Welsh Cavalry

This pack could equally have two other titles: (1) 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards commemorative playing cards; or (2) Op Herrick 15. All three options are prominently displayed on the box and explanatory cards.

All UK military operations in Afghanistan were conducted under the name Operation Herrick and Operation Herrick 15 ran from October 2011 until March 2012. 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (QDG) is the Cavalry Regiment of Wales and the Border Counties, and it was during this period that the men and women of the QDG formed the core of the 20th Armoured Brigade to play a leading role in preparing the Afghan Security Forces to take over the security of their own country.

The pack shows 56 original full-colour portraits of the officers and senior NCOs who held key positions during Op Herrick 15. Each suit depicts an aspect of the structure of the operation: spades – Regimental Headquarters; hearts – A Squadron; clubs – B Squadron; diamonds – Brigade Reconnaissance Force. The portraits were made by Dan Peterson who was commissioned to design and produce this pack after spending a month with the regiment as an embedded war artist at the end of 2011. See the box►

Above: Welsh Cavalry commemorative playing cards with illustrations by Dan Peterson, 2012.