Description
Physical description
A gilt headdress badge to officers of the 13th / 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own), being a St. Edward's (Queen's) crown atop a scroll in the shape of a letter 'Z' superimposed over the voided entwined monogram 'QMO', the top arm of the scroll rests on the top of the monogram and is embossed with the Roman numeral XIII, the lower arm of the scroll supports the bottom of the monogram and is embossed with the Roman numeral XVIII, the diagonal arm of the scroll is embossed 'Royal Hussars'. Two loops to reverse.
Physical description
Box 12: Mounting card captioned: "13th/18th Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) Officers", on which 6 items, one of which a pair (10159-10163). Reverse has a green sealing wax seal of an oval seal with MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / PATTERN ROOM, with across the centre, ARMY / OFFICERS. Two small lead disc seals. To the top centre an oval stamp "Q (Maint) 2 / MINISTRY OF DEFENCE" across the centre "4 May 1970".
History note
The "13th / 18th Hussars" was created in 1922 by the amalgamation of 13th Hussars and 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own).
History note
The 13th was raised in 1715 as dragoons and ranked as 13th, which designation became official in 1751. The unit was re-designated "(Light) Dragoons" in 1783 and re-named "13th Hussars" in 1861.
History note
The 18th has claims to an ancestry back to 1759 but a clearly unbroken line begins with a regiment re-raised in 1858 as the "18th Regiment of Light Dragoons", in 1861 re-designated as Hussars. In 1903 they were granted the honour title of "(Victoria Mary, Princess of Wales's Own)", from Princess Mary of Teck, wife of George, the then-Duke of York and, since the death of his older brother, Prince of Wales. In May 1910 Edward VII died and George ascended the throne as George V, his wife becoming Queen Mary. This required a change to the title of the 18th and they became "18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars", amended in 1919 to "18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)".
History note
On amalgamation in 1922 the 18th's 'Royal' designation did not carry over and the original title was simply "13th / 18th Hussars". The 'Royal' honour title was granted to the amalgamated Regiment in 1935, when it was re-designated "13th / 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)".
History note
In December 1992, "13th / 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)" was amalgamated with "15th/ 19th King's Royal Hussars" to form "The Light Dragoons", a back reference to an historic title used by three of the four antecedent Regiments (13th, 18th and 15th), while reviving a designation last used in the Army Lists in the mid nineteenth century.
History note
BADGE. The design of headdress badge of the "13th / 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)" in this example dates from 1938.
History note
The headdress badge adopted following the 1922 amalgamation owed little to the badges of either the 13th or the 18th predecessor regiments, being a letter H with the plain monogram QMO overlaid, the Roman numerals XIII and XVIII above and below the cross bar. With the grant of the "Royal" honour title in 1935, the design of the headdress badge was changed. Adopted in 1938, the new badge used a 'Z' shaped scroll, pre-figured in the pre-1922 Forage cap badge of 13th Hussars, and an elaborate version of the 'QMO' monogram derived from the 1922 badge. This remained in use until 1992.
Embossed
ROYAL HUSSARS
Inscription
XIII XVIII