The Light Dragoons Cap Badge: History, Symbolism & Meaning

Introduction

The Light Dragoons were formed on 1 December 1992 from the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars. Today the regiment serves as light cavalry within the Royal Armoured Corps, specialising in reconnaissance and operating from Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.

The name is modern, but the history behind it reaches back more than three centuries. Through its two parent regiments, The Light Dragoons inherited the traditions of the 13th Light Dragoons and 13th Hussars, the 15th The King's Hussars, the 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own), together with earlier formations whose honours passed into those regiments.

The cap badge tells part of that story. Its Maltese Cross, two mottoes, royal device and LD cypher were brought together for the regiment created in 1992. It is therefore an amalgamation-era badge built from older regimental traditions, rather than an unchanged design carried forward from the eighteenth century.

About This Guide

This guide draws on material published by the British Army, The Light Dragoons Regimental Association, the National Army Museum, Imperial War Museums, the College of Arms, The Gazette and recognised works on British Army insignia. Where surviving objects or sealed patterns are available, they provide the strongest evidence for the development of the badge and historic dress.

The history of The Light Dragoons is unusually layered. Some regiments were renumbered, disbanded and later revived; others were amalgamated in 1922 before the final merger of 1992. The modern regiment therefore carries several distinct cavalry identities within a single inherited history.

Formation of The Light Dragoons

The end of the Cold War brought a major reduction in the size of the British Army under Options for Change. Cavalry regiments were among those affected, and the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars were selected for amalgamation.

On 1 December 1992 the two regiments formally came together as The Light Dragoons. The new title was deliberately rooted in the past. Light dragoons had been the Army's fast-moving cavalry for scouting, screening, patrolling and pursuit; by the late twentieth century those tasks had evolved into armoured reconnaissance, but the underlying purpose remained recognisable.

The two parent regiments also shared strong recruiting links with the North and North East of England. Their amalgamation brought together four principal cavalry lines whose histories included India, the Peninsular War, Waterloo, Balaklava, South Africa, both World Wars and the long post-war service of the British Army.

The Two Immediate Parent Regiments

The regiment that became the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was formed in 1922 as the 13th/18th Hussars, from the 13th Hussars and 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own). The 15th The King's Hussars and 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) amalgamated in April 1922 as the 15th/19th Hussars, later becoming the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars.

Neither parent regiment simply handed its cap badge unchanged to the new formation. The Light Dragoons received a new amalgamation-era badge that brought selected elements of the inherited traditions together in one design.

The Deeper Cavalry Lineage

The modern regiment's ancestry is best understood through four principal strands:

• 13th Light Dragoons / 13th Hussars — raised in 1715, later converted to light dragoons, and permanently associated with Balaklava and the Maltese Cross tradition.
• 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) — a lineage with an eighteenth-century predecessor, a later regiment raised in 1858, Waterloo heritage and distinguished service in South Africa and the First World War.
• 15th The King's Hussars — raised in 1759, winners of Emsdorf in 1760 and veterans of the Peninsular War, Waterloo and the opening campaign of the First World War.
• 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) — carrying an earlier lineage from the 23rd and 19th Light Dragoons, with major service in India, Egypt, the Sudan, South Africa and the First World War.

Those four lines were paired in the 1922 amalgamations before finally coming together in The Light Dragoons seventy years later.

Key Dates

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge — Evolution and Design

The cap badge was created for The Light Dragoons following the 1992 amalgamation; a sealed other-ranks pattern survives from 1993. The design brought several inherited cavalry traditions together for the new regiment.

The 13th Light Dragoons — Maltese Cross and Viret in aeternum

The National Army Museum holds an other-ranks shako plate of the 13th Light Dragoons dated 1844–55. The plate takes the form of a Maltese Cross surmounted by a crown and carries both the regimental number and the motto Viret in aeternum. It was a pattern worn during the Crimean War, providing firm object evidence for two elements that remain prominent in the modern Light Dragoons badge.

The Parent-Regiment Badges

The badges of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars were distinct pieces of insignia with their own histories. Sealed-pattern material survives for both regiments. The new Light Dragoons badge was therefore a fresh composition, not the old badge of either parent regiment with a different title added.

