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113-570: World War I World War II The West Somerset Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army . First raised in 1794, it participated in the Second Boer War and World War I before being converted to an artillery regiment. It served in World War II (as two field artillery regiments). Post-war it was gradually reduced in strength until the yeomanry lineage of the successor unit

226-523: A '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Early in 1915 a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments. The 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry remained in Essex for the next year, moving to Great Bentley in October 1914 and Tendring the following month. In August 1915

339-578: A 25-pdr gun mounted on a converted 18-pdr carriage, but these were only just being issued to Regular units when war broke out, and TA units had to wait. In 1938 the RA modernised its nomenclature and a lieutenant-colonel's command was designated a 'regiment' rather than a 'brigade'; this applied to TA field brigades from 1 November 1938. After the Munich Crisis the TA was doubled in size and its units formed duplicates. In

452-565: A Yeomanry division ( 2nd Mounted Division ) serving in Egypt was dismounted and sent to reinforce the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force fighting at Gallipoli , and a number of independent mounted brigades were sent from England to join them. The 1/2nd South Western Bde was one of those selected: the 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was dismounted at Thorpe-le-Soken . It entrained for Liverpool on 23 September, embarked next day aboard

565-492: A change to the training instructions issued to the Imperial Yeomanry in 1902 and 1905. The former warned the yeomanry not to aspire to a cavalry role and made no distinction between yeomen and mounted infantry, but the latter merely proscribed the traditional cavalry tactic of shock action while otherwise aligning the yeomanry with the cavalry, giving it in effect the role of dismounted cavalry. The changed focus in training

678-526: A company of regular infantry and two guns of the Royal Artillery, part of a rear guard commanded by Brigadier-General H. G. Dixon. An attack by 1,500 Boers caused a significant portion of the yeomanry to break and fall back on the infantry, causing confusion and casualties, before a counter-attack by the infantry and one company of yeomanry forced the Boers to retire. Although only one 200-strong company of yeomanry

791-541: A distinct body in its own right, separate from the home force, and the domestic yeomanry provided only around 18 per cent of the first contingent of over 10,000 men. Volunteers also came from the yeomanry's infantry counterpart, the Volunteer Force , but the majority were newly recruited from the yeomanry's traditional demographics of the middle class and the farming community, although some 30 per cent were working class. The first contingent recruits were able to build on

904-637: A gold rush, and the treatment of the prospectors by the Boers resulted in greater British government involvement, a revival of friction between the British and Boers and, in October 1899, the outbreak of the Second Boer War . Although the Boers were predominantly farmers and were heavily outnumbered by the regular forces of the British Army, they organised themselves into highly mobile mounted columns called commandoes and fought at long range with accurate rifle fire. Their tactics proved to be highly effective against

1017-404: A little, saying that although there were still some who could not be trusted, a good many of the sub-standard yeomanry had been removed and he was getting more value from the best of those remaining. Methuen blamed a lack of preparation and training for the yeomanry's poor performance, and later stated that, having gained experience during the campaign, he would "place implicit reliance in them after

1130-800: A period of expansion following on the Boer War. After the First World War, the Territorial Force was disbanded and later reformed and redesignated as the Territorial Army . Following the experience of the war, only the fourteen senior yeomanry regiments retained their horses, with the rest being re-designated as armoured car companies , artillery , engineers , or signals . Two regiments were disbanded. The converted units retained their yeomanry traditions, with some artillery regiments having individual batteries representing different yeomanry units. On

1243-468: A regular cavalry officer, convened to advise on the future organisation, arms and equipment of the domestic yeomanry – and informed the Militia and Yeomanry Act of 1901. The new legislation renamed the domestic yeomanry en bloc to "Imperial Yeomanry" and converted it from cavalry into mounted infantry, replacing its primary weapon, the sword, with rifle and bayonet. It introduced khaki uniforms, mandated

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1356-471: A short time". After seven months as commander of the Imperial Yeomanry, Major-General Reginald Brabazon also underlined the acquisition of experience when he wrote that it was "as valuable a corps of fighting men as ever wore the Queen's uniform". That the Imperial Yeomanry did on occasion perform well was exemplified by the action at Rustenburg where, although caught napping and losing the only column operating in

1469-503: A significantly greater number of working class recruits who had no prior experience of horses or firearms. Lord Chesham, who in 1901 became the Inspector General of the Imperial Yeomanry, would later state of the second draft that "the shooting and riding test, if it was really applied in all cases, must have been one of very perfunctory character". The difficulties of this sudden injection of raw, untrained recruits were compounded by

1582-474: A single sequence; the brigade was numbered as 2nd Mounted Brigade and joined 1st Mounted Division . In about May 1916 it went to Norfolk with its brigade. Early in July 1916 most of the 2nd Line Yeomanry were dismounted and their horses were sent to remount depots. Instead they were issued with bicycles and converted into yeomanry cyclist regiments units. The 1st Mounted Division became 1st Cyclist Division and

