Hampshire Yeomanry

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]

Formation and Early History

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. A Troop of Yeomanry existed on the Isle of Wight for many years. The Regiment adopted the title 'Carabiniers' in 1884.

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 Force, the regiment became known as the Hampshire Yeomanry (Carabiniers) with detachments in Winchester, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Southampton.

Boer War

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 raised the 41st Company, 12th Battalion.^[6]

World War I

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF 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 on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.^[8]

1/1st Hampshire Yeomanry

1/1st Hampshire Yeomanry was part of the 1st South Western Mounted Brigade on mobilisation but 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.^[8]

2/1st Hampshire Yeomanry

The 2/1st Hampshire Yeomanry moved to Ireland and converted to a cyclist unit in 1916.^[8]

3/1st Hampshire Yeomanry

3/1st Hampshire Yeomanry stayed in the United Kingdom and converted to infantry at the same time as the first regiment.^[8]

Between the wars

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.

World War II

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.

Post War to present

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, 106th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery. The battery is based at Millbrook, Southampton and equipped again with an Anti-Aircraft Missile, High Velocity Missile (HVM).^[9]

Soldiers from 457 (Hampshire Yeomanry) Battery have be mobilised as individual reservists to support Op Telic (Iraq 2003-2012), the 2012 London Olympics and Op Herrick (Afghanistan 2013).

Soldiers have also been involved in peacekeeping in Cyprus and military training in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Malta, Kenya and the US.

Future Reserves 2020

Under the 2013 restructure of the British Army, following the UK governments reports of Army 2020 and Future Reserves 2020 (2011). The following changes were made to the Hampshire Yeomanry lineage

457 Battery will re-role from HVM LML to HVM SP(the 'Stormer' armoured variant) and re-named 457 (Hampshire Carabinier Yeomanry) Battery Royal Artillery remaining in Southampton.

A new Battery is to be formed in 2014 within the Portsmouth area and named 295 (Hampshire Yeomanry) Battery Royal Artillery also equipped with HVM SP.

Both Batteries will form part of 106 (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery.

References

Bibliography

• Mileham, Patrick, 1994. 200 years of Tradition: The Yeomanry Regiments, Canongate Press Ltd, Edinburgh. ISBN 1 898410 364