7th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 7th Cavalry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1815 1914–1919 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 3rd Cavalry Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Charles Kavanagh |
The 7th Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Army. It served in the Napoleonic Wars, notably at the Battle of Waterloo. It was reformed in 1914 and served on the Western Front as part of the 3rd Cavalry Division until the end of World War I.
From June 1809, Wellington organized his cavalry into one, later two, cavalry divisions (1st and 2nd) for the Peninsular War. These performed a purely administrative, rather than tactical, role; the normal tactical headquarters were provided by brigades commanding two, later usually three, regiments. The cavalry brigades were named for the commanding officer, rather than numbered. For the Hundred Days Campaign, he numbered his British cavalry brigades in a single sequence, 1st to 7th. The 7th Cavalry Brigade consisted of:
It was commanded by Colonel Sir Friedrich von Arentschildt.
The brigade took part in the Battle of Waterloo, though the 13th Light Dragoons was detached to the 5th Cavalry Brigade. Stationed to the rear of the infantry squares, it helped to fend off Ney's massed cavalry attacks from 4pm onwards. During the battle, the Hussars suffered 130 casualties (44 killed, 86 wounded) and the Light Dragoons 108 (12 killed, 78 wounded, 18 missing). This represented a loss rate of about 20%.
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