1695-455: A small force of European volunteers and Boers commanded by the Comte de Villebois-Mareuil . This success was overshadowed by a disaster the next month which tarnished the Imperial Yeomanry's reputation, when its 13th Battalion was ambushed and surrounded by 2,500 Boers at Lindley on 27 May. The yeomen were besieged for four days before they finally surrendered, losing 80 killed and 530 captured. Among

1808-518: A specific strength. Yeomanry officers and permanent drill instructors were required to undergo training at a newly established School of Instruction and the Secretary of State for War took over responsibility for the force, from individual Lords Lieutenant of counties. While these reforms improved the professionalism of the Yeomanry Force, numbers remained low (only 10,617 in 1881). In 1876, the role of

1921-432: A standard four-squadron organisation and added a machine-gun section to each regiment. The yeomanry's establishment was set at 35,000, though effective strength was only around 25,000, and to achieve these numbers, 18 new regiments were raised, 12 of them resurrected from disbanded 19th century corps of yeomanry. The Harris Committee was not unanimous, and it was in fact a minority report by just two officers that recommended

2034-657: The 1st (Somerset) Army Brigade, RFA, with two batteries. In 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) and brigade was renumbered as the 94th (Somerset Yeomanry) Brigade, RFA . On 25 January 1922 the Dorset Yeomanry (Queen's Own) was also converted to artillery and merged with the WSY to form the 94th (Somerset & Dorset Yeomanry) Bde, RFA, which adjusted its title in June 1923 to 94th (Dorset & Somerset Yeomanry) Bde, RFA with

2147-411: The 3rd Australian Division had failed to secure the day before. It then began its planned advance. Getting ahead of the neighbouring Australians, the 12th (WSY) Bn received enfilade fire from the village of Allaines on its flank, so it turned aside, attacked the village (an Australian objective) taking 70 prisoners, and calmly resumed its advance. The rest of the brigade encountered more difficulty, but

2260-601: The Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899 prompted a rethink. The domestic yeomanry was, however, a small home defence force, only some 10,000 strong, steeped in a cavalry tradition and restricted by statute to service only in the United Kingdom, making it in itself unsuitable for service in South Africa. On 18 December, Lords Lonsdale and Chesham , who both commanded yeomanry regiments, offered to recruit 2,300 volunteers from

2373-457: The Battle of France showed the problem with the two-battery 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. 55th (Wessex) Field Regiment formed its third battery at Barnsley on 15 November 1940 and it was numbered as 439 Bty on 1 February 1941. In June 1942,

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2486-522: The Colchester area of Essex , with the regiment at Ardleigh . Under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ( 7 Edw. 7 , c.9 ) which brought the TF into being, it 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, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914,

2599-509: The French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte , the perceived threat of invasion of the Kingdom of Great Britain was high. To improve the country's defences, Volunteer regiments were raised in many counties from yeomen . While the word "yeoman" in normal use meant a small farmer who owned his land, Yeomanry officers were drawn from the nobility or the landed gentry, and many of

2712-556: The German Spring Offensive was under way. By 30 April 1918 the division had completed embarkation at Alexandria. On 7 May 1918, 12th (WSY) Bn, Somerset LI, landed at Marseilles , France , with 74th (Y) Division. The division concentrated in the Abbeville area and underwent training for Western Front fighting, particularly anti-gas measures . On 31 May the division went into GHQ Reserve while it continued training. It went into

2825-528: The Peterloo Massacre ; as police forces were created and took over this role, the Yeomanry concentrated on local defence. In 1827, it was decided for financial reasons to reduce the number of yeomanry regiments, disbanding those that had not been required to assist the civil power over the previous decade. A number of independent troops were also dissolved. Following these reductions, the yeomanry establishment

2938-505: The RMS Olympic and sailed on 25 September. The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde arrived at Mudros on 1 October, transferred to the SS Osmanieh and sailed for Suvla Bay . It landed on 9 October and was attached to 11th (Northern) Division . The 1/1st WSY bivouacked at 'Oxford Street' at Karakol Dagh. It began work on digging trenches and suffered its first casualties. On 3 November

3051-624: The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was attacked by a 1,500-strong Boer force. The British beat back four charges before surrendering with the loss of 187 men killed or wounded, 62 of them yeomen, 170 horses, several hundred rifles and half a million rounds of ammunition, for the loss to the Boers of 51 men killed or wounded. In the Battle of Tweebosch on 7 March, a British column of 1,300 men, 300 of them Imperial Yeomanry, led by Lieutenant-General Paul Methuen , suffered 189 killed or wounded and 600 taken prisoner, Methuen among them. It

3164-453: The War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units, then on 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by

3277-615: The Western Frontier Force (WFF). The Senussi Campaign in Egypt's Western Desert had begun in November 1915 and the WFF had been assembled at Mersa Matruh to deal with it. However, the fighting was virtually over by the beginning of April. To conserve supplies many of the mounted troops were withdrawn from the WFF, and replaced by the dismounted brigades. 2nd Dismounted Bde was left as part of

3390-517: The 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The West Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire Yeomanry were assigned to the Cavalry Brigade of V Corps based at Yeovil , alongside two Regular Army cavalry regiments and a Royal Horse Artillery battery. This was never more than a paper organisation, but from April 1893 the Army List showed