The visual emphasis on the Maltese Cross and Viret in aeternum recalls the 13th tradition, while Merebimur carries forward the 15th/19th line. The LD initials identify the new regiment created by the amalgamation.

The 1993 Sealed Pattern

The National Army Museum holds an other-ranks Light Dragoons cap badge sealed in 1993. It records a bi-metal Maltese Cross with the initials LD inside a circlet bearing Viret in Aeternum Merebimur, surmounted by a crown and lion and surrounded by a wreath.

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge — Design and Meaning

The Maltese Cross

The Maltese Cross is the structural centre of the badge. Its connection with the 13th Light Dragoons is documented in nineteenth-century headdress, including the 1844–55 shako plate worn during the Crimean War period. In the modern badge it preserves one of the most recognisable features of that earlier regimental identity.

The LD Cypher

The letters LD sit at the centre of the badge and identify the post-1992 regiment. Their inclusion makes clear that the badge is the insignia of the new regiment formed from both parent lines rather than a reproduction of an earlier antecedent badge.

Viret in Aeternum

Viret in aeternum is commonly rendered as “It Flourishes Forever”. It is securely associated with the 13th lineage and appears on the surviving Crimean-period shako plate of the 13th Light Dragoons.

Merebimur

Merebimur means “We shall be worthy”. The motto originated in the 15th The King's Hussars tradition, passed into the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars and was carried forward into The Light Dragoons. The two mottoes appear together around the central circlet.

The Wreath

A wreath surrounds the central devices on the sealed 1993 pattern. The surviving pattern record confirms its form and position but does not assign it a separate symbolic meaning.

The Crown and Lion

The 1993 sealed pattern describes the badge as surmounted by a crown which is itself surmounted by a lion.

Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III Crown Forms

Patterns associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth II use the stylised crown of her reign, which the College of Arms describes as closer in form to St Edward's Crown. Following the accession of King Charles III, the Tudor Crown form is being introduced gradually across military insignia.

The change is gradual rather than an instant dividing line. The College of Arms stated that the new crown form would generally be introduced as uniforms and equipment required replacement. Crown style can therefore identify the pattern and reign with which a badge is associated, but not the exact date on which an individual example was made or worn.

The Principal Antecedent Regiments

The 13th Light Dragoons and 13th Hussars

Richard Munden's Regiment of Dragoons was raised in 1715 and numbered the 13th Dragoons in 1751. Raised during the First Jacobite Rising, the regiment saw its first action at Preston in November 1715 and later served at Prestonpans and Falkirk during the Jacobite Rising of 1745–46. It later became a light-dragoon regiment and served extensively during the Napoleonic Wars. In the Peninsular campaign it fought at actions including Campo Maior, Albuera, Badajoz, Vitoria, the Nive and Toulouse before taking part in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The regiment's best-known nineteenth-century action came at Balaklava on 25 October 1854, when the 13th Light Dragoons formed part of the Light Brigade. Joseph Malone received the Victoria Cross for stopping during the withdrawal, under heavy fire, to assist the mortally wounded Captain Webb of the 17th Lancers.

The regiment became the 13th Hussars in 1861. It later served in Canada, India and South Africa. During the First World War it reached the Western Front in December 1914 before moving to Mesopotamia in July 1916, where it took part in operations leading to the capture of Kut and Baghdad and later fought at Sharqat in 1918.

The 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)

The 18th lineage is not a single uninterrupted regiment. An earlier unit raised in 1759 as the 19th Light Dragoons became the 18th in 1763, was renumbered the 4th in 1766 and returned to the number 18 in 1769. In 1805 it was retitled the 18th (King's Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in honour of George III, before adopting hussar status in 1807. It served in the Peninsular War and fought at Waterloo before being disbanded in 1821.

A new 18th regiment was formed in 1858 using troops from the 15th Hussars and regarded the earlier 18th as its ancestor. It became the 18th Hussars in 1861, fought in the Chitral Expedition of 1895 and served through much of the South African War, including the Siege of Ladysmith. Private Henry George Crandon received the Victoria Cross at Springbok Laagte on 4 July 1901 after returning under fire to rescue a wounded comrade.

