R e g i m e n ta l A r t e fac t s
R e g i m e n ta l A r t e fac t s
BRIGHT’S TANKARD
THE HORSE OF HANOVER
General Sir Robert Onesiphorus Bright (7th July 1823–15th November 1896) was commissioned into the 19th (1st Yorkshire No r t h Riding) Regiment of Foot in 1843. His operational service was vast and included Bulgaria and the Crimean war, where he commanded the 2nd Brigade of The Light Division. Promoted to Brigadier General, he commanded the 1st Brigade Hazara Field Force during the Black Mountain Campaign of 1868 and commanded the Khyber Line Field Force during the Second Afghan war of 1878–80. General Bright was an enthusiastic sportsman and a talented cricketer. He was also a keen huntsman and ran a pack of foxhounds dubbed ‘The Green Howards’. He was appointed Colonel of the Regiment in 1886 until his death in 1896. The Tankard itself was made in 1869 by Charles Frederick Hancock, a London based silver firm that also notably manufactures the Victoria Cross. It is 46cm in height and weighs 170 ounces. The tankard is emblazoned with a classical battle frieze in extreme detail, that depicts what appear to be Roman soldiers mid-battle, and also contains some rather interesting elements, including a dragon’s head and two kissing children that make up the majority of the handle.
The emblem of the White Horse of Hanover was conferred on the Regiment in 1765 by King George III in recognition of the Regiment’s guard detachments at the Royal Palaces of Windsor and Hampton Court. When the Royal Coat of Arms was erected by King George Ill, he was keen to promote the fact that he was Prince Elector of Hanover and squashed the heraldic symbols of England and Scotland together in order to fit in a number of heraldic devices he brought with him from Hanover, including the white horse. In 1876, the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, conferred on the Regiment the title of ‘The Prince of Wales’s Own’. In 1881, the Regiment was given the county title of the West Yorkshire Regiment. This large cast silver statue of the Horse of Hanover is engraved with the words, “Presented by General Sir William Wood KCB KH to the Officers of the XV Regiment 1866.
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