Major Claude Victor Noble Percival

 

 

Major Claude Victor Noble Percival

 1872-1914

 Dress Tunic, c. 1909

 

 Percival was the son of Major General Lewis Percival, late of the Rifle Brigade. He entered the Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1889 and was gazetted to the Rifle Brigade in 1892. Percival became a lieutenant in 1895 and served in British Central Africa in 1899. He earned his captaincy in 1900 and served in Southern Nigeria from 1901 to 1902. From 1905 to 1912, Percival was employed with the Egyptian Army as part of the Soudan Civil Administration. He was promoted to major in 1909 and served as Acting Governor of Halfa Province in 1911. Percival went to France with the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in November of 1914. On December 14, 1914, he was shot through the heart and killed instantaneously, while superintending a digging party at night near Laventie. Percival was buried in the Tilleloy cemetery.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Charles Shakerley, DSO

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Charles Shakerley, DSO

 1869-1915

 Dress Busby, c. 1891

 

 Shakerley attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and was gazetted to the King’s Royal Rifle Corps on November 29, 1890. He was advanced to lieutenant in 1893. Shakerley obtained his captaincy in December of 1898 and served in the Second Boer War (1899-1902) with the Mounted Infantry. Taking part in operations in Natal and the Orange River Colony, along with the defense of Ladysmith, Shakerley was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Queen’s medal with six clasps. He then served in East Africa (1903-1904), again with the Mounted Infantry, taking part in operations in Somaliland and the action at Jidballi. Shakerley was mentioned in despatches four times in East Africa, severely wounded, and awarded the Distinguished Service Order on September 7, 1904. He was promoted to major with the 1st Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps on December 18, 1907. Shakerley arrived with his battalion at Rouen, France, for service on the Western Front in August of 1914. Whilst participating in an attack on the German trenches near La Bassee on May 15, 1915, Shakerley was mortally wounded in the advance. He was laid to rest in the Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery. Shakerley was granted the rank of temporary lieutenant colonel in November of 1915 for his sacrifice, with a date of rank of March 28, 1915.

 

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

 

 

Major, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

 Dress Tunic, c. 1890

 

The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was first raised in 1689. That year James II, the dethroned King of England, landed in Ireland with aid provided by the French in an attempt to overthrow William of Orange. During the Defence of Enniskillen the Governor of the town Gustav Hamilton raised three regiments to fight for William of Orange. One of those three regiments was Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. The regiment later became known as the "Enniskillen Dragoons," after Hamilton's headquarters at Enniskillen Castle. The regiment was renamed the 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons in 1751.

The regiment fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with The Union Brigade, which included The Royal Dragoons and The Scots Greys. The regiment also participated in the charge of the Heavy Brigade during the Battle Balaclava in 1854. In 1861 the regiment was renamed the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons.

The regiment saw action in response to the Indian Rebellion in 1857 and the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, the regiment was sent to South Africa. In 1921 the regiment was renamed The Inniskillings (6th Dragoons). It amalgamated with the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards to form the 5th/6th Dragoons in 1922.

 

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 Departed the collection in 2023.

Lord George Wellesley, MC

 

 

Lord George Wellesley, MC

 1889-1967

 Full Dress, c. 1912

 

Wellesley was the great-grandson of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards on February 3, 1909 and promoted to lieutenant in September of 1912. He joined the Royal Flying Corps in June of 1914 and was mentioned in despatches in June of 1916. Wellesley received the Military Cross that year for his service in France. He was appointed wing commander in 1917 with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel. Wellesley became a squadron leader with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1939. He served during WWII and relinquished his commission in 1954.

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Sandbach Noel Harrison, DSO

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Sandbach Noel Harrison, DSO

 1877-1949

 Full Dress, c. 1904

 

 Harrison commissioned into the Fourth Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry in 1898. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1900, Captain in 1904, and Major in 1915. Harrison was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1918 whilst attached to the Loyal North Lancashire regiment for “services rendered in connection with Military Operations in Mesopotamia.” As a Temporary Lieutenant Colonel at the time, he was in command of the Sixth (Service) Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire and was wounded in action. Harrison was made Lieutenant Colonel in 1924 and commanded the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry until retirement in 1929.

19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars

 

 

Other Ranks, 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars

Full Dress, c. 1914

The regiment was originally raised in Bengal by the East India Company as the 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry in 1858, for service in response to the Indian Rebellion. As with all other "European" units of the Company, they were placed under the command of the Crown, and subsequently formally moved into the British Army in 1862 when they were designated as the 19th Hussars. At this time, the regiment was authorised to inherit the battle honours of the disbanded 19th Light Dragoons.

The regiment saw action at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in 1882 during the Anglo-Egyptian War and at the Battle of Abu Klea in 1885 during the Mahdist War. It also fought at the Siege of Ladysmith in 1899 during the Second Boer War. The regiment was titled the 19th (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) Hussars in 1902 and, when Alexandra became Queen Consort in 1908, the name changed to the 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars.