3503-492: The 1/1st WSY took over forward trenches in 'White House' sector on 18 November, with its HQ at 'Pope's Seat'. It was relieved by the 1/1st Royal North Devon Yeomanry on 24 November and went back to the support line at 'Willow Tree', 'Cater's House' and 'Tint's Corner', but on 27 November B Sqn was sent up to reinforce the North Devons in the firing line and next day C Sqn similarly reinforced 1/1st Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry . This

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3616-447: The 19th century. The yeomanry failed to adapt, remaining wedded to its original military role of light or auxiliary cavalry and resolutely opposing moves in 1870 and 1882 to convert it to a mounted infantry role. By the end of the 19th century, the domestic yeomanry was militarily weak, largely unchanged since its formation over a century previously, of questionable benefit and no clear purpose. The experiences in South Africa suddenly made

3729-614: The 2nd Line regiment or to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry at Bournemouth . The TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920. After the experience of the war, it was decided that only the 14 most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as cavalry; the rest were converted to other roles. Thus on 1 June 1920 the West Somerset Yeomanry was transferred to the Royal Field Artillery to form

3842-565: The 3/1st WSY joined 1st Cyclist Brigade in the Beccles area of Suffolk . In November 1916, the 1st Cyclist Division was broken up and on 16 November the regiment was amalgamated with the 2/1st City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) to form the 5th (West Somerset and City of London) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment in the independent 2nd Cyclist Brigade in Norfolk. In February 1917, the City of London Yeomanry

3955-534: The 7th Bn was operating under Major-General John Brabazon in Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Chermside 's column. Brabazon's brigade was sent ahead as a covering force on 20 April as the columns advanced on Dewetsdorp . The Yeomanry attempted to outflank the main Boer position, but were driven back by pom-pom gun and rifle fire. After the Boers evacuated Dewetsdorp, Brabazon was sent to relieve

4068-406: The Boer War also exposed the wider problem of reinforcing the army with sufficiently trained men in times of need. This occupied much of the debate concerning military reform in the first decade of the 20th century, and gave the yeomanry the opportunity to retain its treasured role as cavalry by positioning itself as a semi-trained reserve to the numerically weak regular cavalry. This was reflected in

4181-541: The Boers on each occasion with a horse, rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition per man". The colonial forces in South Africa had labelled the second contingent "De Wet's Own", after the Boer general Christiaan de Wet , so invaluable was it as a source of rifles and horses to the Boers. Questions were asked about the second contingent in the House of Commons, it began to be derided in the press, and in July 1901 Kitchener considered sending it back. A month later, Kitchener had relented

4294-714: The British, thus strengthening the rival British-ruled Cape Colony . Unhappy with the subsequent British governance, the Dutch settlers, known now as the Boers , established their own territories, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal . The two states were recognised by the British in 1881, following Boer victory in the First Boer War . The discovery of gold in the Transvaal in 1886 led to

4407-568: The EEF established a strong defence line. 74th (Y) Division then went into reserve. By March the EEF was ready to advance into the Jordan Valley . 229th Brigade made its approach march to Lake Balua, north of Bire , on the Nablus road north of Jerusalem. Then on the night of 8 March XX Corps advanced on the high ground of Tell 'Asur dominating the valley. 53rd (Welsh) and 60th (2/2nd London) Divisions secured

4520-629: The Germans towards the River Scheldt , but 229th Bde was kept back from the Haute Deûle Canal by enemy fire, and had to make an assault crossing on 17 October. Next day the brigade turned German snipers out of Ascq and then drove the enemy off the Orchies – Lannoy railway embankment. Next day the division lost touch with the retreating Germans. On 20 October, with the front narrowing, 229th Bde took over

4633-592: The Hindenburg Line at the Battle of the St Quentin Canal . It joined XI Corps in Fifth Army on the night of 1/2 October and began advancing before it had completed its relief of the division in the line. The relief was concluded the next night after a 2 miles (3.2 km) advance to Hargnies . On 8 October it reverted to III Corps, whose HQ took over the line in this area. On 14 October Fifth Army began pursuing

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4746-661: The King to defend the country against invasion or by the Lord Lieutenant to subdue any civil disorder within the county. A Troop was raised in Bridgwater , Somerset, as early as June 1794. Three other troops were raised by the end of the year, and they were regimented as the West Somersetshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1798 William Bellett, a half-pay lieutenant in the 22nd Foot, was appointed captain and adjutant of

4859-620: The Regiment was never disbanded. However, a wave of civil unrest across Britain from 1830 led to a revival of the Yeomanry. The West Somerset Yeomanry was reorganised in 1831 and Charles Kemeys Kemeys-Tynte , Member of Parliament for Bridgwater was appointed Colonel Commandant on 25 July 1831. Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Yeomanry units places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for