The regiment became the 18th (Princess of Wales's Own) Hussars in 1903, the 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars in 1910 and the 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) in 1921. It served on the Western Front throughout the First World War.

The 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)

The 13th Hussars and 18th Royal Hussars amalgamated in 1922. The title 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was adopted in 1935. The regiment entered the Royal Armoured Corps era before the Second World War and served in France in 1940 before evacuation from Dunkirk.

In 1944 the regiment trained for the amphibious assault on Normandy using Sherman Duplex Drive tanks. On 6 June, while serving with 27th Armoured Brigade, its tanks landed on Sword Beach in support of 3rd British Infantry Division. After 27th Armoured Brigade was disbanded in July, the regiment transferred to 8th Armoured Brigade and continued the campaign through North-West Europe.

Post-war service included North Africa, Malaya, Aden, Cyprus and operational tours in Northern Ireland before the 1992 amalgamation.

The 15th The King's Hussars

The 15th Light Dragoons were raised in March 1759. At Emsdorf in July 1760 they captured nine enemy colours. The distinction Emsdorf was subsequently authorised for display by Royal Warrant in 1768 and is recognised by the National Army Museum as the first battle honour awarded to a British regiment.

In 1766 the regiment became the 1st (or The King's Royal) Regiment of Light Dragoons in honour of George III, returning to the number 15 in 1769. It became a hussar regiment in 1807 and fought at Sahagun, Vitoria, Orthes and Toulouse during the Peninsular War before taking part at Waterloo.

In 1819 men of the regiment formed a large part of the cavalry deployed at the Manchester meeting that ended in the Peterloo Massacre. Another officer of the 15th, Captain Louis Nolan, later became closely associated with the order that preceded the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.

The regiment was retitled the 15th (The King's) Hussars in 1861 and later served in the Second Afghan War and the Transvaal War. During the First World War it remained on the Western Front. Corporal Charles Ernest Garforth received the Victoria Cross for three acts of gallantry during the retreat from Mons in August and September 1914.

The 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own)

The 19th lineage has an earlier chapter beginning with the 23rd Light Dragoons, raised in 1781 and renumbered the 19th in 1786. The regiment became the first British cavalry regiment to operate in India, fought against Tipu Sultan, served at Seringapatam in 1799 and Assaye in 1803, and later served in Canada during the War of 1812. It became the 19th Lancers in 1816 and was disbanded in 1821.

The later regiment began in 1858 as the 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry and became the 19th Hussars in 1862. In 1874 it was formally treated as successor to the earlier 19th Lancers and allowed to retain that regiment's battle honours.

The 19th fought in Egypt in 1882 and in the Sudan during the Mahdist War. Quartermaster-Sergeant William Thomas Marshall received the Victoria Cross at El-Teb on 29 February 1884 after bringing the badly wounded Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Barrow out of action. The regiment later fought at Abu Klea and went on to serve in South Africa and on the Western Front during the First World War.

Private Herbert George Columbine had served in the 19th Hussars before transferring to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry). At Hervilly Wood on 22 March 1918, while serving with 9th Squadron, he remained at his gun after ordering the surviving members of his team to withdraw and was killed at his post. He received the Victoria Cross posthumously.

The regiment became the 19th (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) Hussars in 1902, the 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars in 1908 and the 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) in January 1921. It was disbanded six months later, then re-formed as a cadre in 1922 before amalgamating with the 15th The King's Hussars.

The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars

The 15th The King's Hussars and 19th Royal Hussars were amalgamated in April 1922 as the 15th/19th Hussars. The royal elements of the predecessor titles were carried into the regiment during the early 1930s, producing the title 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars.

The regiment joined the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939 and served in France in 1940. After losing all its armour during the Battle of France and evacuation from Dunkirk, it rebuilt in Britain and returned to Normandy in 1944. In August it became a reconnaissance unit attached to 11th Armoured Division.

