British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle HonoursHodder, Reginald
History
British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle Honours
Hodder, Reginald
Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army
Apart, and not yet apart, from their glorious traditions of battle, the
Greys have a peculiar romance centring round one of their number, who
fought for long years in their midst before it was ultimately
discovered that their comrade of many fights was a woman. How, why, and
where Christian Davies (née Cavanagh) first entered the army is a
matter of some doubt, but we first hear of her in the Netherlands as a
private soldier, whither, as the story goes, she had gone to find her
husband. Here she lived the life of the ordinary soldier, and
maintained her disguise through everything, even flirting with the
Dutch girls to such an extent that she was forced to fight a duel with
a jealous sergeant, whom she wounded severely. On account of this she
was obliged to leave the regiment, but immediately joined the Scots
Greys. While living and fighting with these, she discovered her
husband, but, being enamoured of the free soldier's life more than of
him, she bade him wait till the conclusion of the war. Mean while, at
her desire, he and she passed as brothers.
It was during the charge of the Scots Greys at Ramillies that Christian
Davies met with a serious wound at the hands of a French dragoon, and,
being brought to hospital, she confessed, to the surprise and
admiration of all, that she was a woman. On her recovery, she still
accompanied the army, as a vivandière, in which capacity she was
extremely popular. Ultimately, when the terrors of war had made her
twice a widow, she returned to England, where Queen Anne graciously
received her in audience, and presented her with a bounty of £50,
together with a pension of 1s. a day. At her funeral in Chelsea, in
1739, she was accorded full military honours, and all the Scots Greys,
at least, know well that three full volleys were fired above her grave.
It is worth noting that the Royal Scots Greys, who, in the past, have
fought fiercely against the Russians, have now as their Colonel-in-Chief
H.I.M. Nicolas II., Emperor of Russia, K.G.--no longer an enemy, but a
friend and an ally.
* * * * *
THEIR BADGES AND BATTLE HONOURS, ETC.
BADGES.--The Thistle within the Circle and Motto of the Order of
the Thistle. An Eagle.
MOTTO.--"1546."
BATTLE HONOURS.--Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet,
Dettingen, Waterloo, Balaclava, Sevastopol, S. Africa 1899-1902,
Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg.
UNIFORM.--Scarlet, blue facings, white plume.
15TH HUSSARS (THE KING'S)
("ELLIOT'S LIGHT HORSE.")
"Merebimur."--_Their Motto._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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