It is here that we hold extensive records of individual soldiers who served in the 1 st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards, The Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and the Household Battalion. We also have a great deal of related material including officers’ records of service, regimental order books and diaries, regimental returns, medical officer’s returns, regimental appointment books, court martial ledgers, casualty books, register of deserters, marriage and baptism rolls, attestation and discharge books, etc.
Unfortunately we hold no individual service records of soldiers who served in the 1st (Royal) Dragoons (IRD). Surviving records 1760-1920 of the lRD are held at The National Archives at Kew, although the Museum does have some documents related to the Regiment’s service during the First World War, including a nominal roll.
Also within the building is the Library, which contains many books and regimental journals telling the 350 year history of the Regiment. The facility at Windsor also has a large collection of photographs but in order that the images can be made available to veterans, researchers and other interested parties, the collection is at the moment being carefully sorted and collated. The Reserve Collection is also here and some selected items are on display for visitors to admire.
Research enquiry information
A research service is available at Windsor and all work is undertaken by Museum Volunteers and as we receive no direct funding, there is a charge for each service.
The initial cost for this service is currently £35 and is non-refundable even if no information is found. We cannot guarantee what type of information will be returned from your search only that which we hold within our regimental archives. In many instances our archive may reveal a substantial record of an individual and in these cases an additional £15 will be required for copying, packaging and postal costs.
If you require a search of the Archive to be undertaken please complete the Archive enquiry form, providing as much information as possible and return the form with your cheque made payable to Household Cavalry Museum Trust to the address on the form.
Centuries of history
Over the centuries we have amassed an outstanding collection of rare and unique treasures from ceremonial uniforms, royal standards and gallantry awards to musical instruments, horse furniture and silverware by Fabergé. Each exhibit has its own compelling story to tell and many are on display for the very first time.
You can see two silver kettledrums given to the regiment in 1831 by William IV; the pistol ball that wounded Sir Robert Hill at Waterloo and the cork leg which belonged to the first Marquess of Anglesy, who, as the Earl of Uxbridge, lost his real one at Waterloo. Modern additions to the collection include Jacky Charlton’s football cap – he did his national service with the regiment and Sefton’s bridle – the horse that was injured in the 1982 Hyde Park bombings.
Much of the collection has resulted from the close association that has existed between the Household Cavalry and Royalty. We have, after all, protected successive kings and queens from rebels, rioters and assassins for nearly 350 years.
