The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: Scotland's Cavalry and Its Number One Hit

Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.

Regimental histories are proud documents, and some details, such as exact chart runs and sales of "Amazing Grace", vary between sources. The Greys' charge at Waterloo is the subject of a famous painting that is more dramatic than accurate. This card notes those points.

Greys and Carabiniers

established The regiment's senior ancestor, the Royal Scots Greys, was raised in 1678 as Scots dragoons, mounted infantry who fought on foot or horseback, and became famous for riding grey horses. The Greys fought at Blenheim, Ramillies and Malplaquet under Marlborough, and in the Crimean War charged with the Heavy Brigade at Balaklava in 1854. The 3rd Carabiniers were formed in 1922 from the 3rd and 6th Dragoon Guards, regiments with their own long histories.

Waterloo and the eagle

established At Waterloo on 18 June 1815, the Greys charged with the Union Brigade against French infantry. Sergeant Charles Ewart captured the eagle standard of the French 45th Regiment, one of only two French eagles taken that day. The eagle became the regiment's emblem, and the RSDG cap badge still carries it. The captured eagle itself is displayed in Edinburgh Castle.

shared Lady Butler's famous painting Scotland Forever! (1881) shows the Greys galloping straight at the viewer. The painting is stirring but inaccurate: the charge began at a walk over rough ground, and the Greys suffered heavy losses after it carried too far.

Amalgamation, 1971

established Defence cuts in the 1960s led to the merger of the two regiments. On 2 July 1971, at Holyrood in Edinburgh, they were amalgamated as The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys). Through the Greys, the new regiment is the oldest surviving cavalry regiment of the line and the senior Scottish regiment in the British Army.

Amazing Grace

established In 1972 the regiment's pipes and drums, formed in the Greys in 1946, recorded the hymn "Amazing Grace" with the military band. It reached number one in the UK singles chart and topped the charts in several other countries, an extraordinary achievement for a military band. The pipes and drums have continued to record, and their album Spirit of the Glen won Album of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards in 2009.

Modern operations

established As an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger tanks, the RSDG fought in the Gulf War of 1991 and the Iraq invasion of 2003, and served in Bosnia, Kosovo, further Iraq tours and Afghanistan. In 2013 it converted to light cavalry, equipped with Jackal vehicles, and in 2015 moved to Waterloo Lines at Leuchars in Fife, the former RAF station. Later deployments have included Cyprus, Poland and Mali.

Symbols

established The regiment's motto is the Scottish national motto, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, "No one provokes me with impunity", and it also uses the Greys' "Second to None". King Charles III became Colonel-in-Chief in 2023.

• A military band went to number one in the UK charts in 1972 with "Amazing Grace".
• The regiment's cap badge is a French eagle captured at Waterloo.
• The Royal Scots Greys got their name from their grey horses.
• The captured Waterloo eagle is displayed in Edinburgh Castle.
• The regiment is based at Leuchars, a former RAF station.
• It is the senior Scottish regiment of the British Army.

• Myth: The regiment is an armoured tank regiment today. It fought in the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq invasion with Challenger tanks, but converted to light cavalry with Jackal vehicles in 2013.
• Myth: Lady Butler's Scotland Forever! shows the charge at Waterloo as it happened. The painting is stirring but inaccurate. The charge began at a walk over rough ground, and the Greys suffered heavy losses after it carried too far.
• Disputed: How long "Amazing Grace" stayed at number one. It reached number one in the UK in 1972 and topped the charts in several other countries, but exact chart runs and sales vary between sources.