page_title: 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
section_title: Peace and Second Boer War (1863–1914)
hierarchical_section_title: 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars / History / Peace and Second Boer War (1863–1914)
caption_attribution_description: English: photo (by R. de Salis, spring 2006) of General Rodolph De Salis.Rodolph (talk) 14:53, 14 January 2009 (UTC) Licensing Original work Photograph of work
context_page_description: The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, and went on to distinguish itself in the battles of the Korean War, but was recommended for amalgamation in the 1957 Defence White Paper prepared by Duncan Sandys. The regiment was amalgamated with the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, to form the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.
context_section_description: The regiment returned to India in 1879 and then moved on to Afghanistan to bolster Lord Roberts' army, which was engaged in the Second Anglo-Afghan War; the regiment returned home in 1889.
  In October 1899, war broke out between the United Kingdom and the Boer republics in South Africa. The regiment sailed to South Africa on the SS Norseman in February 1900, arriving in Cape Town early the next month. Along with the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 14th Hussars they formed the 4th Cavalry Brigade under Brigadier General Dickson. On 1 May 1900, the Boers made a stand in a strong position at Houtnek, where the forces of Ian Hamilton faced stiff competition. In a telegram of 2 May Lord Roberts said: "Hamilton speaks in high terms of the services of the 8th Hussars under Colonel Clowes and a made-up regiment of Lancers, which came into Broadwood's brigade and assisted in making the Boers evacuate their position". The 8th then marched from Machadodorp to Heidelberg with the 14th Hussars and M Battery, under the command of Colonel Mahon. On 13 October, Mahon "became heavily engaged near Geluk with a body of 1100 men with four guns." Mahon succeeded in holding his position until the French came to his assistance when the Boers were driven back in a south-easterly direction, having sustained some losses. The 8th lost 2 officers, Lieutenants P A T Jones and F H Wylam and 7 men, with 2 officers and 8 men wounded. Eight officers and 8 non-commissioned officers were mentioned in Lord Roberts' final despatches of 2 April and 4 September 1901. In the first three months of 1901, the 8th was in the column of Colonel Charles Edmond Knox, at one point sweeping to the Swazi border.
  During the later phases of the war, the Eastern Transvaal to the borders of Zululand were the principal scenes of the regiment's operations. One officer and 1 non-commissioned officer were mentioned by Lord Kitchener during the war, and in the final despatch, the names of 4 officers, 2 non-commissioned officers, and 1 private were added. Colonel Le Gallais of the 8th Hussars had done splendid service as a leader of Mounted Infantry, and he fell on 6 November 1900 after he had inflicted a defeat on De Wet at Bothaville. Colonel Mahon, also an old 8th Hussar, was celebrated for his conduct of the Mafeking Relief column.
  After returning to England, the 8th had over six years without hostilities before returning to India in August 1914 arriving at Ambala as part of the 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade. They remained in India for three months until they were recalled due to the outbreak of the First World War. They arrived in Marseilles on 10 November 1914 where they joined the 1st Indian Cavalry Division.
caption: General De Salis, a veteran of the Crimean campaign and sometime Colonel of the Regiment.
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