Northumberland Hussars
Northumberland Hussars | |
---|---|
First World War
Second World War
| |
Battle honours | See battle honours below |
Commanders | |
Honorary Colonel | Captain Nigel R. Wyrley-Birch, TD[2] |
Notable commanders | Charles Loftus Bates |
The Northumberland Hussars was a
History
Formation and early history
In 1794, King
However, it was not until 1819 that The Newcastle Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry was raised. Shortly afterward, in 1831, the regiment was used against its own countrymen, putting down the miners' strikes of that year. In 1849 an Army Riding School was established in Northumberland Road for the use of the regiment.[4] In 1876, the regiment was renamed the Northumberland (Hussars) Yeomanry Cavalry.[5]
Second Boer War
The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899 to allow volunteer forces to serve in the Second Boer War. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each for the Imperial Yeomanry equipped as Mounted infantry.[6] The regiment provided:[7]
- 14th (Northumberland) Company, 5th Battalion in 1900
- 15th (Northumberland) Company, 5th Battalion in 1900
- 55th (Northumberland) Company, 14th Battalion in 1900, transferred to 5th Battalion in 1902
- 100th (Northumberland) Company, 5th Battalion in 1901
- 101st (Northumberland) Company, 5th Battalion in 1901
- 105th (Northumberland) Company, 5th Battalion in 1901
- 110th (Northumberland) Company, 2nd Battalion in 1901
The mounted infantry experiment was considered a success and the regiment was designated the Northumberland Imperial Yeomanry (Hussars) from 1901 to 1908.
First World War
Yorkshire Mounted Brigade |
---|
Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
|
In accordance with the
1/1st Northumberland Hussars
The 1st Line regiment was mobilised in August 1914, at the Army Riding School in Newcastle upon Tyne,[10] and attached to the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade. In September, it joined the 7th Infantry Division at Lyndhurst. On 6 October it landed at Zeebrugge with the division. In April 1915, the regiment was split up
- Regimental Headquarters and A Squadron remained with the 7th Division
- B Squadron joined the 1st Division
- C Squadron joined the 8th Division
This lasted until May 1916, when the squadrons were reunited in France to act as the Cavalry unit for XIII Corps. The regiment would then move between Corps, being attached to the VIII Corps in August 1917, III Corps in November 1917 and, finally, XII Corps in October 1918 where it remained until the end of the war.[11]
2/1st Northumberland Hussars
The 2nd Line regiment was formed in October 1914. In April 1916, the regiment was split up:
- Regimental Headquarters and B Squadron joined the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division
- A Squadron operated as an independent unit based in Scarborough
- C Squadron joined the 59th (2nd North Midland) Division
In February 1917, the regiment reassembled and, on 19 March 1917, it moved to France, where it constituted XIX Corps Cavalry Regiment a few days later.
