Meet the Hussars

The Honourable Arthur ‘Pic’ Annesley was born on 24 August 1880 at Bletchingdon Park, Oxfordshire. He was the eldest of the eight children of Arthur Annesley, 11th Viscount of Valentia and 1st Baron Annesley, and had been groomed to take on the family title and estate in due course. He had been with the 10th Hussars since April 1900 and had risen to the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Delhi Durbar Medal in December 1911 for his gallantry in the Second Boer War.

Henry Courtney ‘Brock’ Brocklehurst was born on 27 May 1888 as the youngest of three children of Sir Philip Lancaster Brocklehurst, 1st Baronet Brocklehurst of Swythamley Park, Staffordshire. He joined the regiment in January 1908.

Basil Stanlake Brooke was born on 9 June 1888 at Colebrooke Park, County Fermanagh. From his father, Sir Arthur Douglas Brooke, he inherited a baronetcy in 1907. He was educated at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers in 1908. In 1911, he transferred to the 10th Hussars as a second lieutenant. Basil’s sister, Sylvia, visited him in India and stole the hearts of every man in the regiment!

Maurice de Tuyll was born on 1 November 1888 as the younger of Louise Emily Harford’s two sons from her first marriage to a Dutch nobleman, Baron Karl Frederick de Tuyll van Serooskerken. Maurice originally planned a career in the navy but changed his mind and on graduating from Sandhurst joined the Hussars in September 1908. His elder brother, Francois ‘Frankie’ de Tuyll (b. 1885) also joined the regiment at the start of the war.

Robert Flint ‘Bob’ Drake was born on 30 April 1892 in Kent as the second youngest of John and Evangeline Drake’s six children. His father, a sugar merchant, sent Robert to Eton and then to Sandhurst. Bob was a relatively new recruit and joined the 10th Hussars in South Africa in September 1912.

William Otter ‘Giblet’ Gibbs was born on 13 September 1883 as the eldest of Henry and Emily Gibbs’ nine children. He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst and joined the 10th Hussars in November 1902.

George Edward ‘Squeaker’ Gosling was born on 23 May 1889 at Stratton Audley Park in Oxfordshire as the elder of the two sons of Colonel George Gosling and Mary McEvers Cunard. He was the great-grandson of Sir Samuel Cunard, founder of the Cunard Line shipping company. He joined the 10th Hussars in September 1908.

Clement Bertram Ogilvy ‘Clem’ Freeman-Mitford was born on 14 December 1876 as the second of the nine children of Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, first Baron Redesdale and Lady Clementina Ogilvy. Having been educated at Eton and Cambridge, he joined the 10th Hussars in November 1899. He fought and was severely wounded in the Second Boer War and was awarded the Queen’s Medal with four clasps. He was promoted Major in 1912. He was one of the regiment’s few married officers. His wife, Lady Helen Ogilvy, whom he had married in 1909, was the sister of Clem’s fellow officer, David, 7th Earl of Airlie.

David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, known to his fellow officers as Joe Airlie, was born on 18 July 1893 in Cahir, County Tipperary, as the eldest son of the sixth Earl of Airlie. His father died in 1900, when David succeeded him as the seventh Earl. He was educated at Eton and joined the 10th Hussars in South Africa in September 1912. His sister Helen was married to his fellow officer, Clement ‘Clem’ Freeman-Mitford.

William Llewellen ‘Pedlar’ Palmer, known to his regiment as ‘Pedlar’, was born on 26 September 1883 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, as the son of Brigadier-General George Llewellen Palmer. He was educated at Harrow and joined the 10th Hussars in November 1903. In 1910, he married Lady Alexandra Wynn-Carrington. He was a passionate polo player and part of the 10th Hussars team which dominated Indian polo in the early 1910s.

Clement Henry ‘The Rabbit’ Peto was born on 8 July 1884 in London as the youngest of William and Kate Peto’s four children. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst and received his commission in the regiment in February 1904. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1910. He was an accomplished horseman and the winner of numerous regimental races. He was also a passionate hunter and during his time in India travelled to Siberia to indulge in his sport. His brother Ralph joined the regiment at the start of the First World War.

Roland ‘Pilse’ Pillinger was among the oldest men in the regiment. Born on 13 May 1858, he joined the regiment in April 1879 and was appointed its Quartermaster in February 1900. In 1911, he attained the rank of Major. Pilse was a proficient linguist and, among other languages, spoke French, Hindustani and Persian. He was the editor of the Tenth Royal Hussars Gazette and a great favourite within the regiment. In 1913, he was retired from the army much against his will but stayed in close contact with his fellow officers throughout the war. To learn more about Major Pillinger visit http://majorpillinger.com/.

Vaughan Adrian Philipps ‘Pokes’ Stokes was born in March 1891 in Wales as the younger of the two sons of Anthony Stokes and Ellen Phillips. He joined the regiment as a signal officer at the same time as Pat Armstrong in March 1910.

John ‘J.V.’ Vaughan was born on 31 July 1871 in Wales as the second son of John and Elinor Vaughan. He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. Following his graduation in March 1901, he joined the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars and served with that regiment in the Second Boer War.   In May 1904 he was transferred to the 10th Hussars and four years later was put in command of the regiment. His tenure ended in January 1911, when he became the Commandant of the Cavalry School in Netheravon. He was a noted polo player and an enthusiastic supporter of fox hunting, a sport which he even included on the Cavalry School syllabus under the pretext “memory training”! He married Louisa Evelyn Wardell née Stewart in 1913, and became stepfather to her children from her first marriage.

Charles Benjamin ‘Percy’ Wilson was born in Manchester on 28 November 1885 as the eldest son of Hubert and Frances Wilson. He was educated at Eton and gained a commission in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in May 1903. Two years later, in May 1905, he gained a regular commission in the 10th Hussars.

 

10th Hussars | Becoming a Hussar | Service in British India  |  Service in South Africa |  Meet the Hussars