3rd Dragoon Guards

Inhaber
1756 Howard

Unit History
The regiment was formed in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. The unit was converted from the 4th Horse to the 3rd Dragoon Guards in 1746. The Light Troop, raised in 1756, took part, in 1758, in the expeditions to St. Malo and Cherbourg. The regiment was present at Bergen; Minden; Korbach, where it charged with the 1st King's Dragoon Guards; Warburg, Villinghausen and Wilhelmsthal. Was a regular unit receiving elite pay and was heavily involved in the 'Kleinkrieg' in the German campaign.
At Bergen, April 1759, the regiment was in the centre column of the Anglo-Allied army. The infantry in the column was fed into the assaults on Bergen and beaten back while the cavalry protected their flank.
At Minden, August 1759, two squadrons were present along with the 10th Dragoons, under Mordaunt, and two Hanoverian Horse regiments, Alt-Bremer and Veltheim, under the command of the Marquis of Granby. This command was in the second line under the command of Lord Sackville and saw little action as a result of his inactivity.
At Warburg, July 31, 1760, the regiment was again in the brigade under the command of the Marquis of Granby which this time included the Royal Horse Guards, and the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, and the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons.
After 1766, the unit became known as the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards. The unit's motto was 'Ich Dien' (I serve) and the badge included the three feathers found on the standard of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. More informally, the unit was known as 'The Old Canaries' in reference to their facings colours.

Comments
This is one of my ‘Bergen’ units. The yellow facings, yellow lace combined with the buff trousers make the reference to ‘Old Canaries’ understandable. The various shades of yellow make the unit distinctive. The only drawback is that I have yet to find a yellow water-based paint that covers well. All seem to partially cover the painted region and required significant repainting to ensure that the color has depth and coverage. Unit painted in the spring of 2004.

Sources
Flag: Osprey’s British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry (Elite 77)
Text: J. Mollo, Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63, Blandford Press, page 188.