3/1st Northumberland Hussars
The 3rd Line regiment was formed at
Menin Gate
Four Northumberland Hussars, who died in the First World War and have no known grave, are commemorated on panel 5 of the Menin Gate. A fifth, Shoeing Smith G. Stephenson, was added to Panel 60 in 2017.[13]
Between the wars
Post war, a commission was set up to consider the shape of the Territorial Force (
Second World War
In February 1940, the regiment transferred to the
In October 1940, the division set sail for the Middle East, arriving in the new year.[21] Two months later, the 'Hussars' converted to a three-battery anti-tank regiment, with one LAA battery re-equipping with 2-pdrs and the other, 'A' Battery, transferring to 25th LAA Regiment, in which it served as 274 (Northumberland Hussars) LAA Battery until the end of the war.[19] Following the conversion, the regiment was unofficially considered to be a Royal Horse Artillery unit.[22]
In April 1941, the 'Hussars', and other elements from the 2nd Support Group, joined the 1st Armoured Brigade for Operation Lustre, (the move to Greece). At this time, the regiment had a strength of 578 men, 168 vehicles and 48 x 2pdrs.[23]
After their arrival, the regiment was deployed to hold the Metamorphos Pass in conjunction with the Greek Horse Artillery. On 22 April, they were subjected to
On the island, they were equipped with rifles and tasked to fight as infantry on the
Evacuated to
In October 1943, the highly experienced 50th Infantry Division set sail for England, arriving at
In preparation for the assault, the Northumberland Hussars equipped their 99th and 288th batteries with eight
The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was to assault Gold Beach with the 69th and 231st Infantry Brigades. The 69th Brigade, supported by the 99th battery, would land at La Rivière and move south toward Crépon and Creully to Saint-Léger, which was on the strategically important Bayeux–Caen road. The 231st Brigade would be supported by the 234th SP and 288th batteries.[30] The 198th SP Battery was scheduled to land six hours after the first assault.[31]
Once the leading brigades had secured their objectives, they were to consolidate their position with the help of the 'Hussars' two other batteries. Meanwhile, the follow-up infantry Brigades (the 151st and the independent 56th, which had been attached to the division for the assault) would continue the push inland, supported by the 8th Armoured Brigade and the rest of the anti-tank units.[32]
The 50th Infantry Division was considered to have performed very well in Normandy; out of the three divisions that were veterans of the desert (the others being 7th Armoured Division and 51st (Highland) Infantry Division), it was considered to have performed the best. It was one of the driving forces behind the British advance, but was exhausted by the end of the battle. It later played a minor role in Operation Market Garden, where the 231st Infantry Brigade was detached to help support the advance of the Guards Armoured Division.[33]
In December 1944, when the rest of the division returned to Britain, the Northumberland Hussars remained in Northern Europe as part of the 15th (Lowland) Infantry Division, with which it remained until the end of the war.[34]
Post war
The regiment was disbanded from Regular service in the
After the formation of the
In 1999 'D' Squadron and Headquarters Squadron amalgamated to form 'D' Squadron, (The Northumberland Hussars) at Fenham Barracks and the amalgamated squadron was equipped with
Regimental museum
The Newcastle Discovery Museum includes the regimental museum of the Light Dragoons and the Northumberland Hussars.[41]
Battle honours
The Northumberland Hussars was awarded the following
Second Boer War | South Africa 1900–02 |
|
First World War | France and Flanders 1914–18
| |
Second World War | The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments. In 1833, William IV awarded the motto Ubique (meaning "everywhere") in place of all battle honours.[42]
North-West Europe "
|
Uniform
Prior to World War I the regiment wore a dark blue review order modelled on that of the regular hussar regiments of the British Army. However the six bands of braid across the front of the tunic were silver for officers and white for other ranks. Officers had red morocco shoulder belts, while troopers wore leather bandoliers. The historic fur busbies, with white over red plumes, were issued to all ranks for special occasions such as coronation parades. Dark blue overalls (tight fitting cavalry trousers) with double white stripes were worn for off duty wear and dismounted parades.[43] After 1914 the Northumberland Hussars wore the standard khaki service dress with regimental insignia for nearly all occasions.[44]
Notable Old Comrades
- John French, 1st Earl of Ypres (1852–1925), became regimental adjutant in 1881: later Field-Marshal
- National Trust; Second Boer War and First World War
- William Henry Armstrong Fitzpatrick Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong; First World War
- Stanley Norman Evans (1898–1970) was a British industrialist and Labour Partypolitician; First World War
- Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland; Second World War
- Lord Richard Percy; Post-War and Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 1958-61
- (Harry) John Neville Vane, 11th Baron Barnard (1923-2016) of Barnard Castle, Lieutenant-Colonel 1964–1966; Post-War
- Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Viscount Ridley, Conservative politician, rose to Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 1913–1915
- Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, Brevet Colonel in the Northumberland Hussars, he would become Honorary Colonel in 1979; Post-War
- Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale (1929–1993), Post-War, rose to Captain.
