<
For those who do not know about the Lance-on-Lance cavalry battle,
it was fought on 7th September 1914 between the 9 Lancers and the
Garde Dragoner and was one of the most intense battles of the
entire conflict. The battle was fought solely on horseback and what
makes it unique is that there were only four fatalities one of
which was Lieutenant F de V Allfrey who was in charge of the
machine gun. To recognise this intense and defining moment in the
Regiments history, Fretoy Communal Cemetery will hold a short
memorial service.
The memorial service isn’t the only event that the Duke of York
will be attending whilst in Fretoy, he will also be presenting
Operational Service Medals to a number of soldiers who have
recently completed a tour of Afghanistan. What’s more is that the
family and friends of the soldiers have been invited to share this
special moment with them, as have some of the local people.
The Regiment as it is known today was formed after the amalgamation
of two regiments on 11th September 1960, the 9th Queens Royal
Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. Previous to the amalgamation,
the two Regiments both served on the Western Front from 1914-1918
during the First World War and in the present day the Regiment
celebrates Mons Moy Day every year, this celebration marks the last
occasion on which both regiments charged with the lance and also
gives the opportunity for the Regiment’s present soldiers to
reunite with comrades from its past.
Since the amalgamation of the two Regiments they have served in
Belize, Bosnia, Cyprus, Germany, Iraq, Kosovo and Northern Ireland
to name just a few while their most recent deployment was to
Afghanistan on Operation Herrick in 2013/2014.
The Duke of York’s commemorations on 7th September isn’t the first
memorial event that he has attended this year. The entire Royal
Family marked the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War
on 4th August 2014 and the Duke of York attended a service at St
Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. Commemorations are expected to
continue until 2018, which will mark the centenary of the end of
the First World War.
photo credit: 4 Cdn Div/4 Div CA – JTFC/FOIC
via photopin cc]]>
