Warwickshire Yeomanry
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The Warwickshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a cavalry and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and as a cavalry and an armoured regiment in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry in 1956.
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[edit] Early history
The regiment was first formed as the Gentlemen and Yeomanry of Warwickshire in 1794, who raised four troops of yeomanry. These four troops were regimented in 1796 as the Warwickshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry; the regiment expanded to a fifth troop in 1813, a sixth in 1831, and in 1854, with the Crimean War causing an upsurge in martial sentiment, two more troops were formed. The regiment sponsored two companies of the Imperial Yeomanry in 1900, for service in the South African War, and in 1901 was itself reorganized as mounted infantry as the Warwickshire Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into the Territorial Force, returning to a cavalry role and equipping as hussars, under the new title of The Warwickshire Yeomanry.[1]
[edit] First World War
The regiment mobilised in August 1914, but remained in England until 1915, when they sailed for Egypt with 2nd Mounted Division. During the move, the horse transport Wayfarer was torpedoed on 11th April 1915 having just left Avonmouth; although she did not sink, the horses had to be rescued. Volunteers of the regiment saved 763 horses, receiving a Military Cross and twelve Meritorious Service Medals.[2] They arrived in Egypt on April 24th, before being moved to Gallipoli for service as dismounted infantry. They landed at Suvla Bay on August 18th and saw action at the Battle of Scimitar Hill, on August 21st. The regiment took heavy losses, but remained in the line until withdrawn at the end of October. It was assigned to the Australian Mounted Division in February 1917, serving in Palestine as cavalry, and seeing action at the First and Second Battles of Gaza, as well as the Battle of Mughar Ridge and the Battle of Jerusalem. It was withdrawn in April 1918, and amalgamated with the South Nottinghamshire Hussars into B Battalion, Machine Gun Corps, which would serve on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.[3]
The regiment raised a second-line battalion, the 2/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry, in September 1914; this remained in the United Kingdom, did not see service, and was converted into a cyclist unit in 1917. A third-line battalion was formed in 1915, and remained in the United Kingdom until absorbed into the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in 1917.[3]
Following demobilisation after the War, the regiment was reconstituted in 1920 in the Territorial Army.[1]
[edit] Second World War
The regiment did not mechanise before the outbreak of the Second World War; on mobilisation, it was attached to 1st Cavalry Division, and moved in 1940 to the Middle East, where it saw service in Iraq and Syria in 1941. It was mechanised as an armoured regiment in late 1941 and transferred into the Royal Armoured Corps, with the division redesignating itself as 10th Armoured Division. The regiment then saw service in the North African Campaign, fighting at the Second Battle of El Alamein whilst attached to 2nd New Zealand Division. It was deployed to Italy in 1944, where it saw action in June and July.
After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army. In 1956 it amalgamated with The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars, forming The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c The Warwickshire Yeomanry, regiments.org
- ^ Locations of British cavalry, infantry and machine gun units, 1914-1924. Robert W. Gould, Heraldene, 1977
- ^ a b Warwickshire Yeomanry, The British Army in the Great War
