This unit was raised in 1661, making it one of the oldest cavalry regiments in British Army history. The Royal Dragoons sailed in the beginning of November 1899 to South Africa to fight in the Boer War and arrived at Durban about the 26th of the same month.  The regiment was immediately employed in the relief of Ladysmith. They were also present at Colenso on the 15th December but was not heavily engaged. Colonel Burn-Murdoch of the 1st Royal Dragoons was left in command at Spri...

During the Boer War the Royal Engineers were constantly in the thick of the fighting. Half of the 37th company were on the shell-riven and bullet-swept summit of Spion Kop on 24th January. The 7th company, with the Canadian Regiment, made the last grand advance at Paardeberg on the night of the 26th February. The Army List of December 1900 shows the following units as in South Africa: The 5th to the 12th, the 17th, 20th, 23rd, 26th, 29th, 31st, 37th, 38th, 42nd, 45th, and 47th companies...

The Gordon Highlanders were officially formed in 1881 when two Scottish Regiments the 75th and 92nd were amalgamated during the Childers Reforms. The 1st Battalion sailed on the Cheshire on 9th November 1899, and arrived at the Cape on 28th November. They saw action at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899 and were again in action at Doornkop, where they suffered severe losses, in May 1900  The 2nd Battalion was one of the four infantry battalions which, al...

Created in 1881 by the amalgamation of two former East India Company regiments and consisted of two battalions. It was disbanded in 1922 on the establishment of the Irish Free State. The 1st Battalion arrived in South Africa before the war commenced and spent the whole of the Boer War (1899-1902) in the country. The 2nd Battalion was brought from India in December 1901, and took part in the closing scenes of the campaign, garrisoning blockhouses in the northeast of the Orange River ...

The 1st Battalion sailed on the Aurania on 18th March 1900, and arrived at the Cape about 9th April. The men formed part of the 8th Division The battalion was not engaged in any of the big battles, being mostly involved in minor skirmishes with the Boers. During their long stay in the north-east of the Orange River Colony the battalion faced many hardships and were required to be constantly vigilant, casualties were mainly due to disease and poor nutrition.. The names of the men who...

At the beginning of the Boer War the strength of this corps was three officers and eighty-nine other ranks. They made up one company of the 24th Middlesex (Post Office) Rifle Volunteers. These men, like all the 24th Middlesex, were drawn from the London Post Office. They were those who had been specially enlisted for a period of six years in the Army Reserve to render them available for foreign service. This original force, which proceeded to the seat of war in October 1899, soon became to...

The 2nd Battalion sailed on the Bavarian about 18th January 1900, and arrived in South Africa early in February.  Along with the 2nd Cheshire, 1st East Lancashire, and 2nd North Staffordshire, they formed the 15th Brigade under Major General A G Wavell. The South Wales Borderers were brought down the line to Wolvehoek, partly to protect the railway and partly to assist in the pursuit of the Boer force.  In this pursuit the battalion took part, the marching being very severe. At...

During the Boer War the Royal Navy were not involved in ship-to-ship action but provided naval brigades, consisting of seamen and marines, to fight onshore. They saw action many times and were deployed in troop carrying, intelligence gathering as well as taking part in blockades and siege busting.  The two 4.7” guns from HMS Powerful and HMS Terrible were mounted in improvised carriages and played a key role in the relief of Ladysmith in 1899 during the Second Bo...

From November 1901 the regiment was on anti-guerrilla operations during the Boer War. The names of the men who served in the regiment are listed below

This cavalry regiment has had a number of different names since its formation in 1660. It was renamed The Royal Horse Guards Blue in 1750 and then re-titled The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) in 1877. During the Boer War the Royal Horse Guards took part in the Relief of Kimberley (1900), the Battle of Paardeberg (1900) and several other engagements. The names of the men who served in the regiment are listed below