East Riding Yeomanry
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The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry was a unit 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 ...
formed in 1902. Units of
Yeomanry Cavalry The Yeomanry Cavalry was the mounted component of the British Volunteer Corps, a military reserve force established in 1794 amid fears of invasion and insurrection during the French Revolutionary Wars. A yeoman was a person of respectable st ...
were raised in the
East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
in the 18th and early 19th centuries at times of national emergency: the
Jacobite Rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
, the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
and the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. These were stood down once each emergency was over. The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry, was established in 1902, and this saw action during the
First World War 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 ...
both in the mounted role and as machine gunners. It was converted to an armoured regiment in 1920, and fought in the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
and the campaign in North West Europe during the Second World War, while some of its personnel served as paratroopers in the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
and the Rhine Crossing. In 1956, it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the
Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry (QOYY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army from 1956 to 1971. Its lineage is maintained today by A (Yorkshire Yeomanry) Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry. History The regiment was formed by the amalgamatio ...
. Its lineage is continued today by the
Queen's Own Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY) is a reserve light cavalry reconnaissance regiment of the British Army. The regiment is part of the 19th Brigade, which was reactivated in 2022. The regimental headquarters is at Fenham Barracks, Newcastle, with sq ...
.


Precursor unit

A number of companies of Volunteer infantry and artillery were formed in
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
and the
East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
for coast defence during the
Jacobite Rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
. At the same time
John Hall-Stevenson John Hall-Stevenson (1718March 1785), in his youth known as John Hall, was an English country gentleman and writer. He is memorialised as "Eugenius" in Laurence Sterne's novels '' Tristram Shandy'' and ''A Sentimental Journey Through France and ...
and 'a number of fox-hunting gentlemen and yeomen of the county', formed themselves into a cavalry unit named the Yorkshire Light Horse. They invited Major-General
James Oglethorpe Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...
to be their
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
, and he obtained the
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
's permission to change its title to the Royal Regiment of Hunters. It is claimed that this was the first unit of
Yeomanry cavalry The Yeomanry Cavalry was the mounted component of the British Volunteer Corps, a military reserve force established in 1794 amid fears of invasion and insurrection during the French Revolutionary Wars. A yeoman was a person of respectable st ...
formed in Britain. The unit of foxhunters did some useful patrol work, and participated in Oglethorpe's winter pursuit of the rebel retreat to
Shap Shap is a village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. The village is in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to ...
and the
Clifton Moor Skirmish The Battle of Clifton Moor took place on the evening of Wednesday 18 December during the Jacobite rising of 1745. Following the decision to retreat from Derby on 6 December, the fast-moving Jacobite army split into three smaller columns; on th ...
, when its strength was reported to be up to 1500 well-mounted men.


French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

After Britain was drawn into the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
, Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...
proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should 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 A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...
to subdue any civil disorder within the county. By the end of the year 27 counties had raised Yeomanry, including
East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to the south-west ...
. Thomas Grimston of Grimston offered to raise a cavalry force in
Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...
. He issued 'Articles of Enlistment' based on those of the
Northamptonshire Yeomanry The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 as volunteer cavalry. It served in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War before being reduced to squadron level in 1956. It cease ...
, and then travelled round the Holderness villages explaining his plans to the yeomen farmers. Their response was poor, even when Grimston got the local clergy to explain the plan to their parishioners. The main complaint was the low level of pay for attending drills, and unwillingness to turn out during harvest time. They were also unwilling to serve outside the East Riding, and Grimston changed the proposed name of his unit from 'East York' to 'East Riding' (formally the East Riding Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry). Once these concerns were addressed, Grimston was able to recruit his troop up to a strength of 58 men (against an establishment of 60) by September. He set about recruiting an ex-cavalryman to serve as troop sergeant to train the men, and obtaining uniforms and weapons. A similar Troop was raised by
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
William Hall as the Hull Gentleman and Yeomanry Cavalry.Norfolk, pp. 15-7.Norfolk, Appendix III. In February 1798 Captain
Sir Christopher Sykes, 2nd Baronet Sir Christopher Sykes, 2nd Baronet (23 May 1749 – 17 September 1801) was an English British Tory Party, Tory politician and a Member of Parliament (MP) for Beverley (UK Parliament constituency), Beverley from 1784 to 1790. He was the only s ...
, raised another Troop of 45 volunteers drawn from 16 parishes around
Sledmere Sledmere is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, about north-west of Driffield on the B1253 road. The village lies in a civil parish which is also officially called "Sledmere" by the Office for National Statistics, although th ...
as the Yorkshire Wold Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry. Meanwhile, the attempted French landing in South Wales in 1796 (the
Battle of Fishguard The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, on 22–24 February 1797, is the most recent landing on British soil by a hostile foreign forc ...
) led the government to double the strength of the
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
with a new supplementary militia including units of Provisional Cavalry. Unlike the Yeomanry, service in these units was not voluntary, but decided by ballot, one horse-owner in every 10 being selected to serve or provide a fully equipped trooper. The East York Provisional Cavalry consisted of troops based at Hull,
Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...
,
Driffield Driffield, also known as Great Driffield (neighbouring Little Driffield), is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield. By ...
,
Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...
and
Hunmanby Hunmanby is a large village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was in the Scarborough (borough), Scarborough district of the shire county of North Yorkshire. ...
under the command of the Lord Lieutenant (the
Duke of Leeds Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded ...
). The force was extremely unpopular, and was never embodied, though called out occasionally for training. It was disbanded in March 1799. The preliminaries to the
Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it set t ...
in 1801 saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, but the peace was short-lived, and Britain declared war on France again in May 1803, beginning the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. Captain Thomas Grimston quickly reformed his unit, now titled the Grimston Yeomanry Cavalry and consisting of two Troops. Similarly, Sir Mark Masterman-Sykes, 3rd Baronet, reformed his father's Yorkshire Wolds Yeomanry Cavalry, now with 300 members and himself ranked as lieutenant-colonel. Captain Marmaduke Constable-Maxwell of Everingham formed a new troop of 45 men as the Everingham Yeomanry Cavalry. Captain William Hall offered to reform the Hull Yeomanry Cavalry, but the offer was not acknowledged by the Lord Lieutenant and he withdrew the offer; no new cavalry unit was raised in Hull for the rest of the war.Norfolk, Appendix IV. In 1808 a new Local Militia was formed, which replaced many of the Volunteer units. The Yorkshire Wolds Yeomanry Cavalry transferred to the new force, but the Grimston and Everingham Troops remained independent voluntary units until they were disbanded at the end of the war in 1814. For the rest of the 19th century there was no Yeomanry regiment in the East Riding: men who wished to serve could join the North Riding-based Yorkshire Hussars, which maintained detachments in Beverley and other East Yorkshire towns in the second half of the century.Norfolk, p. 39; Appendix V.


