Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry
Active 1794 - Present Day
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Type Yeomanry , World War I
Royal Artillery , World War II
Royal Signals , Current
Size Three Regiments , World War I
One Regiment , World War II
One Squadron , Current
Engagements South Africa 1900 - 1901
World War I
Suvla
Scimita Hill
Gallipoli 1915
Egypt 1915-17
Gaza
El Mughar
Nebi Saawii
Palestine 1917-18
Arras
Scarpe
Cortrai
France and Flanders
World War II
No battle honours were awarded. It is tradition within artillery units that the Regiment's guns represent its colours and battle honours.[1]
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Richard Plantagenet , 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797-1861), Colonel of the Buckingham Yeomanry Cavalry, 1841[2]

The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry was formed in 1794, when King George III , was on the throne and William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister , of Great Britain , across the English Channel , Britain was faced by a French nation which had recently guillotined its King and which possessed a revolutionary army numbering half a million men. The Prime Minister proposed that the Counties , form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry which could be called on by the King to defend the country against invasion or by the Lord Lieutenant , to subdue any civil disorder within the country.[3] By 1803 there were three Yeomanry Regiments in the Buckinghamshire area collectively known as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry..[4] this lasted until 1827, when the 1st and 3rd Regiments were disbanded .[5] , the 2nd Regiment was only kept in existence, by being privately funded by the Duke of Buckingham. In 1845 Queen Victoria conferred the title "Royal" on the Regiment this changed the unit's name to The 2nd Royal Bucks Regiment of Yeomanry.Then in 1889 there was another change in name this time to the Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry..[6]

Contents

[edit] Boer War

The Boer War , 1900 to 1901 men of the Regiment formed the 37th (Buckinghamshire) Company 10th Battalion the Imperial Yeomanry under the command of The Lord Chesham , and the battle honour 'South Africa' was awarded.[7]

[edit] World War I

The Regiment in World War I , formed a second and a third line units know as the 2/1st and the 3/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry.[8]

[edit] 1/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The 1/1st were mobilised in August 1914 and attached to the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade , of the Mounted Division.[9] In September 1914 the Brigade was transferred to the 2nd Mounted Division and moved with them to Egypt, until August 1915, when they were dismounted and sent to Gallipoli.[10] After the evacuation from Gallipoli,in December 1915 they returned to Egypt and in 1916 they and the Brigade became an independent command and was redesignated as the 6th Mounted Brigade.[11] This Brigade joined the Imperial Mounted Division in February 1917 , they were once again moved in June 1917, this time to the Yeomanry Mounted Division.[12] .This last move lasted until April 1918, when they were amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry , to form C Battalion , the Machine Gun Corps.[13] This new Battalion moved to France , in June 1918. They were then renumbered 101 Battalion ,the Machine Gun Corps.[14]

[edit] 2/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The 2/1st Regiment was formed September 1914, and would remain in the United Kingdom throughout the war. In August 1917, they were converted into a Cyclist unit.[15]

[edit] 3/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The 3/1st were formed in 1915, they also remained in United Kingdom until early in 1917, when they were absorbed into the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Regiment.[16]

[edit] Between the Wars

On the reforming of the TA, the 14 senior Yeomanry Regiments remained as horsed cavalry regiments (6 forming the 5th and 6th Cavalry Brigades) the remaining Yeomanry Regiments would be re roled as Artillery. In 1921 the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry was amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry and re formed as the 99th (Bucks and Berks Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.[17] The two Batteries were 393 Battery with 18 pounders and 394 Battery.[18]

[edit] World War II

In 1939 the Regiment was known as the 99th (Bucks. and Berks. Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery. By May 1939 the 99th (Royal Bucks. Yeomanry) Field Regiment. R.A. had become an independent unit.[19] They were sent to France , as part of the BEF , seeing active service in France and Belgium..[20] Following the Dunkirk , evacuation the Regiment was based in Yorkshire, until 1942 when they were sentto the Far East and attached to the 2nd Division , seeing service in India and Burma , including the Battle of the Arakan , in 1944 they were involved in the Allied advance and involved in the Battles of Kohima , Imphal , Rangoon and Mandalay..[21] In 1945 after the end of the war they returned to Calcutta in India for demobilisation.[22]

[edit] Post War

The Regiment was reformed in 1947 as the 299th (Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment R.A. In 1950 they were once again amalgamated, this time with the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars , to form the 299th (Bucks and Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, R.A.In 1954 on the formation of the T.A.V.R. , the Regiment became P Battery (Royal Bucks Yeomanry) The Buckinghamshire Regiment, R.A. (T) and following a further amalgamation, the title changed again to the 299th (Royal Bucks Yeomanry, Berkshire Yeomanry and Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars) Field Regiment RA (TA). The Regiment went through a number of changes over the following years in 1961 299th (Royal Bucks Yeomanry, Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars and Berkshire) Field Regiment, RA (TA) then in 1967 , 99 Field Regiment RA (RBY) (TA) was disbanded. In 1971 a new role emerged this time as infantry becoming the 2nd Battalion, The Wessex Regiment on the disbandment of that Battalion the Royal Buckinghamshire title was adopted by the present day army unit 1 Signal Squadron (Special Communications)[23]


The 1 (Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry) Signal Squadron (Special Communications) is the only British Army Special Communications Unit. they provide operational specialist communications in locations around the world. The unit is made up of Regular and TA soldiers, and has a total strength of approximately 100.[24] The squadron was formed in 1995, by the amalgamation of 602 Signal Troop (Special Communications) and 1 Squadron 39th Signal Regiment (Special Communications) (Volunteers). The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry title was adopted by 1 Signal Squadron (Special Communications) in 1996.[25]

[edit] References

  1. ^ mod.uk.
  2. ^ buckscc.gov.
  3. ^ worcestershire.
  4. ^ mod.uk.
  5. ^ mod.uk.
  6. ^ mod.uk.
  7. ^ angloboerwar.
  8. ^ 1914-1918.
  9. ^ 1914-1918.
  10. ^ 1914-1918.
  11. ^ 1914-1918.
  12. ^ 1914-1918.
  13. ^ 1914-1918.
  14. ^ 1914-1918.
  15. ^ 1914-1918.
  16. ^ 1914-1918.
  17. ^ mod.uk.
  18. ^ mod.uk.
  19. ^ mod.uk.
  20. ^ mod.uk.
  21. ^ mod.uk.
  22. ^ mod.uk.
  23. ^ army.mod.
  24. ^ army.mod.
  25. ^ army.mod.