4972-686: The Turks' landward flank. The other two brigades of the division then attacked through the dust clouds of the preliminary bombardment at 12.15 next day, while the Desert Mounted Corps swept round the flank and into Beersheba itself. The Battle of Beersheba was a resounding success, and XX Corps pressed on northwards as the Turks fell back to the Sheria Position. 229th Brigade led 74th (Y) Division's pre-dawn attack on this position on 8 November, without preliminary bombardment or barrage. Shortly after 06.00

5085-524: The WFF for frontier garrison and line of communication duties. By the end of 1916 the 2nd Dismounted Bde was in the Suez Canal defences. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was about to cross the Sinai Peninsula and begin its invasion of Palestine , and began the process of turning the dismounted yeomanry into a new infantry division for this campaign. On 4 January 1917, 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry

5198-688: The West Somerset Yeomanry in 1794. Despite the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the Yeomanry was retained by the government "for Military Service in aid of the Civil Power" in the absence of organised police forces . The establishment of police forces reduced the need for Yeomanry to be called out. The unwillingness of the government to pay for the Yeomanry led to many corps being disbanded in 1827–28. Twenty-two corps were authorised to continue officially, and another sixteen were allowed to continue to serve without pay. Serving without pay from 1828 to 1831,

5311-557: The West Somerset Yeomanry its first Battle honour : South Africa 1900–01 . The Imperial Yeomanry were trained and equipped as mounted infantry. The concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, with an establishment of RHQ and four squadrons with a machine gun section. The regiment became the West Somerset Imperial Yeomanry on 17 April 1901. The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into

5424-426: The Yeomanry Force was fixed as that of light cavalry . During the previous decades, horse artillery troops had been raised to be attached to a number of yeomanry regiments and dismounted detachments appeared where horses were not available in sufficient numbers. These supernumerary units were now abolished. During the Second Boer War , companies of Imperial Yeomanry were formed to serve overseas from volunteers from

5537-588: The Yeomanry Regiments in the Army List of 1914. When the order of precedence was being established, inaccuracies in tracing its history led to a loss of precedence despite apparently serving continuously from 1794. At the outbreak of the World War I , the regiment mobilised at County Territorial Hall, Taunton, on 4 August 1914 and moved to Winchester . On 15 August it moved with the 2nd South Western Mounted Bde to

5650-511: The Yeomanry 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 . The West Somerset Yeomanry together with the North Somerset Yeomanry formed the 4th Yeomanry Brigade. The Yeomanry brigades disappeared from the Army List after the Second Boer War . On 1 April 1893, Yeomanry troops were reorganised into squadrons. Due to

5763-643: The Yeomanry served in the Long Range Desert Group from 1940 through to 1943, incorporated into "Y Patrol". There were reductions in the size of the TA in both 1957 and 1961, which led to the amalgamation of some pairs of yeomanry regiments. There was a major reduction in reserve forces in 1967 with the formation of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve; all existing yeomanry regiments were reduced to squadron, company or battery sub-units. A number of further reorganisations have taken place since then. In

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5876-546: The Yeomanry. In 1901, all yeomanry regiments were redesignated as "Imperial Yeomanry", and reorganised. In 1908, the Imperial Yeomanry was merged with the Volunteer Force to form the Territorial Force , of which it became the cavalry arm. The "Imperial" title was dropped at the same time. On the eve of World War I in 1914, there were 55 Yeomanry regiments (with two more formed in August 1914), each of four squadrons instead of

5989-507: The aid of the yeomanry with his Guards Brigade. Questionable leadership featured in another encounter between yeomanry and Boer at the Battle of Nooitgedacht on 13 December. Three companies of yeomanry formed part of a regular brigade commanded by Major-General R. A. P. Clements which was attacked as it camped, by a superior Boer force. Clements was heavily criticised for his poor choice of campsite, though his swift action enabled him to extricate his brigade, albeit with casualties, during which

6102-401: The area at the time, the yeomen had fought as well as the regular infantry, and the 74th (Dublin) Company earned high praise for its conduct in beating off an attack on a convoy at Rooikopjes on 24 August. The Imperial Yeomanry suffered 3771 casualties in the war, compared to the regular cavalry's 3623. Of all the auxiliary forces that saw action in South Africa, the yeomanry took the brunt of

6215-488: The attack was made difficult by rain and gas, but the attack went in at 05.20 on 18 September and the 12th (WSY) Bn leapfrogged through the 16th (Sussex Yeomanry) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment to gain the second objective. There followed a couple of days' skirmishing as the division consolidated its positions to prepare for another advance. It was then relieved on the night of 24/25 September. 74th (Y) Division did not return to line until after Fourth Army had broken through

6328-439: The battery staffs were mounted. Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before the outbreak of World War II . A few Morris CDSW gun tractors were issued to TA batteries in early 1939. The rearmament programme of 1938 introduced the Ordnance QF 25-pounder gun-howitzer, initially in the form of the hybrid 18/25-pounder consisting of

6441-518: The beleaguered garrison of Wepener . By early May, the battalion was serving as 'Corps Troops' under Robert's main army. From September 1900 the fighting developed into Guerrilla warfare , and the mounted troops took part in 'drives' trying to catch groups of Boers, and providing escorts for convoys. The First Contingent of the IY returned home after its year's service, and the next time the 7th Bn went in to action, in May 1901, its ranks had been refilled with raw recruits from England. 25th Company gained