With the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment was split up, with squadrons attached to the 4th, 5th, and 6th Infantry Divisions as divisional cavalry squadrons; all three divisions moved to France with the British Expeditionary Force. The regiment was brought together again in 1915, and attached to the 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Cavalry Division, with whom it served for the remainder of the war. The regiment was retitled 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) in 1921 and shortly thereafter disbanded when stationed in Muttra, India, as part of the post-War reduction in forces.

 

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Departed the collection in 2025. 

Lieutenant Colonel William Russell Willoughby Weallens

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel William Russell Willoughby Weallens

 1896-1971

 Mess Dress, c. 1936

 

 Weallens, born in Secunderabad, India, was the son of Colonel William Weallens, late of the The Northamptonshire Regiment. He was gazetted to the British Indian Army on December 23, 1914, and joined the 4th Prince of Wale’s Own Gurkha Rifles from the Unattached List on February 28, 1915. Originally serving with the 1st Battalion, Weallens saw action in France and at Gallipoli. The 4th Gurkha Rifles comprised part of the 3rd (Lahore) Division, which was sent to Mesopotamia in April of 1916. Weallens was then transferred to the 2nd Battalion as adjutant with the rank of acting lieutenant. His lieutenancy was later ante-dated to December 23, 1915, and he was made a temporary captain in 1917, commanding a company. He was made a permanent captain in 1918 and returned to the 1st Battalion in 1927. Weallens was promoted to major in 1932 and lieutenant colonel in 1940, once again with the 2nd Battalion. He went with the 2nd Battalion to Iraq in 1941 and subsequently served in North Africa. Weallens was captured by the Germans in November of 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein and was interned at Oflag 79, Brunswick, Lower Saxony. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches during the Second World War. Weallens retired from the service on April 26, 1946.

15th (The King's) Hussars

 

 

Officer, 15th (The King's) Hussars

 Pill Box Cap, c. 1900

The regiment was raised in the London area by George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield as Elliot's Light Horse as the first of the new regiments of light dragoons in 1759. It was renamed the 15th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1760. In 1766 it was renamed for King George III as the 1st (or The King's Royal) Regiment of Light Dragoons, the number being an attempt to create a new numbering system for the light dragoon regiments. However, the old system was quickly re-established, with the regiment returning as the 15th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1769.

The regiment was reconstituted as a hussar regiment in 1807 as the 15th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars). It landed at Corunna in 1808 for service in the Peninsular War and returned to England in 1814. The regiment was recalled for the Hundred Days and landed at Ostend in 1815: it took part in a charge at the Battle of Waterloo and returned to England in 1816. The regiment played a pivotal role in the notorious Peterloo Massacre in 1819, when a 60,000 strong crowd calling for democratic reform were charged by the Yeomanry. Panic from the crowd was interpreted as an attack on the Yeomanry and the Hussars were ordered in. The charge resulted in 15 fatalities and as many as 600 injured.

The title of the regiment was simplified in 1861 to the 15th (The King's) Hussars. The regiment was ordered to India in 1867 and moved on to Afghanistan in 1878 for service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War before being deployed to South Africa in January 1881 for service in the First Boer War.

Major Harry Beale

 

 

Major Harry Beale

 Bearskin and Storage Tin, c. 1899

 

 Beale was gazetted to the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of The Northumberland Fusiliers on March 15, 1899. He served with the Volunteer Companies in South Africa during the Boer War as a supernumerary officer and was mentioned in despatches, where it was noted that he was “in every way up to the best standard of the Regular Army.” Beale was made an honorary lieutenant in the Regular Army for his South African service. He became a captain with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of The Northumberland Fusiliers on September 7, 1901. Beale resigned his commission on June 25, 1904, but returned to the service in September of 1914 as a temporary captain in the Service Battalions being formed. He was attached to the 11th Service Battalion of The Northumberland Fusiliers and rose to the rank of temporary major on December 30, 1914. He was transferred to the General List on March 5, 1916, serving until the War’s end.

Lieutenant Colonel George S. Sinnott

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel George S. Sinnott

 1871-1969

 Mess Dress, c. 1896

 

 Sinnott was gazetted to the 2nd Gloucestershire (the Bristol) Royal Engineers as a supernumerary on September 5, 1888. He joined with his father and grandfather’s law firm of J. Sinnott & Son in March of 1894. Sinnott was elevated to lieutenant in 1891 and captain in 1896. For service with the Volunteer Sections in South Africa during the Boer War, he was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant in the regular Army in 1900. Sinnott was made an honorary major in the 2nd Gloucestershire on May 28, 1904, becoming a permanent major in 1906. He was granted the rank of honorary lieutenant colonel on March 20, 1908, and appointed to the 1st South Midland Field Company, South Midland Divisional Engineers as a supernumerary on April 1, 1908. Sinnott resigned his commission on March 13, 1912, later becoming a major in the Territorial Force Reserve in 1914. He was assigned to the Royal Defence Corps when it was formed in 1916 and retired from the service as a lieutenant colonel by the War’s end. Sinnott continued to practice the law until 1954 when he retired and the firm of Sinnott, Wood, & Co. was dissolved.