Imperial Yeomanry

Following a string of defeats during Black Week in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just the regular army to fight the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
. On 13 December, the decision to allow volunteer forces to serve in the field was made, and a Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December. This officially created the
Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...
(IY). The force was organised as county service companies of approximately 115 men, and volunteers (usually middle and upper class) quickly filled the new force, which was equipped to operate as
mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. Unlike cavalry, mounted infantry dismounted to fight on foot. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Editio ...
.Dunlop, pp. 104–18.IY at Anglo-Boer War.
/ref> The Yorkshire Hussars raised the 9th (Yorkshire (Doncaster)) Company and (with the Yorkshire Dragoons) the 66th (Yorkshire) Company for the first contingent. The 9th was replaced by the 109th (Yorkshire Hussars) Company in 1901. The concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, and new regiments raised, including the East Riding of Yorkshire Imperial Yeomanry, which was approved on 15 April 1902. The unit was raised by
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock (12 May 1849 – 15 January 1912) was a British soldier, Liberal politician and colonial administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896. Early life Lawley was the son of Beilby Lawley, 2nd ...
, honorary colonel of the 2nd East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) and a former captain in the Yorkshire Hussars, who was appointed lieutenant-colonel on 15 May. His second-in-command was retired
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
John Stracey-Clitherow, who had served in the
Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt, also known as the Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...
.Maj Roy Wilson, 'The Yeomanry cavalry', ''Military Modelling'' Vol 16, No 2, February 1986. By 1903 the new regiment had 400 men, in four squadrons at Hull, Beverley,
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
and Bridlington, and a Machine Gun Section.''Army List'', various dates. A Squadron was based at the riding school in Walton Street, Hull. In 1911 this site was included in a new drill hall on Anlaby Road, Hull, which was shared with the 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (former 2nd East Yorks RGA) and named Wenlock Barracks after Lord Wenlock, who was Hon Colonel of both units. The Yeomanry regiment was popularly known as 'Wenlock's Horse'. It became a lancer regiment, with the appropriate uniform, in 1906.


Territorial Force

The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new
Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...
(TF) under the
Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the e ...
of 1908. The East Riding Yeomanry (TF) formed part of the TF's Yorkshire Mounted Brigade. At this time the regiment was organised as follows:Frederick, pp. 57–9.Conrad, ''British Army 1914''.
/ref>East Riding Yeomanry at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>
/ref> * Regimental headquarters (RHQ) at Railway Street, Beverley * A Squadron at Hull * B Squadron at Beverley, with detachments at North Cave,
Hornsea Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 186 ...
and
Patrington Patrington is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness, south-east of Hedon, south-east of Kingston upon Hull and south-west of Withernsea on the A1 ...
* C Squadron at Fulford with a detachment at
Dunnington Dunnington is a village and civil parish in the City of York and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 3,230 at the 2011 census. The village is approximately east from York city centre. The par ...
* D Squadron at Driffield with detachments at Hunmanby,
Pocklington Pocklington () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, its population was 10,123. It lies east of York, and ...
, Settrington and Bridlington


First World War


Mobilisation

The East Riding Yeomanry were mobilised on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914 under the command of Lt-Col Philip Langdale of Houghton Hall, Yorkshire, who had taken command on 6 June 1912. Under the
Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ( 7 Edw. 7. c. 9) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new Territor ...
('' 7 Edw. 7, c.9'') which brought the TF into being, it was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, after the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for ' Imperial Service'. On 15 August 1914, the
War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate regiments, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.