6554-478: The best prepared Imperial Yeomanry contingent, it arrived just as the war was ending, and saw only limited involvement. General Edmund Allenby , who would rely on yeomanry regiments when he commanded the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War , regarded the Imperial Yeomanry as useless. By the time they had learned enough to be of use, according to him, they had "probably been captured two or three times, presenting

6667-435: The brigade did its first tour of duty in the firing line, with 1/1st WSY relieving 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in the forward trenches at 'Lone Tree Gully'. It was relieved by 9th Bn Sherwood Foresters on 11 November and returned to Oxford St, later marching via Lala Baba and Salt Lake to the A Section support trenches. The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was attached to the 2nd Mounted Division from 15 November, and

6780-437: The brigade had captured a series of strongpoints and moved onto the next group of works. Here the fighting was tougher, and two counter-attacks had to be driven off, but after a short pause for reorganisation, 229th Bde began rolling up the Turkish line, reaching its final objective (the Beersheba railway) at 13.15. While the mounted troops pursued the beaten enemy, 74th (Y) Division paused and re-equipped with winter clothing for

6893-445: The capture of the artillery and surrender of the column. At the end of 1901, a third contingent of over 7,000 Imperial Yeomanry was raised. Having learned from the failures of the previous draft, these men underwent three months of thorough training in the UK, during which time sub-standard officers and men were weeded out, before being sent to South Africa, and a number of regular army officers were allocated to lead them. Representing

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7006-406: The case of the 55th (Wessex) this was done on 22 July 1939 by splitting off the two Wiltshire batteries to form 112th Field Regiment , with Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Swindon. The new regiment remained with 43rd (Wessex) Division while 55th (Wessex) Field Regiment (now often referred to simply as the 'West Somerset Yeomanry') joined the new duplicate 45th Division . Part of the reorganisation

7119-424: The crossing of the River Ems . The division's published history always refers to the regiment as the West Somerset Yeomanry, which suggests that this was how they referred to themselves, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records its casualties under '55 (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Regt' rather than '55 (Wessex)'. 112th (Wessex) Field Regiment served with 43rd (Wessex) Division in Home Forces for most of

7232-427: The current Army Reserve , several remnants of former Yeomanry regiments are still serving, usually as a sub-unit of a larger unit: In 1907 the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry was established as an all female volunteer organisation to provide a link between field hospitals and the front line, with their primary role being to rescue the wounded, rather than provide nursing care. Because the organisation as initially formed

7345-474: The division put out outposts, but it had lost touch with the enemy. The following day, 11 November, the division crossed the Dendre Canal and occupied Ath at 08.30; at 11.00 the Armistice with Germany came into force, ending hostilities. The troops of 74th (Y) Division were then engaged in repairing the Tournai– Leuze railway. In December the division moved into winter quarters in the Lessines area. Demobilisation proceeded rapidly from February 1919, and

7458-401: The domestic yeomanry for service in South Africa. Although Lord Wolseley , Commander-in-Chief of the Forces opposed it, George Wyndham , Under-Secretary of State for War and himself a yeoman, established an imperial yeoman committee with Chesham and two other yeomanry commanders. The result, announced on 24 December, was the Imperial Yeomanry, which was duly established on 2 January 1900. By

7571-401: The end of the war, just under 35,000 men were recruited in three separate contingents. Its structure, companies and battalions rather than the squadrons and regiments of the domestic yeomanry, reflected its role as mounted infantry. The existing yeomanry was invited to provide volunteers for the new force, thus forming a relatively trained nucleus on which it was built. It was, however,

7684-413: The eve of the Second World War in 1939, the Territorial Army was doubled in size, with duplicate units formed; this led to some regiments being de-amalgamated. The last mounted regiment of yeomanry was the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons , who were converted to an armoured role in March 1942, and later converted into an infantry battalion of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry —KOYLI. Volunteers from

7797-406: The experience many of them already had with horsemanship and firearms courtesy of two or three months drilling in domestic yeomanry regiments before they were shipped to South Africa. The first contingent of Imperial Yeomanry departed for South Africa between January and April 1900. Its first action came in the Battle of Boshof on 5 April, when its 3rd and 10th Battalions surrounded and defeated

7910-490: The fact that only 655 of the original contingent elected to stay on, representing a significant loss of experience. Furthermore, the second tranche of domestic yeomanry officers who provided much of the leadership were not vetted by domestic yeomanry commanders as those few of the first contingent were, and proved to be of poor quality in the field. The second contingent saw its first action at Vlakfontein on 29 May 1901, when four companies of Imperial Yeomanry were, along with

8023-407: The fact that the former accepted only 390 new recruits from the latter after the war. By 1900, the domestic yeomanry establishment had stood at just over 12,000 while its actual strength was some 2,000 short of that figure. Although the force had been maintained for its utility as mounted police in aid of the authorities in times of civil unrest, this role had all but disappeared in the second half of

