Royal Devon Yeomanry

The Royal Devon Yeomanry was a

Field regiments were organised in 1938 into two 12-gun batteries. The experience of the BEF in 1940 showed the problem with this organisation: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment. As a result, field regiments were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries.^[9]

96th (Royal Devon Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA

96th Field Regiment served in the Home Forces for most of the war, moving to India in January 1945.^[10]

At the outbreak of the war, 96th Field Regiment was part of 45th Division. Initially commanding two batteries – 381 from Torverton and 382 from Totnes – the third battery (469) was formed in the regiment at Knottingley in December 1940.^[11]

It transferred to

142nd Field Regiment also initially served in the Home Forces, before moving to

At the outbreak of the war, 142nd Field Regiment was also part of 45th Division. Initially commanding two batteries – 383 from Torrington and 384 from South Molton – the third battery (506) was formed in the regiment at Bircotes on 5 November 1940. It was authorised to use the "Royal Devon Yeomanry" designation from 17 February 1942.^[13]

142nd Field Regiment fought in

With a change of government policy, in 1971 the Territorials were again reformed, and on 1 April a new regiment was born incorporating three old and distinguished cavalry regiments. "A" and "C" Squadrons were formed from the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, "B" Squadron from the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, and "D" Squadron from the old Royal Devon Yeomanry. The regiment is called the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.^[15]

The Royal Devon Yeomanry now serves as D (Royal Devon Yeomanry) Squadron, Royal Wessex Yeomanry based in North Devon (Barnstaple) and South Devon (Paignton). It provides trained replacement crewmen for the Regular Army's Challenger 2 Main battle tank.^[19]

Regimental museum

The Royal Devon Yeomanry Museum is incorporated in the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon in The Square, Barnstaple.^[20]

Battle honours

The Royal Devon Yeomanry inherited the combined

• 1967–1968: Peter Acland^[24]
• 1968–1984: Lewis Hugh Clifford, 13th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh^[25]
• 1984–1992:
  Sir John Acland^[26]

• Yeomanry
• List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery

References

Bibliography

• Bellis, Malcolm A. (1995). Regiments of the British Army 1939-1945 (Artillery). London: Military Press International.
  ISBN 0-85420-110-6
  .
• Gen Sir
  ISBN 1-85753-080-2
  .
• Forty, George (1998). British Army Handbook 1939-1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited.
  ISBN 0-7509-1403-3
  .
• Frederick, J.B.M. (1984). Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660-1978. Wakefield, Yorkshire: Microform Academic Publishers.
  ISBN 1-85117-009-X
  .
• Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992,
  ISBN 0-9508205-2-0
  .
• Mileham, Partick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic.
  ISBN 1-898410-36-4
  .
• Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army, London: War Office, 7 November 1927 (RA sections also summarised in Litchfield, Appendix IV).

• British Army units from 1945 on
• Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth – Regiments.org (archive site)
• Royal Artillery 1939–1945
• Graham Watson, The Territorial Army 1947

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