Page 12 - Last Chargers example

This publication is the culmination of twenty years of research into the last cavalry charges of the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers and the 12th (Prince of Wales’s) Royal Lancers. It aims to provide a detailed account of both actions for the bene t of past, present and future members of those Regiments and their successors, and others with a more general interest.
The initial catalyst for the research (and my subsequent developing fascination with the subject) was a request for a short presentation to the Old Comrades Association (OCA) on the Mons/Moÿ weekend in Bovington in 1995 by the then Regimental Sergeant Major, WO1 ‘Fred’ Reid4, and Of cer Commanding Headquarters Squadron,Major Stuart Kirkbride. As soon as I began my research I realised I did not know the story as well as I should. I had been a serving soldier in the successor Regiment (the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s)) for 16 years and had celebrated Mons/Moÿ Day in every one of those years.
Capt Winter visiting Le Montcel 4 Later Major Reid
I understood, like so many others, that Mons/ Moÿ commemorated the last cavalry charges by both Regiments using their lances in a signi cant battle and that both actions were in 1914 during the Retreat from Mons. That was, however, only partially true. Most of the accepted wisdom on the battles came from the two main Regimental histories published in 1939 for the 9th Lancers5 and 1950 for the 12th6 reinforced by two graphic paintings of the events, copies of which were hung in most Messes and of ces. Richard Caton Woodville’s painting, Lance against Lance7, depicts the 9th Lancers at Le Montcel8 while George Wright’s9 painting10 shows the 12th at Moÿ.11 These four references shaped the story we grew up with and we never thought to question it. For my part, they had all merged into one account, a story about a ‘chateau’ and a ‘machine gun on a wall’ and I was unable to separate folklore from accurate historical account.
In the process of my research for the presenta- tion I visited Le Montcel and Moÿ de l’Aisne to take photographs to show the ground with Sgt Bernie Winter12. On arrival at Le Montcel, the rst thing I noticed was that there was no church in the village or a surrounding wall as shown in Caton Woodville’s painting. Initially, I thought that the village had simply changed over time but the Mayor’s of ce was ada- mant that there never had been a church and informed me that it was for this reason that the casualties were buried in the neighbouring village of Frétoy. From the very outset, the
5 Sheppard p242
6 Stewart p250
7 Hangs in the Of cers’ Mess of The Royal Lancers
8 Le Montcel, 77320 Frétoy, France
9 GeorgeWright was one of the foremost equestrian artists of
his time
10 Commissioned by Major CE Bryant DSO and the property
of the 9th/12th Lancers Regimental MuseumTrustees in
Derby: 9/12: 1729
11 Moÿ de l’Aisne, 02610, France
12 Later Captain Winter
Preface
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