 

 

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Departed the collection in 2024.

Lieutenant Colonel John Fryer

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Fryer

 1871-1920

 Mess Jacket, c. 1910

 

 Fryer was the son of Lieutenant General Sir John Fryer, KCB, who commanded the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The younger Fryer became a second lieutenant in the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars on November 26, 1890. He was made aide-de-camp to his father in 1894, who was posted to the Cork District of Northern Ireland. Fryer received his captaincy in 1899 and served in the Second Boer War with the 7th Hussars. He was mentioned in despatches for operations at Cape Colony in December of 1902. Fryer was then assigned as adjutant of the Sussex Imperial Yeomanry in 1903. He made major in 1910 and was later placed in command of the Southern Cavalry Depot at Bristol. Fryer was appointed a Brigade Major on January 5, 1912, and assigned to the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade, which consisted of the Yeomanry regiments of the three Ridings of Yorkshire. The regiments that comprised the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade were assigned to other formations in 1915 and the brigade ceased to exist. Promoted to a temporary lieutenant colonel, Fryer then went to France as a staff officer with the General Headquarters.

3rd Aberdeen (The Buchan) Rifle Volunteers

 

 

Subaltern, 3rd Aberdeen (The Buchan) Rifle Volunteers

 Full Dress, c. 1880

 

The 3rd Administrative Battalion, Aberdeenshire Rifle Volunteers, with headquarters at Peterhead, Scotland, was formed in January of 1862 from the 5th, 9th, 17th, and 20th Volunteer Rifle Corps.

In 1867 the 24th Corps, in 1868 the 25th Corps, and in 1872 the 26th Corps were formed and added to the battalion, which was granted the title "The Buchan," in 1868. The 24th Corps was amalgamated with the 9th Corps in 1875 and a new 24th Corps was formed.

The battalion was consolidated as the 5th Aberdeen (The Buchan) Rifle Volunteers in May of 1880, but was re-numbered as the 3rd in June. Headquarters were then established at Old Deer, Scotland. The old corps of the battalion were then formed into nine companies.

 

From Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force: 1859-1908, first published in 1909.

The Lothians and Berwickshire Yeomanry

 

 

Other Ranks, The Lothians and Berwickshire Yeomanry

Walking Out Dress, c. 1890

In 1798 The East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry, The Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry, The Midlothian Yeomanry and The Royal Edinburgh Volunteer Light Dragoons (the Princess Street Lancers) were raised to provide a defense against the armies of Napoleon. In 1800 the last two of these amalgamated to form The Royal Midlothian Yeomanry Cavalry. A reduction in strength of all three at the end of the Napoleonic Wars was followed by an increase in recruitment during the unemployment and social unrest of the early nineteenth century.

All had been disbanded by 1838, only for the Midlothians to be formed again in 1843, followed by the East Lothians in 1846. In 1888 they became The Lothians and Berwickshire Yeomanry, consisting of two troops from East Lothian, one from Berwickshire and one from Midlothian, and, in 1892, a West Lothian Troop was added.

In the Second Boer War, the regiment sponsored the 19th (Lothians and Berwickshire) Company, which served in the 6th (Scottish) Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, in South Africa from 1900 until 1902.

 

The Lothians and Berwickshire Yeomanry Resting on Belhaven Sands by R. Payton Reid, 1891.

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Departed the collection in 2022.

Brigadier Herle Maudslay Hordern, OBE

 

 

Brigadier Herle Maudslay Hordern, OBE

 1892-1981

 Full Dress Tunic, c. 1914

 

 Hordern attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1913. As a Captain, he received the Military Cross for service in The Great War in 1918. Beginning in 1922, Hordern served with the Mechanical Warfare Experimental Establishment, which was responsible for the development of tanks and armoured vehicles. For this, he was appointed an Officer, Order of the British Empire in 1927. Hordern became Deputy Assistant Director of Mechanization in 1932. He was made Commandant of the Military College of Science in 1941 and made a Temporary Brigadier in 1942. Hordern retired in 1946 and was granted the honorary rank of Brigadier

9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

 

 

Captain, 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

 Full Dress, c. 1909

 

The 1st Administrative Battalion, Dumbartonshire Rifle Volunteers, with headquarters at Balloch, Scotland, was formed in May of 1860. The Volunteer Rifle Corps included in it were the 1st through the 14th.

In April of 1880, the battalion was consolidated and retitled as the 1st Dumbartonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, with twelve companies and headquartered at Helensburgh, Scotland.

The battalion adopted the scarlet doublet with yellow facings, trews, and glengarry of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in March of 1887. Following the Haldane Reforms of 1907, the battalion was reconstituted as the 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, and consisted of eight companies. It was then that the battalion adopted the kilt, hose, and sporran.

 

From Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force: 1859-1908, first published in 1909.