Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)

Inhaber
1755 John Manners, Marquis of Granby

Unit History
The regiment was raised 1661 as the Oxford Blues. The unit was placed in 1687 as Household troops. It fought at Dettingen in 1745. The only unit in the British cavalry to wear the Royal Blue coat hence the nickname of 'The Blues'. The Royal Horse Guards were engaged at Minden, Warburg, Villinghausen and Wilhemsthal. Considered an elite unit whose motto was 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' (Evil be to him who evil thinks).
At Minden, August 1759, three squadrons were present along with the 1st Dragoon Guards and Inniskilling Dragoons under the command of Colonel John Mostyn. This command was in the first line under the command of Lord Sackville.
At Warburg, July 31, 1760, the regiment was in the brigade under the command of the Marquis of Granby. His brigade included the 1st King's Dragoons Guards, and the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons. Later at Villinghausen, the Blues, while present, were inactive.
The Colonel of the Blues, John Manners, Marquis of Granby, became a Major-General in 1755. In August 1759 he succeeded the disgraced Lord Sackville as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Germany. He led it throughout the remainder of the campaign, showing much gallantry. He became Master-General of the Ordnance in 1763 and Commander-in-Chief in 1766. He died at Scarborough of gout in 1770.

Comments
Each army needs a unit close to royalty and this is it for the Anglo-German forces. Actually an active unit in the war so seeing it appear in a collection of SYW figs should not be a surprise. The blue coat is a nice addition to the British cavalry which is so often in red. Unit painted in 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.