11th Hussars
The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a British Army cavalry regiment. The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons. In 1840 the regiment was named for Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, who later became the regiment's Colonel. The 11th Hussars charged with the Light Brigade, which was commanded by their former colonel, Lord Cardigan, at Balaklava during the Crimean War. The regiment's nickname, the Cherry Pickers, came from an incident during the Peninsular War, in which the 11th Hussars were attacked while raiding an orchard. They were distinguished thereafter by their cherry red trousers, unique among British regiments and worn in all styles of uniform except battledress.
World War II
In 1940, the 11th was located in Africa as Italy declared war on Britain. The unit immediately began to conduct various raids against Italian positions. The Hussars captured Fort Capuzzo and, in an ambush east of Bardia, captured General Lastucci of the Italian Tenth Army. See also:
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