Right then, let me tell you about this little rabbit hole I went down recently, all centered around something called King Edward’s Horse. It wasn’t some big project, just me tinkering and trying to piece things together, you know?
It all kicked off when I was rummaging through a box of my grandad’s old stuff. Tucked away was this small, tarnished badge. Didn’t recognize it. Had “King Edward’s Horse” etched around the edge. Never heard of ’em. So, naturally, I got curious.
Starting the Dig
First thing I did, obviously, was jump online. Typed “King Edward’s Horse” into the search bar. Got a flood of results, mostly historical bits and pieces. Seemed they were a cavalry regiment, raised in London but with lots of chaps from overseas, like Canada, Australia, South Africa, that sort of thing. Interesting mix.
My next steps were pretty straightforward:
- Tried to find pictures: Wanted to see if the badge I had matched up. Found a few online, looked pretty close.
- Looked for names: Was Grandad actually in this regiment? That was the big question. Started searching online records, military archives I could access from home.
- Read up on their history: Where did they serve? What battles were they in? Just wanted the basic story. Mostly seemed like World War 1 stuff.
Hitting a Few Walls
Finding specifics wasn’t easy, though. Lots of general history, but finding individual soldier records, especially for someone like my grandad who wasn’t exactly famous… well, that’s tough. The online archives were hit and miss. Some wanted money, others were just hard to navigate.
I spent a good few evenings just clicking around, trying different search terms. Found mentions of them being involved in the Western Front. Found lists of officers, but not necessarily every single soldier. It felt a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The badge itself was a good clue, though. Polished it up a bit. Definitely seemed authentic. That kept me going.
Putting Bits Together
So, what did I actually do in the end? Well, I didn’t uncover some massive family secret or anything.
I basically:
- Jotted down notes: Compiled the basic history of the regiment, key dates, where they were formed, where they served. Just for my own understanding.
- Cleaned the badge: Got it looking a bit more presentable. It’s quite detailed when you look closely.
- Checked family photos again: Looked for any old uniforms that might match pictures I’d seen online. No luck there, sadly.
- Asked older relatives: Phoned my aunt, see if she remembered Grandad ever mentioning King Edward’s Horse. Drew a blank there too. He wasn’t a big talker about his past.
Where I Left It
So, yeah. That was my little dive into King Edward’s Horse. Didn’t find a concrete link to my grandad, which was a bit disappointing. But I learned about a bit of history I knew nothing about before. And I’ve got this rather smart-looking badge sitting on my desk now.
It wasn’t exactly a breakthrough, more like satisfying a curiosity. Sometimes just the process of looking and learning is worthwhile, isn’t it? Gives you something to chew on. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday if I stumble across another clue.
