Royal East Kent Yeomanry

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Royal East Kent Yeomanry
Active1794 – 20 August 1920
Country 
First World War
Gallipoli 1915
Egypt 1916–17
Palestine 1917–18
France and Flanders 1918

The Royal East Kent Yeomanry was a British Army regiment formed in 1794. It saw action in the Second Boer War and the First World War.

History

Formation and early history

The regiment was formed in 1794, originally as a series of independent troops based in the important towns of Kent, England, as part of the response to the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1830 George Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, was appointed as lieutenant-colonel in command. In the middle years of the 19th century, the regiment frequently provided escorts for Queen Victoria and members of the Royal Family, and as a result, in 1856 the East Kent Yeomanry became the Royal East Kent Regiment of Mounted Rifles and, in 1873, the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles (The Duke of Connaught's Own).[1]

Second Boer War

On 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces serve in the Second

Royal Warrant on 24 December 1899. This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each. In addition to this, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new regiment.[2]

The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men with 20 battalions and 4 companies,[3] which arrived in South Africa between February and April, 1900.[4] Upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations. The Royal East Kent Yeomanry provided troops for the 33rd and 53rd (East Kent) Companies, in the 11th and 14th Battalions respectively.[5]

The Imperial Yeomanry was equipped and trained as Mounted infantry. This experiment was considered a success, and all the existing Yeomnary regiments were converted into IY in 1901, the East Kent unit becoming the Royal East Kent Imperial Yeomanry (Duke of Connaught's Own). When the Yeomanry were subsumed into the Territorial Force in 1908, the 'Imperial' part of the title was dropped.[6]

The regiment was based at St Peter's Lane in Canterbury at this time.[7]

First World War

South Eastern Mounted Brigade
Organisation on 4 August 1914
Assigned units
A Squadron at Chatham
B Squadron at Faversham
C Squadron at Dover
D Squadron at Ashford
A Squadron at Bromley
B Squadron at Dartford
C Squadron at Tunbridge
D Squadron at Maidstone
A Squadron at Brighton
B Squadron at Lewes
C Squadron at Chichester
D Squadron at Eastbourne
  • Brigade troops
Ammunition Column, Armoury House, Finsbury
Transport and Supply Column, ASC,
Croydon
Training attachments
A Squadron at Clapham Park
B Squadron at Guildford
C Squadron at West Croydon
D Squadron at Wimbledon

In accordance with the

7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.[9]

1/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry

The 1st Line regiment was mobilised on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the

Mudros with 42nd Division; it left the Division at Mudros on 2 January 1916.[13]

The brigade, with the regiment, was withdrawn to

3rd Dismounted Brigade (along with the Eastern Mounted Brigade).[13] The brigade served as part of the Suez Canal Defences from 14 March to 26 July attached to 42nd (East Lancashire) Division;[13] it then joined the Western Frontier Force.[15] By the end of the year, it was back on the Suez.[16]

The brigade was with the Suez Canal Defences when, on 14 January 1917,

Buffs (East Kent Regiment).[18]

On 23 February, the

Deir el Balah between 9 and 13 April.[16] The battalion remained with 230th Brigade in 74th (Yeomanry) Division for the rest of the war.[19]

With the 74th Division, the battalion took part in the invasion of

Jerusalem and in March 1918 in the Battle of Tell 'Asur. On 3 April 1918, the Division was warned that it would move to France and by 30 April 1918 had completed embarkation at Alexandria.[16]

In May 1918, the battalion landed at

France and Flanders with the division for the rest of the war. By 18 May, the division had concentrated around Rue in the Abbeville area. Here the dismounted Yeomanry underwent training for service on the Western Front, particularly gas defence.[19]

On 14 July 1918 the Yeomanry Division went into the line for the first time, near

Armistice it was near Tournai, Belgium, still with 74th (Yeomanry) Division.[19]

With the end of the war, the troops of 74th Division were engaged in railway repair work and education was undertaken while demobilisation began. The division and its subformations were disbanded on 10 July 1919.[19]

2/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry

The 2nd Line regiment was formed in 1914 and in 1915 was in

14th Mounted Brigade and joined 4th Mounted Division, still at Canterbury.[14]

In July 1916, the regiment was converted to a

2/1st Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry to form 9th (East Kent and West Kent) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment in 3rd Cyclist Brigade in the Ipswich area. In March 1917 it resumed its identity as 2/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry at Woodbridge, still in 3rd Cyclist Brigade. In April 1918, the regiment moved with its brigade to Ireland and was stationed in County Mayo; there was no further change before the end of the war.[14]

3/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to a

Buffs (East Kent Regiment) at Crowborough.[14]

Post war

Following the experience of the

First World War, it was decided that only the fourteen most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry,[21] with the rest being transferred to other roles.[22] As a result, on 20 August 1920, the Royal East Kent (The Duke of Connaught's Own) Yeomanry (Mounted Rifles)[1] was amalgamated with the West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own)[23] to form the Kent Yeomanry and simultaneously re-roled as field artillery to form 6th (Kent) Army Brigade, RFA.[24]

Battle Honours

The Royal East Kent Yeomanry Memorial, Canterbury

The Royal East Kent Yeomanry (The Duke of Connaught's Own) (Mounted Rifles) was awarded the following battle honours:[1]

Second Boer War

South Africa 1900–01

First World War

Palestine 1917–18

Uniform

Designated as Mounted Rifles from 1856, the regiment achieved the unique destination amongst Yeomanry units of wearing

rifle green overalls (tight fitting trousers) with black and scarlet stripes. All ranks wore black hussar style braiding across the tunic front. The headdress was a scarlet peaked cap with black band, instead of the astrakhan busby of infantry rifles regiments.[25] From 1903 to 1920 the Royal East Kent Yeomanry wore the standard khaki field dress of the British Army for training, active service and ordinary duties, with regimental insignia.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Royal East Kent Yeomanry (The Duke of Connaught's Own) (Mounted Rifles) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Boer War Notes". Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  3. ^ "Imperial Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F. Mills". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
  4. ^ "Boer War - Imperial Yeomanry Battalions". Retrieved 3 July 2007.
  5. ^ "anglo boer war". Archived from the original on 14 July 2008.
  6. ^ "Royal East Kent Yeomanry (The Duke of Connaught's Own) (Mounted Rifles)". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Canterbury". The Drill Hall Project. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  8. ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
  9. ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 35
  10. ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 39
  11. ^ James 1978, p. 20
  12. ^ Westlake 1996, p. 260
  13. ^ a b c Becke 1936, p. 37
  14. ^ a b c d e James 1978, p. 21
  15. ^ Chappell, PB. "3rd Dismounted Brigade". The Regimental Warpath 1914-18. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  16. ^ a b c d Becke 1937, p. 121
  17. ^ James 1978, p. 45
  18. ^ Becke 1937, p. 119
  19. ^ a b c d Becke 1937, p. 122
  20. ^ James 1978, p. 36
  21. ^ Mileham 1994, p. 48
  22. ^ Mileham 1994, p. 50
  23. ^ "West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  24. ^ "Kent Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  25. ISBN 0-948251-26-3
    .
  26. ^ "Uniforms of the British Yeomanry Regiments". Retrieved 19 January 2018.

Bibliography

External links
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