10th Cavalry Brigade (British Indian Army)
| 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade 2nd (2nd South Midland) Mounted Brigade 6th Mounted Brigade 10th Cavalry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1908–1921 |
| Country |  First World War
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Wilfrith Gerald Key Green |
The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 6th Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.
It served dismounted in the
In April 1918, it was merged with elements of the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade to form 10th Cavalry Brigade. It remained in Palestine after the end of the war on occupation duties.
Formation
2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade
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Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
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Under the terms of the
As the name suggests, the units were drawn from the southern part of the
First World War
2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade
The brigade was embodied on 4 August 1914 upon the outbreak of the
On 19 September 1914, the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars was posted to the BEF, joining the 4th Cavalry Brigade.[6] The Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry joined in the same month to replace them.[7]
Egypt
In April 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division moved to Egypt arriving at Alexandria between 19 and 21 April[8] and was posted to Cairo by the middle of May.[9] In May 1915 the brigade was designated 2nd (2nd South Midland) Mounted Brigade.[10]
It was dismounted in August 1915 and took part in the
Gallipoli
The brigade landed at "A" Beach, Suvla Bay on 18 August and moved into bivouacs at Lala Baba on 20 August. On 21 August it advanced to Chocolate Hill via Salt Lake and Hetman Chair and took part in the attack on Scimitar Hill.[8]
Due to losses during the
6th Mounted Brigade
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6th Mounted Brigade
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The brigade left the 2nd Mounted Division on 17 January 1916 and was sent to the Western Frontier of Egypt as an independent formation.[10] On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence. As a consequence, the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade was redesignated as 6th Mounted Brigade.[16]
The brigade served with the
The complete brigade was transferred to the newly formed
10th Cavalry Brigade
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10th Cavalry Brigade
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In March 1918, the
By an Egyptian Expeditionary Force GHQ Order of 12 April 1918, the mounted troops of the EEF were reorganised when the Indian Army units arrived in theatre. On 24 April 1918, the Yeomanry Mounted Division was indianized[a] and its title was changed to 1st Mounted Division,[23] the third distinct division to bear this title.[b]
On 24 April 1918, the 6th Mounted Brigade was merged with elements of the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade:[19]
- the Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry remained with the brigade
- the Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars and the Berkshire Yeomanry left the brigade on 4 April and were merged to form C Battalion, Machine Gun Corps. It was posted to France, arriving on 28 June
- 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) joined from 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade
- 38th King George's Own Central India Horsejoined from 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade
- 17th Machine Gun Squadron remained with the brigade
- 6th Mounted Brigade Signal Troop remained with the brigade
- on 11 May, 2/South Midland Cavalry Field Ambulance merged with Mhow Cavalry Field Ambulance to form 6th Combined Cavalry Field Ambulance
- on 11 May, 4/1st North Midland Mobile Veterinary Section merged with Mhow Mobile Veterinary Section to form 6th Mobile Veterinary Section
On 22 July 1918, the 1st Mounted Division was renumbered as the
The brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division for the rest of the war, taking part in the
After the Armistice of Mudros, the brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division in Palestine as part of the occupation forces. However, demobilization began immediately and by May 1919 most of the British units had been repatriated. The division was finally broken up in 1921.[24]
Commanders
The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade[25] / 6th Mounted Brigade[26] / 10th Cavalry Brigade[27] had the following commanders:
| From | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 1912 | Colonel | Earl of Longford (killed 21 August 1915) |
| 5 August 1914 | Brigadier-General
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| 23 August 1915 | Colonel | C.A. Grenfell (acting, sick 26 August 1915) |
| 26 August 1915 | Lieutenant-Colonel |
E.T. Troyte-Bullock (acting, until 4 September 1915)[c] |
| 1 December 1915 | Brigadier-General | T.A. Wight-Boycott (died 30 March 1916) |
| by April 1916 | Brigadier-General | the Viscount Hampden[28] |
| 17 July 1916 | Brigadier-General | T.M.S. Pitt |
| 28 September 1917 | Lieutenant-Colonel | A.M. Pirie (acting) |
| 1 October 1917 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Sir R.L. Baker (acting) |
| 12 October 1917 | Brigadier-General | C.A.C Godwin, DSO, IA[29] |
| 7 November 1917 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Hon. F.H. Cripps (acting) |
| 9 November 1917 | Brigadier-General | C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA |
| 30 December 1917 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Hon. F.H. Cripps (acting) |
| 7 January 1918 | Brigadier-General | C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA |
| 31 March 1918 | Lieutenant-Colonel | G.K.M. Mason (acting) |
| 22 April 1918 | Brigadier-General | C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA |
| 17 July 1918 | Brigadier-General | R.G.H. Howard-Vyse |
| 21 September 1918 | Brigadier-General | W.G.K. Green, DSO, IA[29]
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See also
- 2/2nd South Midland Mounted Brigadefor the 2nd Line formation
- 10th Indian Cavalry Brigade existed at the same time but was unrelated other than having the same number
- British yeomanry during the First World War
Notes
- ^ British divisions were converted to the British Indian Army standard whereby brigades only retained one British regiment or battalion and most support units were Indian (artillery excepted).
- ^ See 1st Mounted Division and 3rd Mounted Division.
- ^ Brigade was absorbed in 1st Composite Mounted Brigade 4 September to 1 December 1915.
References
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
- ^ Westlake 1992, p. 15
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 59
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 36
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Oxfordshire Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Dorset Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ a b Westlake 1996, pp. 250, 251, 255, 256
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 16
- ^ a b Becke 1936, p. 14
- ^ James 1978, p. 35
- ^ James 1978, p. 34
- ^ a b Becke 1936, p. 17
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 13
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 32
- ^ James 1978, p. 36
- ^ a b Perry 1992, p. 55
- ^ Perry 1992, p. 56
- ^ a b c Becke 1936, p. 33
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 34
- ^ a b Perry 1993, p. 22
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 16
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 24
- ^ a b Perry 1993, p. 24
- ^ Becke 1936, pp. 10, 11
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 31
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 21
- ^ "Order of Battle: April 1916". Egyptian Expeditionary Force in WW1. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Commanders of the Desert Mounted Corps". NZMR Association. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
Bibliography
- Becke, Major A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-12-4.
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- Perry, F.W. (1992). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A. The Divisions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and those in East Africa. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-25-6.
- Perry, F.W. (1993). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-23-X.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0.
- Westlake, Ray (1992). British Territorial Units 1914–18. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-168-7.
- Westlake, Ray (1996). British Regiments at Gallipoli. Barnsley: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-511-X.