Its advance through North-West Europe carried the regiment into Germany in 1945. On 15 April, members of the division were among the British forces that reached Bergen-Belsen. The connection remains part of the modern Light Dragoons' regimental memory, and the regiment marked the eightieth anniversary of the liberation in 2025 with Holocaust survivors and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Post-war service included Palestine, Malaya, Oman and Aden, followed by service with the British Army of the Rhine, tours in Northern Ireland and United Nations duty in Cyprus.

Selected Major Actions in the Inherited History

Emsdorf — 16 July 1760

The 15th Light Dragoons' action at Emsdorf became one of the defining honours in the regiment's history. During the battle they captured nine enemy colours. The honour Emsdorf is widely recognised, including by the National Army Museum, as the first battle honour formally awarded to a British regiment.

Assaye — 23 September 1803

The earlier 19th Light Dragoons served in India for many years and fought at Assaye during Arthur Wellesley's campaign against the Maratha forces. Assaye became one of the major honours inherited through the 19th Hussars line and reflects the important Indian element of the regiment's history.

Waterloo — 18 June 1815

Three principal antecedent regiments were present at Waterloo: the 13th Light Dragoons, the 15th Hussars and the earlier 18th Light Dragoons. Their service there linked three separate strands of the later Light Dragoons lineage to the final defeat of Napoleon.

Balaklava — 25 October 1854

The 13th Light Dragoons formed part of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. The charge became one of the best-known episodes of the Crimean War and remains central to the regiment's inherited identity. Joseph Malone's Victoria Cross arose from his actions during the withdrawal after the charge.

El-Teb and Abu Klea — 1884–85

The 19th Hussars served in the campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan. William Thomas Marshall earned the Victoria Cross at El-Teb in February 1884, while the regiment later fought at Abu Klea in January 1885 during the attempt to reach Khartoum.

Mons and the Retreat — 1914

The 15th Hussars went to France with the British Expeditionary Force and took part in the opening battles and retreat from Mons. Corporal Charles Ernest Garforth's Victoria Cross covered three separate acts of gallantry during this period, including cutting wire under fire to release his squadron.

Mesopotamia — 1916–18

The 13th Hussars left the Western Front for Mesopotamia in July 1916. The regiment took part in the renewed advance on Kut and Baghdad and remained in the theatre through the final stages of the campaign, including the action at Sharqat in 1918.

Sword Beach — 6 June 1944

The 13th/18th Royal Hussars entered Normandy in Sherman Duplex Drive tanks. Serving with 27th Armoured Brigade, the regiment supported 3rd British Infantry Division on Sword Beach. British Army histories commemorate the 13th/18th as the first Allied tanks to land on French soil on D-Day.

The regiment transferred to 8th Armoured Brigade in late July and continued through Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany.

Bergen-Belsen — April 1945

The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars returned to Normandy in 1944 and in August became a reconnaissance unit attached to 11th Armoured Division. During the advance into Germany, the division reached Bergen-Belsen on 15 April 1945. The modern Light Dragoons continue to commemorate the involvement of their predecessors in encountering and exposing the conditions inside the camp.

Victoria Crosses and Gallantry

Five Victoria Cross recipients are recognised in the Light Dragoons' principal antecedent tradition. Four earned their awards while serving directly in the 13th, 15th, 18th or 19th Hussars lines; Herbert George Columbine had served in the 19th Hussars and was with the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) when he performed the action for which his VC was awarded.

The Light Dragoons on Operations Since 1992

The modern regiment began operational service almost immediately after formation. During the 1990s The Light Dragoons deployed to the Balkans, including Bosnia, as the British Army adjusted from the Cold War to peace-support and stabilisation operations.

The regiment later deployed to Iraq on Operation TELIC in 2003 and 2005. Afghanistan followed with deployments on Operation HERRICK in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012, and Operation TORAL in 2018.

Further commitments have included Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia in 2014, Operation CABRIT in Poland in 2017, 2018 and 2020, and Operation NEWCOMBE in Mali in 2020.

The Regiment Today

The Light Dragoons are a light cavalry regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps based at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. The British Army lists the regiment's role as light cavalry and its specialism as reconnaissance.

