Regimental Stories

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (1x4)

: 11, 2011

In this film, we meet the British army’s most senior Scottish regiment - famous for a daring cavalry charge that helped defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. With unprecedented access behind the scenes, we join the 400 soldiers of the regiment as they prepare to deploy on their latest combat mission to Afghanistan. We discover how this modern tank regiment is still shaped and inspired by its cavalry past – and why 18 June 1815 is celebrated as the regiment’s finest hour. Born out of the bloodshed of Scottish rebellion 300 years ago, the regiment is still bound together by its Scottish roots and its history. We meet a family of Dragoons whose regimental ties go back 3 generations; witness the ancient rituals of an officers mess dinner; and join the men as they practice Scottish reels. On Salisbury plain, we join the soldiers as they take part in their final pre-deployment training – the army’s biggest exercise of the year. Although they are mounted on armoured vehicles not horseback, they explain how the cavalry traditions of speed and shock action live on. Soldiering on horseback continued until 1941. Two of the last surviving veterans of the final cavalry days remember practising sword drills, the troop charge and the rally. The programme culminates in an emotional farewell parade as the men prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.