8136-405: The fighting; more than 50 per cent of its casualties were a result of enemy action, compared to 24 per cent for the militia and 21 per cent for the Volunteer Force . Those imperial yeomen recruited from the domestic yeomanry returned to their home regiments, endowing them with their first battle honour , "South Africa 1900–01". The gulf between domestic and imperial yeomanries is apparent from

8249-403: The first contingent had been raised, had to be restarted. The original intention was, as with the first contingent, to train new recruits for two or three months before sending them to South Africa, but the new Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener , decided that they should be trained in-theatre and ordered that they be sent immediately. He failed to appreciate, however, that a pay rise had attracted

8362-715: The following organisation: The RFA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA) on 1 June 1924 and its units became Field Brigades and Field Batteries. The Dorset & Somerset brigade was a short-lived marriage: in July 1929 the Somerset Yeomanry batteries were moved to 55th (Wessex) Army Field Brigade, RA while the Dorset Yeomanry continued as the 94th. 55th (Wessex) Brigade had similarly been split up, with its Hampshire batteries joining 95th (Hampshire Yeomanry) Bde, leaving two Wiltshire batteries. The new organisation

8475-514: The force relevant again, not only for the wave of enthusiasm that saw its numbers double, nor the relatively small role the domestic yeomanry played in the Imperial Yeomanry, but in the clear indication of the necessity of mounted infantry over traditional cavalry. This was identified by the Harris Committee ;– chaired by the former Assistant Adjutant general of the Imperial Yeomanry, Lord Harris , and comprising six yeomanry officers and

8588-511: The form of the volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry . Already, in October and November 1899, Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Lucas, the yeomanry representative in the War Office and a member of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars , had proposed this force as a source of reinforcement. His proposals were initially declined, but the request by General Redvers Buller , Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in South Africa, for mounted infantry after his defeat in

8701-506: The hill after bitter fighting on 9 March, and after nightfall 74th (Y) Division resumed its advance astride the Nablus road. 229th Brigade was in support as the division struggled over the rough country, capturing 'Yeoman's Hill' on 10 March. The Battle of Tell 'Asur was 74th (Y) Division's last action in the campaign: on 3 April 1918 it was warned that it would move to the Western Front , where

8814-403: The line but one outpost could not be permanently recovered even after hard fighting that continued until 3 December. However, on 8 December the EEF launched its final attack on Jerusalem. 74th (Y) Division's attack on a narrow front was carried out by two battalions of 229th Bde: 12th (Ayr & Lanark Yeomanry) Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers in the lead, and 12th (WSY) Somerset LI in support. The enemy

8927-504: The line on 14 July near Merville . The Allies launched their final Hundred Days Offensive in August and on 29 August the division moved into reserve behind III Corps of Fourth Army . On 2 September it went into action in the Second Battle of Bapaume . 229th Brigade led the advance with 12th (WSY) Somerset LI on its right. The brigade first had to clear some enemy machine gun outposts and capture its assigned jumping-off trench, which

9040-481: The lumbering British forces, and in one week in December 1899, known as Black Week , they inflicted three significant defeats on the British. It soon became apparent that the British mounted capability – comprising small contingents of regular infantry on horseback and insufficiently supplied, ill-suited cavalry – needed to be reinforced. The basis for just such reinforcement had been in existence since 1794 in

9153-447: The majority of losses were caused by disease. The slow demobilisation of the survivors, who were allowed to return home after just one year, and the arrival of a second contingent of over 16,000 new recruits increased the size of the Imperial Yeomanry in-country to over 23,000 by May, though this figure had fallen back to 13,650 by January 1902. A number of issues conspired against the second contingent. Recruitment, which had ceased after

9266-483: The men were the officers' tenants or had other forms of obligation to the officers. At its formation, the force was referred to as the Yeomanry Cavalry . Members of the yeomanry were not obliged to serve overseas without their individual consent. During the first half of the nineteenth century, Yeomanry Regiments were used extensively in support of the civil authority to quell riots and civil disturbances, including

9379-635: The new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908. On 1 April 1908, the regiment was renamed as the West Somerset Yeomanry . The regiment was based at County Territorial Hall in Taunton (since demolished). It formed part of the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade in Southern Command . The regiment's organisation was: It was ranked as 33rd (of 55) in the order of precedence of

9492-813: The new units. The first contingent of recruits in 20 four- company battalions arrived in South Africa between February and April 1900. The West Somerset Yeomanry sponsored 25th (West Somerset) Company , which served in 7th Battalion, IY, (alongside the Dorset, Devon and North Somerset Yeomanry companies), and sailed for the Cape in March 1900. On arrival, the battalion joined a Yeomanry brigade under Col Viscount Downe to take part in Lord Roberts' advance from Bloemfontein . However, formations were frequently reorganised, and by mid-April

9605-501: The next phase of the campaign. By 25 November the division was about four days' march behind the fighting line, but it was brought up for the advance into the Judaean Hills towards Jerusalem . The Turks launched strong counter-attacks on 27 and 28 November, and 74th (Y) Division began arriving to reinforce the position on 29 November. The leading brigade was thrown into a confused situation and 229th Bde moved in on 30 November to restore