The principal fighting vehicle is the Jackal 2, a high-mobility weapons platform designed for speed and reach across difficult terrain. The six-wheeled Coyote Tactical Support Vehicle provides additional carrying capacity and support. Light cavalry work is not confined to vehicles: dismounted reconnaissance remains an important part of the regiment's capability.

The regiment continues its long association with the North of England. The Army describes its soldiers as being recruited mainly from the North, reinforcing the regimental identity of England's Northern Cavalry.

Royal Connections and Colonels-in-Chief

The royal associations of The Light Dragoons continue traditions inherited from the earlier cavalry regiments. Diana, Princess of Wales, became the regiment's first Colonel-in-Chief after the 1992 amalgamation. Princess Margaret later held the appointment until her death in 2002.

King Abdullah II of Jordan was appointed Colonel-in-Chief in 2003. His connection with the regiment predates the amalgamation: after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1981, he was commissioned into the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own).

Traditions, Dress and Regimental Identity

From Light Dragoons to Hussars

There is no single historic “Light Dragoons uniform” that can be projected backwards through the entire lineage. Dress changed repeatedly as the regiments moved from dragoon to light-dragoon and hussar identities and, eventually, from mounted cavalry to mechanised service.

Hussar dress drew heavily on Central European styles. A surviving 15th Hussars pelisse from about 1820 shows the characteristic short over-jacket associated with hussar dress, worn by both officers and men and capable of being slung over the left shoulder.

Late-Nineteenth-Century Hussar Dress

National Army Museum photographs from around 1895 show the highly distinctive full dress of the period: dark-blue hussar uniforms, fur busbies, braided fronts, pouch belts and riding boots. Regimental colour distinctions were important. The 13th Hussars are recorded with double white trouser stripes, while the 19th Hussars appear with double yellow stripes and yellow worsted cord.

A contemporary photograph of privates of the 18th and 19th Hussars also shows both regiments in blue undress frocks and pillbox caps, with dark-blue pantaloons carrying double yellow stripes.

These distinctions belonged to individual regiments. The four antecedent lines shared the wider hussar tradition, but their uniforms retained clear regimental differences.

Dress of the Parent Regiments

The 13th/18th Royal Hussars and 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars each developed their own twentieth-century dress, badges and distinctions. National Army Museum sealed-pattern records include cap badges, shoulder titles and other items from both parent regiments.

Surviving 13th/18th material includes a sealed-pattern other-ranks No. 1 Dress forage cap from 1971, together with later badges and shoulder titles. Equivalent badge material survives for the 15th/19th. These objects show the distinct identities of the two parent regiments immediately before the 1992 amalgamation.

Modern Dress

Modern Light Dragoons personnel wear the Army's prescribed orders of dress. During the 2023 Coronation, members of the regiment described their Number One Dress as their “Blues”. Historic photographs and surviving uniforms document earlier periods; present-day details are governed by current Army Dress Regulations and regimental instructions.

Balaklava, D-Day and Regimental Memory

Two anniversaries are especially prominent in the inherited story. Balaklava preserves the memory of the 13th Light Dragoons and the Charge of the Light Brigade, while the Normandy landings recall the 13th/18th Royal Hussars' amphibious assault on Sword Beach.

The 15th/19th connection with Bergen-Belsen has also received renewed attention. In 2025 The Light Dragoons hosted a remembrance event marking eighty years since the camp's liberation, bringing survivors and soldiers together at Catterick.

Battle Honours and the Guidon

The Light Dragoons inherit an extensive body of battle honours from their antecedent regiments. No short list can represent the whole record. Important inherited honours include Emsdorf, Seringapatam, Assaye, Sahagun, Campo Maior, Albuera, Badajoz, Vitoria, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Waterloo, Balaklava, Sevastopol, Tel-el-Kebir, Abu Klea, honours from the South African War and First World War, and honours from the North-West Europe campaign of 1944–45.

The inherited record extends far beyond Waterloo, Balaklava and D-Day. It also includes campaigns in India and the Sudan, South Africa, the Western Front, Mesopotamia and the armoured campaigns of the Second World War.

