Duke of Cambridge's Hussars
According to theWestern Evening Herald, the band of the Duke of Cambridge's Hussars who were playing at the Pier during the week before the 21 August 1898 .
Prince Adolphus of Great Britain and Ireland, 1st Duke of Cambridge, (1774-1850) In 1794 he was captured by the French in Flanders but escaped unrecognised. He was highly spoken of as being courageous and amiable, as an industrious and efficient soldier. In 1795 he was wounded and called back to England. In 1813 he was sent to Hannover as commander of its army and, when the Congress of Vienna had raised the Electorate to a Kingdom, he was appointed Governor General. As distinct from his brothers, he had neither debts nor mistresses. After the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, asked him to look around to find a wife for him. Adolphus wrote such glowing reports of Princess Auguste of Hessen-Kassel that the Duke of Clarence was greatly amused, saying, "He's in love with her himself. I'll write and tell him to take her, bless him!" And that is what happened: Adolphus, aged forty-four, married the not yet 21-year-old Auguste, on 7 May 1818. In March 1819, a son, George, was born, followed by Auguste in July 1822 and much later, in 1833, another daughter, Mary Adelaide. Adolphus, although the most agreeable of George III's sons, was eccentric bordering sometimes on the disturbing, to the point of the Duke of Wellington proclaiming him "as mad as Bedlam". As a young man he read a lot, was interested in science, loved music, and played the violin expertly. They spent many years in Hannover. When his son was still young, he caught scarlet fever and the doctors, fearing he might die, sent for the Duke of Cambridge. In his frenzy while attending a dinner, the Duke took a bottle of Steinberger Rhine wine to the boy's bedroom and forced him to drink a glass. The boy improved and for many years Steinberger wine was drunk on young George's birthday. In 1837 King William IV died, which separated Great Britain from Hanover. Victoria became Queen of Great Britain and her uncle, Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, which made the Duke of Cambridge's position redundant. Consequently, he and his family returned to England to reside at Cambridge House, Piccadilly. To his great disappointment, his son did not marry Queen Victoria but the ineligible Louisa Fairbrother, rumoured to be the mother of two illegitimate children. Louisa was never accepted in the family and went through life as Mrs. FitzGeorge. In June 1850, the 76-year-old Duke had a violent stomach attack which left him exhausted. From then on he began to decline; so his son, in military service, came back to be with his father. According to his son, he died quite unexpectedly, calmly and quietly. His youngest daughter, Mary, had been with him, but Princess Auguste, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, arrived seven hours after he had died.
2nd Duke of Cambridge, George William Frederick Charles George William Frederick Charles was born on 26th March 1819 at Cambridge House in Hannover, Germany. He was the only son of Adolphus Frederick, the youngest son of King George III. After brief service in the Hanoverian army, George William became a colonel in the British army in 1837 and in September 1938 went to Gibraltar to learn garrison duties. He was attached to the 33rd Foot for drill. After six months there, he travelled for six months in Europe and then came home. He was then attached to the 12th Lancers serving for two years in England and Ireland. On 15th April 1842 he was gazetted to the 8th Light Dragoons as lieutenant-colonel, but ten days later was transferred to 17th Lancers as colonel. He commanded his regiment at Leeds, and helped the magistrates to preserve the peace of the town during the industrial disturbances in August. After the war, Cambridge was promoted to General in 1856, Field marshal in 1862 and Commander in Chief in 1887. He exercised considerable independence in discipline, appointments, promotions in all of which he favoured social standing and seniority over ability. Reforms were introduced during his tenure over his objections and the Commander in chief was made subordinate to the war minister, and he was unable to adjust to the changing conditions and resigned in 1895. Cambridge died in London on 17th March 1904. A Hungarian Gypsy band visited London in 1873 and played to the Duke of Cambridge It is possible that there is a connection between Herr Wilhelm Morgann and the Duke of Cambridge's own Hussars, so it might be possible to make a connection between the Haarnacks and the Dukes of Cambridge? Perhaps the Haarnacks were part of the retinue or household of the Duke of Cambridge? Perhaps they too came to England from Hannover.? The Haarnack family and interestingly the Horneck family both had connections with Plymouth. Click the link for interesting information on the connection between the Duke of Cambridge and the Kings German Legion. You may also like to visit the Anglo German Family History Society.
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