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It is one of life's ironies that real-life heroes rarely
have 'tough' names like their fictional counterparts
(James Bond, Jack Ryan etc.) One of the heroes
of the 17th Light Dragoons was an officer called
Oswald Werge. He entered the 17th as a Cornet
in1793, the year that the regiment sailed to the
West Indies. One troop, which included Werge, was
posted in Jamaica where a well-organised band
of mixed-race people descended from slaves
called Maroons, were causing trouble for the
British authorities. All attempts to fight them
by conventional means had failed, so the Commanding
Officer for the Island, Colonel Walpole, decided to train the
17th troop in the art of geurilla warfare. Initially they were
successful, but the retreating Maroons took up a position on
a high peak. The soldiers could not find a way up the mountain
until Werge spotted a Maroon woman collecting water
lower down. He followed her and discovered the path
to the enemy position. The 17th attacked and drove
them out. Three days later, after another skirmish, the
Maroons indicated their willingness to parley but were
reluctant to trust the British enough to stand up and
approach. For a long time a stalemate existed until
Oswald Werge put down his weapons and climbed down
into the valley between them, inviting them to shake
hands with him. One of the Maroons came out. They
shook hands and exchanged hats as a sign of friendship.
This ended hostilities and a treaty was signed which
allowed the Maroons to stay in Jamaica, but the
Government failed to keep their promise, and Col.
Walpole resigned in disgust. Oswald Werge came through that war unscathed but five years later he recieved a slight wound to the head when encountering a little local difficulty in Bagshot. 30,000 soldiers were encamped on Bagshot Heath in September 1800 and a riot broke out over the high price of provisions, The 17th were detailed to suppress the revolt. Werge, who was a captain by this time, had his helmet shot off. He remained in the regiment for another 20 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel but not becoming the Commanding Officer. |
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