Sorry if this is in the wrong place - but can anyone advise where I should start looking for someone who served in the '4th Reserve Dragoons' during WWI?

I (think) these were part of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoons - later merged with the 7th in 1922, then the 5th Royal Iniskilling Dragoons in '92 to become the Royal Dragoons.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sisyphus

Sorry if this is in the wrong place - but can anyone advise where I should start looking for someone who served in the '4th Reserve Dragoons' during WWI?

I (think) these were part of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoons - later merged with the 7th in 1922, then the 5th Royal Iniskilling Dragoons in '92 to become the Royal Dragoons.

Cheers

Could they be German? The British didn't have "Reserve Dragoons", but the Germans had "Reserve Dragoon Regiment No 4 ", comprised of men who had complete their military service in Dragoon Regiment No 4 sometime before 1914.

Definitely not German as the guy I'm looking for lived on the Wirral, Merseyside.

In WW1 there were three "Special Reserve Cavalry" regiments
North Irish Horse
South Irish Horse
King Edwards Horse

So you may have got it a bit mixed up, as they were Irregular units and some of the first units to join the regular army in France in 1914. In 1917 the North Irish Horse had 2 sqns serving as Corps troops with the 4th (Royal Irish ) Dragoons who in 1922 became the 4/7th Dragoon Guards not the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards which was made up from the 5th and 6th Dragoon guards

There is a website dedicated to the North Irish Horse so it a case of Google, and the Western Front ASSc and The Great WAR Forum now for you

Hope that helps Trop

Originally Posted by tropper66

In WW1 there were three "Special Reserve Cavalry" regiments
North Irish Horse
South Irish Horse
King Edwards Horse

So you may have got it a bit mixed up, as they were Irregular units and some of the first units to join the regular army in France in 1914.

Fairly normal for me, being mixed up! I got the info from his wife's death certificate. It reads, 'Trooper, 4th Reserve Dragoons (Pawnbroker's Manager). So, maybe they were part of the TA? And his civvie job was a Mgr?

Originally Posted by tropper66

In 1917 the North Irish Horse had 2 sqns serving as Corps troops with the 4th (Royal Irish ) Dragoons who in 1922 became the 4/7th Dragoon Guards not the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards which was made up from the 5th and 6th Dragoon guards

Yep, the 4/7th merged with the 5th Royal Iniskilling Dragoons at the end of the Cold War to form the Royal Dragoons in 1992.

Originally Posted by tropper66

There is a website dedicated to the North Irish Horse so it a case of Google, and the Western Front ASSc and The Great WAR Forum now for you

Hope that helps Trop

Thanks for all your efforts Trop - much appreciated. I'll go and do a bit of googling now! :D

Originally Posted by Sisyphus

Definitely not German as the guy I'm looking for lived on the Wirral, Merseyside.

...as did Hitlers half brother Alois and his son and nephew of the Fuhrer William Paddy Hitler. ;)

Pteranadon,
You can blame the Wirral for a number of things eg. Paul O'Grady, but I can assure you none of hitler's relatives lived there !

Originally Posted by Sisyphus

I got the info from his wife's death certificate. It reads, 'Trooper, 4th Reserve Dragoons (Pawnbroker's Manager). So, maybe they were part of the TA? And his civvie job was a Mgr?

I assume the death certifcate was issued during WW1 or shortly after in which case Pawnbroker's manager was his usual civilian occupation but he was for the time being in full time service in an, as yet, unidentified cavalry regiment. My grandfather is described as Private Royal West Surreys (Tram Conductor) on my father's birth certificate issued during WW1. My guess would be that "4th Reserve Dragoons" is a badly written "4th R Irish Dragoons" or the registrar misheard the response when he asked for the informant's occupation.

To trace your man's service records you really need a service number. A good place to start is WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards available on line from Ancestry. Providing you are not looking for a John Smith you might be able to pick the number there.

Moonraker

The certificate was dated 13 November 1918. The certificate is typed so it's definitely 'Reserve' - but like you say it could have been an error when first entered.

I've found that the 4th Dragoons were part of 1 Cavalry Division, 2 Cavalry Brigade. So I [hopefully] just need to get to the bottom of the Reserve bit.

I think there's a Regimental Museum in York so I'm going to try my luck with them.

See link

http://www.1914-1918.net/cavreserve.htm