As a cavalry regiment, The Light Dragoons carry a Guidon rather than infantry Colours. The Guidon is one of the regiment's central ceremonial symbols and carries an authorised selection of battle honours. The full inherited record is broader than the honours displayed on it.

Identifying The Light Dragoons Cap Badge

The 1993 Other-Ranks Sealed Pattern

For an early post-amalgamation badge, the National Army Museum's 1993 other-ranks sealed pattern is the most useful benchmark. Its documented features are the bi-metal Maltese Cross, central LD initials, the two mottoes around the circlet, the crown-and-lion device and the surrounding wreath.

Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III Patterns

Queen Elizabeth II-era patterns use the stylised crown of her reign, which the College of Arms describes as closer in form to St Edward's Crown. King Charles III-era military artwork uses the Tudor Crown form where new patterns have been authorised. Because the change is gradual, crown form identifies the pattern or reign association more reliably than it identifies the exact date an individual badge was manufactured or worn.

Parent-Regiment Badges

A 13th/18th Royal Hussars or 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars badge belongs to that parent regiment; it is not an early Light Dragoons badge. The modern regiment did not exist before 1 December 1992, and its own cap badge was created for the amalgamated formation.

Construction and Provenance

Construction, metal, fittings, maker's marks, wear and provenance are most useful when considered together. A single feature rarely proves military issue or gives a precise date.

Documented provenance can be particularly useful. A badge associated with a named uniform, service papers, photographs or reliable family history can often be placed more securely than an isolated badge with no surviving context.

Modern Reproductions

Modern commemorative reproductions are a separate category from military-issued cap badges. Clear identification matters because modern manufacturing methods can reproduce fine surface detail very closely.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were The Light Dragoons formed?

1 December 1992, through the amalgamation of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars.

What is the regiment's role?

The British Army lists The Light Dragoons as light cavalry specialising in reconnaissance.

Where are The Light Dragoons based?

Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

Why are they called Light Dragoons?

The name recalls the light-cavalry role developed in the eighteenth century for scouting, screening, patrolling and pursuit. The modern regiment performs the reconnaissance equivalent of that role using vehicles, dismounted patrols and modern surveillance equipment.

Did The Light Dragoons take part in the Charge of the Light Brigade?

The modern regiment did not exist in 1854. The 13th Light Dragoons, one of its principal antecedent regiments, took part in the charge at Balaklava on 25 October 1854.

Did The Light Dragoons land on D-Day?

The modern regiment did not yet exist. Its parent regiment, the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own), landed Sherman Duplex Drive tanks on Sword Beach on 6 June 1944.

Which brigade were the 13th/18th Royal Hussars with on D-Day?

They landed on Sword Beach with 27th Armoured Brigade. After that brigade was disbanded in July 1944, the regiment transferred to 8th Armoured Brigade for the continuing North-West Europe campaign.

Where does the Maltese Cross on the badge come from?

The cross has a documented connection with the 13th Light Dragoons. A National Army Museum shako plate dated 1844–55 uses the Maltese Cross and carries Viret in aeternum.

What do the two mottoes mean?

Viret in aeternum is commonly rendered as “It Flourishes Forever”. Merebimur means “We shall be worthy”.

How many Victoria Cross recipients are associated with the main Light Dragoons lineage?

Five are recognised in the principal antecedent tradition: Joseph Malone, William Thomas Marshall, Henry George Crandon, Charles Ernest Garforth and Herbert George Columbine. Columbine had served in the 19th Hussars but was serving with the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) when he earned his VC.

What is the difference between Queen's Crown and King's Crown patterns?

Queen Elizabeth II-era patterns use the stylised crown of her reign, which the College of Arms describes as closer in form to St Edward's Crown. In the reign of King Charles III, the Tudor Crown form is being introduced across military insignia. Because the transition is gradual, crown form alone does not give an exact manufacturing date.

What vehicles do The Light Dragoons use?

The regiment's light-cavalry role centres on the Jackal 2, supported by the Coyote Tactical Support Vehicle, together with dismounted reconnaissance.