9718-497: The outpost line on 7 April and was in reserve for the attacks on 17 and 19 April but was not engaged. It was able to complete its organisation and training in the pause before the Third Battle of Gaza began on 27 October. While Turkish attention was fixed on Gaza City by a heavy bombardment from land and sea, XX Corps , including 74th (Y) Division led by 229th Bde, made a night approach march on 30/31 October to attack Beersheba on

9831-547: The period 27–29 November. Its strength was down to 294 by 2 December, with many men sick in hospital, and it dwindled to 111 by 4 December. The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was attached to 2nd Mounted Division again on 9 December, and the remnant of 1/1st WSY returned to the Willow Tree sector next day. However, the decision had been made to shut down the campaign, and the Suvla sector was evacuated first. 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry

9944-489: The prisoners were the future Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, James Craig , and four members of the House of Lords . Although the defeat at Lindley reflected poorly on the yeomanry, the yeomen had fought as competently as any regular soldier, and much of the blame lay with poor leadership by Lieutenant-Colonel Basil Spragge, the regular officer commanding the battalion, and the failure of Major-General Henry Colvile to come to

10057-681: The regiment transferred to the Guards Armoured Division , landing with it in Normandy in June 1944 after on D-Day. It fought throughout the campaign in North West Europe with the division until the end of the war, including Operations Epsom , Goodwood , and Bluecoat in Normandy, the attempt to seize Arnhem bridge ( Operation Market Garden ), Operation Veritable in the Reichswald , and

10170-417: The removal of "cavalry" from the yeomanry's title (it being generally referred to as "Yeomanry Cavalry" before the rename) and the retirement of the sword. The yeomanry resisted these changes. Three regiments petitioned the king to be allowed to retain the sword on parade, and all but one of the 35 commanding officers petitioned the army for its retention in 1902. As well as issues with the domestic yeomanry,

10283-656: The string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899, the British government realised that more troops, in addition to the regular army, were needed in South Africa to fight the Second Boer War . On 13 December 1899, it was decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899, officially creating the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of about 115 men each, trained as Mounted infantry . In addition, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join

10396-422: The three of the regular cavalry. Upon embodiment, these regiments were either brought together to form mounted brigades or allocated as divisional cavalry. For purposes of recruitment and administration, the Yeomanry were linked to specific counties or regions, identified in the regimental title. Some of the units still in existence in 1914 dated back to those created in the 1790s, while others had been created during

10509-452: The units dwindled away. The remaining cadre of 12th (WSY) Battalion Somerset LI returned home and was disembodied at Taunton on 20 June 1919. The 2nd Line regiment was formed at Taunton in 1914. In January 1915 it joined 2/2nd South Western Mounted Brigade at Woodbury and in September 1915 it moved to Essex . On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in

10622-478: The war. 2/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was disbanded on 24 November 1919 at The Curragh . The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915. In the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth . In July 1916 it was dismounted and attached to the 3rd Line Groups of the Wessex Division at Winchester as its 1st Line was serving as infantry. Disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to

10735-463: The war. It formed its third battery (477) at Sarre, Kent , on 25 March 1941 and was authorised to use the "Wessex" designation from 17 February 1942. Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. In the 1790s, following

10848-484: The whole divisional frontage as it approached Tournai and the Scheldt. Here resistance stiffened, and 21 October it could get no further than the high ground overlooking the city. After several days of patrolling and raiding , 74th (Y) Division discovered early on the morning of 8 November that the enemy had abandoned their positions and it occupied Tournai, with troops crossing the Scheldt by temporary footbridges. Next day

10961-413: The yeomanry's horses. In the Battle of Groenkop (also known as Tweefontein) on 25 December, 1,000 Boers surprised and practically annihilated the 400-strong 11th Battalion as the men slept, inflicting casualties of 289 killed, wounded and captured, for the loss of 14 killed and 30 wounded. At Yzerspruit on 25 February, a convoy escorted by 230 men of the yeomanry 5th Battalion and 225 regular infantry of

11074-423: The yeomen demonstrated their ability to operate alongside the regular army in a complex combined operation. The Yeomanry performed well at the beginning of 1901 with Lord Methuen's march to Klerskdorp The Yeomanry managed to inlfict a defeat on the Boers at Hartbeesfontein . By the end of March 1901, almost 30 per cent of the original 10,000+ Imperial Yeomanry had been killed, injured or taken prisoner, though

11187-534: Was able to reorganise and advance to its assigned outpost line at dusk. Fourth Army then pursued the Germans back towards the Hindenburg Line , 74th (Y) Division reaching Ronssoy Wood on 8 September, but III Corps was unable to capture Épehy on 9 September. A fullscale attack on these strong positions (the Battle of Épehy ) therefore had to be organised, and during the pause 74th (Y) Division suffered many casualties from Mustard gas . The night-time assembly for

