Below is a complete list of every regular British cavalry regiment which served in the First World War. This list doesn’t include yeomanry regiments nor reserve cavalry regiments. If you click on the regiment’s title you will be taken to a new page which will provide you with the following information:
- The regiment’s lineage
- Where the regiment was stationed in August 1914
- An overview of its services during the First World War
- A description of its war diaries including catalogue references at the National Archives, London
- Information to help you research a soldier who served in the regiment
- Further sources of information
- Whether a regimental history exists
- Extracts from the regiment’s war diary
I have also written an article describing the structure of a British cavalry regiment and other articles on researching those who served in the British Army during the First World War. Shown below are the officers of the 16th (The Queen’s) Lancers in a photograph published in The Tatler on 10 March 1915. The Tatler is a very useful publication to search if you’re researching cavalry officers and is available to view on FindmyPast.
British Cavalry Regiments of the First World War
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)
1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards
2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays)
3rd (The Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards
4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards
5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)
7th (The Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards
2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)
8th (The King’s Royal Irish) Hussars
9th (The Queen’s Royal) Lancers
10th (The Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars
12th (The Prince of Wales’s Royal) Lancers
17th (The Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Lancers
18th (Queen Mary’s Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra’s Own) Royal Hussars
21st (Empress of India’s) Lancers