Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry is a unit of the British Territorial Army. Now forming a squadron of the Royal Signals, it was originally formed as cavalry in 1794, and has also served in an artillery role.

Origins

In March 1794 the government of William Pitt the Younger passed the Volunteer Act in response to the threat of invasion by French revolutionary forces. The act sought to encouarge "gentlemen of weight or property" to establish volunteer military formations.^{[2] [3]}

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 his county.^[4]

By 1803 there were three Yeomanry Regiments in the Buckinghamshire area collectively known as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry.^{[1] [3]} This lasted until 1827, when the 1st and 3rd Regiments were disbanded,^[1] and 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, changing 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.^[1]

Boer War

During the Boer War (1900 to 1901), men of the Regiment formed the 37th (Buckinghamshire) Company 10th Battalion the Imperial Yeomanry under the command of Lord Chesham, and the battle honour 'South Africa' was awarded.^[5]

World War I

In 1908 the reserve forces of the British Army were reorganised, and the Royal Bucks Yeomanry were transferred to the Territorial Force, forming part of the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade, along with the Berkshire and Oxfordshire Yeomanry.^[6] On the outbreak of First World War it was decided that each unit of the Territorial Force should form a duplicate or "second line" unit, while a "third line" duplicate was later formed. The existing regiment was redesignated as the 1/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry and the second and third line units were known as the 2/1st and 3/1st.^[7]

1/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The 1/1st were mobilised in August 1914 and attached to the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade of the 1st Mounted Division.^[7]

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.^[7] After the evacuation from Gallipoli, in December 1915, they returned to Egypt and in 1916 they and the Brigade became an independent command and were redesignated as the 6th Mounted Brigade.^[7]

This Brigade joined the Imperial Mounted Division in February 1917 and they were once again moved in June 1917, this time to the Yeomanry Mounted Division.^[7] This last move lasted until April 1918, when they were amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry, to form C Battalion, the Machine Gun Corps.^[7] This new Battalion moved to France in June 1918. They were then renumbered as 101 Battalion, the Machine Gun Corps.^[7]

2/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry

The 2/1st Regiment was formed in September 1914, and would remain in the United Kingdom throughout the war. In August 1917, they were converted into a cyclist unit.^[7]

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.^[7]

Between the wars

On the reforming of the Territorial Army, only the fourteen senior yeomanry regiments remained as horsed cavalry, with the remainder be re-roled as artillery.^[8][9] 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.^[1] The two yeomanry regiments retained their own identities and badges within the amalgamated unit, with each providing two batteries.^[10] The Buckinghamshire Yeomanry comprised 393 and 394 (Royal Bucks Yeomanry) Batteries.^{[1] [11]}

By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit forming a duplicate.^{[12][13] [14]} The amalgamation of the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Yeomanry was reversed, with each being reconstituted as separate field regiments of the Royal Artillery, with the Buckinghamshire contingent becoming the 99th Field Regiment.^[11]

World War II

The 99th (Buckinghamshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was mobilised with the outbreak of war in September 1939. In January 1940 they were sent to France, as part of the BEF, seeing active service in that country and in Belgium.^{[15] [1]} Following the Dunkirk evacuation the Regiment was based in Yorkshire, until in 1942 they were sent out to 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.^{[15] [1]}

In 1945 after the end of the war they returned to Calcutta in India for demobilisation.^[1]

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 (RBY) Signal Squadron.^[1]

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.^[1] 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.^[1]

On 1 January 2014, 710 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars) Operational Hygiene Squadron, The Royal Logistic Corps was formed. It is part of 165 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC, whose RHQ is currently based in Plymouth. The future has much to offer as the Army reforms under the Army 2020 plans.

References