11300-428: Was as follows: 55th (Wessex) Field Brigade, RA The brigade served as 'Army Troops' in 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Area . The establishment of a TA field artillery brigade was four 6-gun batteries, three equipped with 18-pounder guns and one with 4.5-inch howitzers , all of World War I patterns. However, the batteries only held four guns in peacetime. The guns and their first-line ammunition wagons were horsedrawn and

11413-406: Was considered to be one of the most embarrassing defeats of the war, the blame for which was placed on the yeomanry; the 86th (Rough Riders) Company, a raw draft only recently sent to South Africa, lacked leadership, according to Methuen, and were "very much out of hand, lacking both fire-discipline and knowledge of how to act", and the 5th Battalion broke in the face of the Boer aggression, leading to

11526-411: Was converted at Ismaïlia to form the 12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry and on 14 January 2nd Dismounted Brigade became 229th Infantry Brigade . A new 74th (Yeomanry) Division began to form on 4 March, and 229th Bde joined it at El Arish on 9 March. Apart from artillery, the 74th (Y) Division was fully assembled in time for the Second Battle of Gaza . It took over

11639-618: Was discontinued on 9 November 1988. Under threat of invasion by the French Revolutionary government from 1793, and with insufficient military forces to repulse such an attack, the British government under William Pitt the Younger decided in 1794 to increase the Militia and to form corps of volunteers for the defence of the country. The mounted arm of the volunteers became known as the "Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry", who could be called on by

11752-407: Was during a severe storm that turned into a blizzard. The brigade, and 53rd (Welsh) Division to which it had just been attached, suffered large numbers of casualties due to the weather as well as battle casualties – on 29 November the Willow Tree position was badly shelled. By the time the 1/1st WSY was relieved and went back to Lala Baba, it had suffered casualties of 3 officers and 78 other ranks in

11865-537: Was embarked during the last night of the operation, 19/20 December, when the secret evacuation was achieved without a single casualty. The regiment was taken first to Imbros and then re-embarked for Egypt. In December 1915 the regiment landed in Alexandria . In February 1916, 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was absorbed into the 2nd Dismounted Brigade (along with elements of the Highland and Lowland Mounted Brigades) in

11978-600: Was fast asleep as the troops descended into the bed of the Wadi Buwai and scaled the steep ascent on the other side. After a short fight the Turkish trench was captured with numerous prisoners. Next day Jerusalem surrendered and 229th Bde's advance reached its objective north of the city without any fighting. The division was then engaged in road-making for most of the month while the EEF defended Jerusalem against Turkish counter-attacks. The division resumed its advance on 27 December as

12091-411: Was fixed at 22 corps (regiments) receiving allowances and a further 16 serving without pay. During the 1830s, the number of yeomanry units fluctuated, reflecting the level of civil unrest in any particular region at any particular time. The Irish Yeomanry, which had played a major role in suppressing the rebellion of 1798, was completely disbanded in 1838. For the next thirty years, the Yeomanry Force

12204-472: Was involved in the counter-attack, suffering nine casualties, the yeomanry suffered in total 30 per cent casualties, while the regular infantry suffered very heavily, losing 87 out of an estimated strength of 100. The yeomanry's inexperience in defence and convoy protection was repeatedly exposed in Boer attacks. At Moedwil (also known as Rustenburg) on 30 September, the Boers inflicted nearly twice as many casualties as they sustained and killed or wounded all of

12317-558: Was mounted it adopted the yeomanry name. The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry is an independent charity that is not part of the Armed Forces, today it provides teams to aid civil agencies. Other uses of yeoman : Imperial Yeomanry The Dutch Cape Colony was established in modern-day South Africa in the second half of the 17th century. The colony subsequently passed to the Dutch East India Company which, in 1815, sold it to

12430-420: Was prompted by plans to allocate six yeomanry regiments as divisional cavalry in the regular army, supported by the establishment within the Imperial Yeomanry of a separate class of yeoman free of the restriction on service overseas. This, however, relied on men volunteering for such service, and offered the regular army no guarantee that enough men would do so. That enough would volunteer was made more doubtful by

12543-400: Was replaced by 2/1st Hampshire Yeomanry and the unit became 5th (Hampshire and West Somerset) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment . In March 1917 it resumed its identity as 2/1st West Somerset Yeomanry , still with the 2nd Cyclist Bde, at Elmham near East Dereham . It remained in Norfolk until May 1918 when it went to Ireland with the 2nd Cyclist Bde and was stationed at Athlone until the end of

12656-505: Was retained as a second line of support for the regular cavalry within Britain. Recruiting difficulties led to serious consideration being given to the disbandment of the entire force in 1870, but instead measures were taken the following year to improve its effectiveness. These included requirements that individual yeomanry troopers attend a minimum number of drills per year in return for a "permanent duty" allowance, and that units be maintained at

12769-487: Was that field regiments changed from four six-gun batteries to an establishment of two batteries, each of three four-gun troops . At the outbreak of the war, 55th Field Regiment mobilised as part of 45th Division, which served on anti-invasion duties after the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had been evacuated from Dunkirk . Later in 1940 it joined I Corps in the north of England. The BEF's experience in

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