Are Precision Military Emblems pieces military-issued badges?

No. Precision Military Emblems pieces are commemorative display reproductions and are not represented as Army-issued cap badges.

Where The Light Dragoons Heritage Is Preserved

The principal public collection is Charge! – The Story of England's Northern Cavalry at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne. The gallery brings together the collections of the antecedent regiments and follows their history from Waterloo and Balaklava through D-Day to modern operations in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Light Dragoons Regimental Association also provides access to a substantial body of regimental histories, including works on the 13th, 15th, 18th and 19th Hussars as well as detailed histories of the 13th/18th and 15th/19th.

The National Army Museum holds important original objects and sealed patterns, including the 13th Light Dragoons' 1844–55 shako plate, later parent-regiment insignia and the 1993 sealed-pattern Light Dragoons cap badge.

Further Reading and Sources

Official & Government Sources

• The British Army — The Light Dragoons — current role, location and equipment.
• College of Arms — Royal Cypher — the Tudor Crown and the gradual change of royal insignia after the accession of King Charles III.
• The Gazette — original notices for Victoria Cross awards and official military appointments.
• UK Parliament — Operation TELIC 6 deployment statement, 25 May 2005 — contemporary confirmation that The Light Dragoons deployed to Iraq with 12 Mechanised Brigade in 2005.

Regimental Sources

• The Light Dragoons Regimental Association — History — overview of the regiment and its antecedents.
• The Light Dragoons Regimental Association — History Downloads — digitised regimental histories and journals.
• Charge! – The Story of England's Northern Cavalry — regimental museum information and collection overview.

Museum & Collection Sources

• National Army Museum — The Light Dragoons — regimental and antecedent histories.
• National Army Museum — Light Dragoons Other-Ranks Cap Badge, sealed pattern, 1993.
• National Army Museum — 13th Light Dragoons Shako Plate, 1844–55.
• Imperial War Museums — D-Day preparations — includes a 13th/18th Hussars Sherman identified with 27th Armoured Brigade before the Normandy landings.
• British Army — Bergen-Belsen 80th Anniversary — modern regimental commemoration of the 15th/19th connection with the camp's liberation.

Badge Reference

For historic British Army insignia, A. L. Kipling and H. L. King's Head-Dress Badges of the British Army remains an important reference. For twentieth-century and post-amalgamation insignia, museum sealed patterns provide an especially valuable companion to the printed works.

Officially Licensed Light Dragoons Emblems and Heritage Displays

Precision Military Emblems produces commemorative Light Dragoons display pieces in Queen Elizabeth II-era and King Charles III-era crown patterns. These are display reproductions and are not military-issued cap badges. Licensing and artwork approval apply to the individual designs produced under the relevant Ministry of Defence licence.

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge – King's Crown

View the Light Dragoons Cap Badge – King's Crown →

A commemorative display reproduction of the Light Dragoons cap badge in the Tudor Crown form associated with the reign of King Charles III.

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge – Queen's Crown

View the Light Dragoons Cap Badge – Queen's Crown →

A commemorative display reproduction of the Light Dragoons badge in the Queen Elizabeth II-era crown form, described by the College of Arms as closer in form to St Edward's Crown.

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge Display Frame – King's Crown

View the Light Dragoons Display Frame – King's Crown →

A framed presentation of the Light Dragoons cap badge in its King Charles III-era Tudor Crown form.

The Light Dragoons Cap Badge Display Frame – Queen's Crown

View the Light Dragoons Display Frame – Queen's Crown →

A framed presentation of the Light Dragoons cap badge in the Queen Elizabeth II-era crown form, described by the College of Arms as closer in form to St Edward's Crown.

About Precision Military Emblems

Precision Military Emblems produces officially licensed British military heritage display pieces from approved artwork. Our historical articles are researched against British Army material, regimental histories, museum collections and recognised insignia references wherever possible.

The badge worn by The Light Dragoons today is modern, but the traditions represented within it are much older. The Maltese Cross, the two inherited mottoes and the histories of the parent regiments link the regiment formed in 1992 with more than three centuries of British cavalry service.