Yorkshire Mounted Brigade
| Yorkshire Mounted Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1908–1915 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Territorial Force |
| Type | Yeomanry Cavalry |
| Size | Brigade |
| HQ (peacetime) | York |
| Engagements | World War I |
The Yorkshire Mounted Brigade was a formation of Britain's part-time Territorial Force organised in 1908. Mobilised on the outbreak of World War I, its regiments had been posted away by 1915 so it was broken up. It never saw active service.
Precursor formation
| Yorkshire Mounted Brigade |
|---|
|
Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
|
From April 1893 the Army List began showing the Yeomanry Cavalry regiments grouped into brigades for collective training. They were commanded by the senior regimental commanding officer but they did have a Regular Army brigade-major. 13th Yeomanry Brigade, consisting of the Yeomanry regiments in Yorkshire, was organised as follows:[2]
- Brigade Headquarters at 20 New Walk, York
- Yorkshire Hussars (Princess of Wales's Own) at York
- Yorkshire Dragoons (Queen's Own) at Doncaster
- 2nd West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales's Own) at Halifax– disbanded March 1894
The Yeomanry brigades disappeared from the Army List after the Second Boer War.[2]
Formation
Under the terms of the
As the name suggests, the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade comprised the Yeomanry regiments from the three Ridings of Yorkshire (the East Yorkshire regiment having been formed during the Second Boer War).[4] The Northumberland Hussars were attached for training in peacetime.[5]
World War I
The brigade was embodied on 4 August 1914 and apparently remained in Yorkshire.[6] The regiments left the brigade for other formations in 1915 and it ceased to exist.[5]
- The Yorkshire Hussars was split up as divisional cavalry in April 1915:[7]
- Regimental HQ and A Squadron joined 50th (Northumbrian) Division in Northumberland on 4 April. Landed at Le Havre on 18 April 1915
- B Squadron joined 46th (North Midland) Division in Luton area. Landed at Le Havre on 28 February 1915
- C Squadron joined 49th (West Riding) Division in Yorkshire. Landed at Le Havre on 16 April 1915
- D Squadron was dissolved and men dispersed to other squadrons
- In May 1916, the regiment reformed and became XVII Corps Cavalry Regiment. In August 1917 it was converted to infantry and absorbed into the 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment.[8]
- The Yorkshire Dragoons was split up as divisional cavalry in June 1915:[7]
- Regimental HQ and B Squadron joined 37th Division on Salisbury Plain by June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 1 August 1915
- A Squadron joined 17th (Northern) Division in Winchester area in June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 16 July 1915
- C Squadron joined 19th (Western) Division at Bulford on 26 June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 20 July 1915
- D Squadron was dissolved and men dispersed to other squadrons
- In May 1916, the regiment reformed and became
- The Sinai and Palestine Campaign up to April 1918 when it amalgamated with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry to form 'D' Battalion Machine Gun Corps and left for the Western Front in France. It ended the war as 102nd (Lincolnshire and East Riding Yeomanry) Battalion, MGC.[10]
- The Northumberland Hussars joined the 7th Division in September 1914 and proceeded to the Western Front.[11] It served as divisional cavalry (April 1915 to May 1916) before reforming as XIII Corps Cavalry Regiment. Thereafter, it acted as VIII (or XIV), III and XII Corps Cavalry Regiment to the end of the war.[12]
- El Qantara on 17 March in the Suez Canal Defences. The battery served with 52nd (Lowland) Division (notably, the Battle of Romani on 4 and 5 August 1916[13]) before being broken up on 30 December: one section[a] joined the Hampshire RHA and the other section joined the Essex RHA to bring them up to six 18 pounders each.[16]
By 1915, with its regiments having been posted away, the brigade was dissolved.[5]
See also
- 2/1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigadefor the 2nd Line formation
- British yeomanry during the First World War
Notes
- ^ A Subsection consisted of a single gun and limber drawn by six horses (with three drivers), eight gunners (riding on the limber or mounted on their own horses), and an ammunition wagon also drawn by six horses (with three drivers).[14] Two Subsections formed a Section and in a six gun battery these would be designated as Left, Centre and Right Sections.[15]
References
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
- ^ a b Army List, various dates.
- ^ Westlake 1992, p. 14
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ a b c James 1978, p. 36
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 60
- ^ a b James 1978, p. 31
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Yorkshire Hussars". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Yorkshire Dragoons". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ James 1978, p. 25
- ^ Baker, Chris. "The Northumberland Yeomanry". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 114
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 43
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 45
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 113
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.
- Clarke, W.G. (1993). Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN 09520762-0-9.
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- 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.