the
Land Rover Defender. They continue to have strong ties with the
King's Royal Hussars.
History
Formation and early years
In 1795 Captain Powell Snell raised the First Troop of
Gloucestershire Gentleman and Yeomanry at the Plough Inn in
Cheltenham. By 1797, troops had been raised at
Minchinhampton,
Wotton Under Edge,
Stow on the Wold,
Henbury,
Bristol, and
Gloucester. In 1798
Stroud had also raised a troop. Following the 1802
Peace of Amiens, all except the Cheltenham Troop under Major Snell were disbanded.
Following the end of the
Napoleonic Wars, all Yeomanry Troops were disbanded, either voluntarily or by order, in 1827. In 1830, responding to unrest amongst agricultural workers, Yeomanry Troops were raised again. The First Troop was established by Mr Codrington of Dodington Park, quickly followed by troops from
Fairford,
Cirencester,
Stroud,
Tetbury,
Gloucester, and
Bristol. In 1834 the captains of all Gloucestershire troops met in
Petty France and combined to form one regiment,...
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