Units one and same?

[oldbill]

Hi, I'm in need of some assistance in clarifying which unit my great uncle was in or indeed is it one and the same? Cwgc site gives his unit as 1st(Royal) Dragoons. When i visited his grave at Lijssenthoek Military cemetry in Belgium the unit given on the headstone is Kings Dragoon Guards with the badge of this unit at the head of the stone. On his bwm and victory his service no commences D-9155 for dragoon? and the unit is shown as 1 dns. So what was he? No 15 star or plaque recovered when Gran died just the 2 medals as above. Enqs with an uncle reveal

"they were probably thrown out with the other rubbish when grans house was compulsarily purchased in the 50's". Woe is me.

His date of entry in France is given on his Mic as 191015 and date of death from wounds as 211115, so he barely managed a month before the war did for him. If anyone can answer the unit question i would like to know what they were up to at that time, nothing important seems to have been happening, no offensive etc and i was under the impression that the cavalry were kept back from the firing line poised for the break through that didn't come, so how did he manage to get himself wounded, dow, in what should have been a 'safe' occupation?

[PhilB]

They were different units, oldbill, and I can`t see any action of the cavalry in late 1915. I suppose it`s possible he served in both? Phil B

[TD60]

Coul it be a listake when engraving the stone ?

1 Dragoon Guard is close to 1 Dragoon.

Regards

[AndrewThornton]

It is a common misconception that Cavalry spent their war "safe" behind the lines doing nothing. For example, the 1st (Royal) Dragoons fought as infantry during the First and Second Battles of Ypres in 1914 and 1915, were engaged again at Loos in September 1915, served dismounted in the line at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in early 1916, took part in the Battle of Arras in 1917, and in 1918 were engaged constantly during the March Retreat and the 100 Days. An officer of the Royals, Second-Lieutenant John Spencer Dunville, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his action during a trench raid at Epehy in June 1917. He was protecting an N.C.O. of the Royal Engineers who was cutting wire which had been laid by the enemy. Although he was wounded by the enemy's fire, he continued to direct his men until the wire-cutting operation had been successfully completed. He remained conscious but died from his wounds the next day. Even when not engaged in battle, the Royals (together with other Cavalry regiments) regularly sent parties to work a short way behind the lines on digging trenches and other tasks. It could have been on one of these work parties that your Great Uncle was killed.

I have a copy of the History of The Royal Dragoons, as well as the History of 6th Cavalry Brigade, as this may mention if a detachment was sent out up towards Ypres at this time.

As a matter of interest, can you describe the badge on the headstone?

[oldbill]

Firstly thanks to all who've taken the trouble to reply.

Secondly for Andrew please see the attachment.

Thirdly if the stone or the Cwgc info is wrong how do you get it changed?

[Pte1643]

Thirdly if the stone or the Cwgc info is wrong how do you get it changed?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Definitely a KDG badge (Talk about me stating the obvious. )

The 1st (Royal) Dragoon cap badge was a lion standing on top of a crown above a scroll.

As for the details...

Tricky one this, the CWGC don't go around changing details "Lightly".

Over to "Young" Master Denham , I'd suspect. Try posting the "3rd" part of your question (possibly with a link to this thread), in the "Cemeteries and Memorials" section as Terry frequents there quite often.

Mark.

[AndrewThornton]

Just to add to this, I have looked at the History of the 6th Cavalry Brigade and Atkinson's History of the Royal Dragoons and both mention that the Royals sent digging parties to Ouderdom, which is near Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, during November 1915.

Ouderdom was the site of a number of rest camps and was within range of long-range German artillery, including one gun that was christened "Silent Percy" by the troops. It may be likely that he was wounded during a bombardment and succumbed to injuries at the Dressing Station at Lijssenthoek.