The 8th Cavalry Brigade was a
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. It was formed in Belgium in 1914 and served on the
Western Front as part of the
3rd Cavalry Division. It left the 3rd Cavalry Division on 14 March 1918.
World War I
Formation
The
3rd Cavalry Division began forming at
Ludgershall, Wiltshire in September 1914 with just two cavalry brigades (the
6th and the
7th).
To bring the division up to the standard strength of three brigades, the 8th Cavalry Brigade was formed in Belgium on 20 November 1914.
[ With the addition of its third brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division obtained a third Cavalry Field Ambulance (8th, from England on 23 December) and a third Mobile Veterinary Section (20th, from England on 9 March 1915).][
The brigade was initially formed with the ]10th Royal Hussars
The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First World War and World War II, Sec ...
from 6th Cavalry Brigade and the Royal Horse Guards from 7th Cavalry Brigade on 20 November. The third regiment, the 1/1st Essex Yeomanry, did not join from the Eastern Mounted Brigade
The Eastern Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. After serving dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign, it was absorbed into the 3rd Dismounted Brigade in Egypt in February 1916.
Format ...
in England until 11 December. A signal troop joined on formation and G Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (six 13 pounders) joined from V Brigade, RHA of 8th Infantry Division on 25 November.
Chronicle
The brigade served with the 3rd Cavalry Division on the Western Front until March 1918. It joined the division too late to take part in any of the 1914 actions, but in 1915 the division saw action in the Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...
(Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, 11–13 May) and the Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used Chemical weapons in World War I, ...
(26–28 September). 1916 saw no notable actions, but in 1917 the division took part in the Battle of Arras (First Battle of the Scarpe, 9–12 April).[ At other times, the brigade formed a dismounted unit and served in the trenches (as a regiment under the command of the brigadier).]Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revol ...
. The British and Canadian units remained in France[
The yeomanry regiments were concentrated in the 8th Cavalry Brigade; it left the 3rd Cavalry Division on 14 March 1918, the day after the Canadian Cavalry Brigade joined from 5th Cavalry Division.][ It appears to have been dissolved at this point as the constituent regiments (the ]Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
,Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
units, G Battery, RHA was posted to XVII Brigade, RHA,[
]
Units
Commanders
The 8th Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:
See also
*British Army during World War I
The British Army during the First World War fought the largest and most costly war in its History of the British Army, long history. Unlike the French Army in World War I, French and German Army (German Empire), German Armies, the British Ar ...
* British Cavalry Corps order of battle 1914
* British cavalry during the First World War
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*{{cite web, url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/cav/3_cav_div.htm , title=3rd Cavalry Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell , access-date=2013-08-04 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527195827/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/cav/3_cav_div.htm , archive-date=27 May 2008 , df=dmy
Cavalry brigades of the British Army
Military units and formations established in 1914
Military units and formations disestablished in 1918