| Hampshire Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1794 - |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Allegiance | British Army |
| Branch | Yeomanry |
| Size | One Regiment |
| Battle honours | Boer War South Africa 1900-1902 World War I Battle of Messines Battle of the Somme Battle of Arras Battle of Ypres Battle of 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] |
The Hampshire Yeomanry (Carabiniers) can trace its formation to the late 18th century. King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was Prime Minister of Great Britain, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its King and which possessed a revolutionary army numbering half a million men. The Prime Minister proposed that the English Counties form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry that 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.[2] Between 1794 and 1803, a large number of cavalry units such as the North Hampshire Yeomanry Cavalry, the New Forest Volunteer Cavalry, the Fawley Light Dragoons and the Southampton Cavalry were raised in southern England as independent groups of Yeomanry , but were brought under the collective title of North Hampshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry in 1834, the title "North" was dropped by 1848.
Over the next 60 years the name changed several times, but always maintained a link with both Hampshire and the Yeomanry until in 1908, after the formation of The Territorial Army, the regiment became known as the Hampshire Yeomanry (Carabiniers) with detachments in Winchester, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Southampton.
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On 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces serve in the Second Boer War was made. Due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December, 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army, thus issuing a 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.[3] Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport.
The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men with 20 battalions and 4 companies,[4] which arrived in South Africa between February and April, 1900.[5] Upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations.
The Hampshire Yeomanry provided troops for the 41st Company ,12th Battalion.[6]
During the First World War The Hampshire Yeomanry (Carabiniers) had formed as 3 regiments of which the First Regiment (1/1st) departed for France and saw action in Messines , the Somme , Arras , Ypres , and Flanders. The war had proved that the need for cavalry was limited in trench warfare so the regiment re roled into an Infantry Regiment and became the 15th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment until the end of the war. The Second Regiment (2/1st) moved to Ireland and converted to a cyclist unit in 1916 and the Third Regiment (3/1st) stayed in the United Kingdom and converted to infantry at the same time as the first regiment.[7]
During the 1920s The Hampshire Yeomanry, was reformed as a single yeomanry regiment, the war and trench warfare had proved the decline of the cavalry, it was decided that the most junior Yeomanry Regiments would be re reoled as artillery the Hampshire Yeomanry was re roled as an Artillery Regiment they amalgamated with the Hampshire Royal Horse Artillery to become the 95th (Hampshire Yeomanry) Field Brigade, Royal Artillery.
At the end of the 1930s when war with Germany was again imminent, it was decided that the 95th Brigade would become an Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment and was redesignated the 72nd (Hampshire) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery in which one battery, 217 H.A.A. Battery, was designated the "Hampshire Caribineers". On the outbreak of war they were deployed to protect the docks and staging areas along the South Coast. By 1942, once the Battle of Britain was over, the Regiments was transferred overseas and served in the North African and Italian Campaigns with the 8th Army.
In 1947, with the revival of the Territorial Army, the Hampshire Yeomanry was reformed as 295th (Hampshire Carabineers) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA). In 1963 the Regiment amalgamated with the 457 (Wessex) Heavy Air Defence Regiment RA (TA). The two units were renamed the 457th (Wessex) Heavy Air Defence Regiment, RA (Hampshire Carabiniers Yeomanry), this gave the Regiment the longest title in the army, and took on a new role converting from traditional Anti- Aircraft Guns to using the Thunderbird Anti-Aircraft Missile. The Regiment had the distinction of firing the last 3 missiles in the UK before Thunderbird was decommissioned. On 31 March 1967 the Regiment was disbanded on the demise of the Territorial Army and its replacement the TAVR. The regiment was reformed in 1992 when the Hampshire Yeomanry returned as the 227 (Hampshire Yeomanry) Amphibious Engineer Squadron, Royal Engineers. Again this was a very short lived incarnation as, after the Strategic Defence Review in 1999, the unit was re roled as artillery with the formation of 457 (Hampshire Yeomanry) Battery, Royal Artillery based at Millbrook, Southampton and equipped again with an Anti-Aircraft Missile, High Velocity Missile (HVM).[8]