See also
- Imperial Yeomanry
- List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
- Yeomanry
- Yeomanry order of precedence
- British yeomanry during the First World War
- Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army
- List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery
Notes
- 2/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry.[11]
- Lieutenant-Colonel. Artillery brigades were redesignated as regiments in 1938.
- Lincolnshire Regimentin 1941.
References
- ^ Mileham 1994, p. 102
- ^ "No. 63516". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 November 2021. p. 19472.
- ^ "Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry (1794–1994)". Archived from the original on 15 August 2004.
- ^ "Newcastle, Northumberland Road, Army Riding School". Site Lines. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "A brief history of the Northumberland (Hussars) Yeomanry Cavalry 1819-1918". Bailiffgate Museum. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ Mileham 1994, p. 27
- ^ "Imperial Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 35
- ^ "The Northumberland Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e James 1978, p. 25
- ^ James 1978, p. 34
- ^ "Shoeing Smith G Stephenson". North East War Memories Project. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "The Royal Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "What was an artillery brigade?". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Mileham 1994, pp. 48–51
- ^ Mileham 1994, p. 73
- ^ a b Barton, Derek. "102 (Northumberland Hussars) LAA/ATk Rgt RA(TA)". The Royal Artillery 1939–45.
- ^ a b c "The Northumberland Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
- ^ "Divisional Organisation". British Artillery in World War 2. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "2 Armoured Division". Orders of Battle.
- ^ "Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division". The History of the British 7th Armoured Division. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ Operation Lustre aid to Greece – file ref WO 106/3132
- ^ a b "Brief History: 1939 To 1946". Northumberland Hussars Association QOY web site. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014.
- ^ by "Tort". Gunners A Saga of Rhodesian Artillerymen 1939 - 1945. The Southern Rhodesian Artillery Association, page 174.
- ^ Delaforce 2004, p. 44
- ^ Delaforce 2004, p. 60
- ^ "Divisional anti tank artillery". WW2Talk forum. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012.
- ^ "Allied Order of Battle – Operation Neptune – 50th British Infantry Division – 6 June 1944". World War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations.
- ^ "50th Infantry Division – Landing Table (231st Infantry Brigade)". D-Day: État des Lieux.
- ^ "50th Infantry Division – Landing Table (151st Infantry Brigade)". D-Day: État des Lieux.
- ^ Forty 2004, p. 36
- ^ Barnes 2008, p. 150
- ^ Joslen 1990, p. 58
- ^ Hewitson 2006, p. 74
- ^ Hewitson 2006, p. 76
- ^ a b Hewitson 2006, p. 79
- ^ "Yeomanry". Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "BAOR Order of Battle July 1989" (PDF). Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Queen's Own Yeomanry: contact details". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ "Charge! The story of England's Northern Cavalry". Light Dragoons. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ "Royal Regiment of Artillery at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
- ISBN 0-948251-26-3.
- ^ "Uniforms of the British Yeomanry Regiments". Retrieved 19 January 2018.
Bibliography
- Barnes, B.S. (2008). The Sign of the Double 'T' (The 50th Northumbrian Division – July 1943 to December 1944). Market Weighton: Sentinel Press. ISBN 978-0-9534262-0-1.
- Delaforce, Patrick (2004). Monty's Northern Legions. 50th Northumbrian and 15th Scottish Divisions at War 1939-1945. Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9780750935562.
- Forty, George (2004). Battle Zone Normandy: Villers Bocage. London: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3012-8.
- Hewitson, T.L. (2006). Weekend Warriors from Tyne to Tweed. Stoud: Tempus Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7524-3756-9.
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- Joslen, Lt-Col H.F. (1990) [1st. Pub. ISBN 0-948130-03-2.
- Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN 1-898410-36-4.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-9776072-8-0.
External links
- Baker, Chris. "The Northumberland Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- The Northumberland Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)
- Northumberland Hussars web site Archived 24 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- DSQN Queens Own Yeomanry web site
- UK MOD web site