1/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry

The 1/1st moved north in November 1914 as Divisional Cavalry for the 2nd Northumbrian Division. On 20 May, the regiment formed part of a parade of some 40,000 men before H.M. The King and Lord Kitchener. The regiment was then ordered south to
Filey Filey () is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located between Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough and Bridlington on Filey Bay. Although it was a fishing village, it has a large ...
and then to
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
, to form part of the
1/1st North Midland Mounted Brigade The North Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 22nd Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. ...
(later numbered as the
22nd Mounted Brigade The North Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 22nd Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. I ...
). In October 1915, it set sail for
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. In 1916, the regiment was part of the
Western Frontier Force The Western Frontier Force was raised from British Empire troops during the Senussi campaign from November 1915 to February 1917, under the command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). Orders for the formation of the force were issued on ...
, a dreary job, causing a number of NCOs and men to join the newly formed
Imperial Camel Corps The Imperial Camel Corps Brigade (ICCB) was a camel-mounted infantry brigade that the British Empire raised in December 1916 during the First World War for service in the Middle East. From a small beginning the unit eventually grew to a brigad ...
and 120 officers and men to be detached for service under
T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...
. In December 1916, the 22nd Mounted Brigade moved to the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
Zone to form part of the ANZAC Mounted Division. The regiment first saw action during the
First Battle of Gaza The First Battle of Gaza was fought on 26 March 1917 during the first attempt by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), which was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from th ...
, a hard engagement for both the men and the horses, and in the
Second Battle of Gaza The Second Battle of Gaza was fought on 17–19 April 1917, following the defeat of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at the First Battle of Gaza in March, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. Gaza was defended b ...
it was posted to the far right flank. In General Allenby's reorganisation 22nd Mounted Brigade transferred to the Yeomanry Mounted Division. In October 1917, the regiment took part in the
Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the Ba ...
, and on 13 November at El Mughar, supported a charge by 6th Mounted Brigade. 'A' Squadron, commanded by Maj. J.F.M. Robinson M.C., led 22nd Mounted Brigade, having captured their objective they pressed on to
Akir Akir (acronym for Always Keep It Real) is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and activist. He is known for his complex lyrics and social-political content. Biography Akir first entered the hip hop scene as an on-air personality ...
and established a position on the far side of the village square, however they had to withdraw as they were unsupported by the rest of the brigade. Sadly it transpired that the village was the location of a Turkish Corps Headquarters, and had the success of the attack been exploited then a major dislocation of the enemy lines could have resulted. El Mughar was the last great cavalry charge of the British Army. In December 1917, with the exception of the machine gun section, the regiment was dismounted and sent to France. From 7 April 1918, together with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry, it formed 'D' Bn,
Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...
(Mobile), redesignated 102nd Bn from 19 August.


2/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry

The 2nd Line regiment was formed in September 1914. In 1915 it was under the command of the 2/1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigade in Yorkshire (along with the 2/1st Yorkshire HussarsYorkshire Hussars at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> and the 2/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire DragoonsYorkshire Dragoons at Long, Long Trail
/ref>) and by March 1916 was in the
Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...
area. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became
18th Mounted Brigade The 18th Mounted Brigade, previously known as the 2/1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigade, was a 2nd Line yeomanry brigade of the British Army during the First World War. In July 1916 it was converted to a Bicycle infantry, cyclist formation as 11th Cyc ...
, still in Yorkshire under Northern Command. In July 1916, there was a major reorganisation of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the United Kingdom. All but 12 regiments were converted to
cyclists 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 for pur ...
and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to 11th Cyclist Brigade. Further reorganisation in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as 7th Cyclist Brigade in November, now in the
Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...
area. About May 1918 the brigade moved to Ireland and the regiment was stationed at Bandon and
Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...
,
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
. There were no further changes before the end of the war. The regiment was disbanded at
Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...
on 12 December 1919.


3/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915; that summer it was affiliated to the 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
. Early in 1917, it was absorbed by the 1st Reserve Cavalry Regiment at
The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...
.


Between the Wars

On 7 February 1920, the regiment was reconstituted in the Territorial Army (TA) with headquarters at Walton Street, Hull. Following the experience of the war, it was decided that only the fourteen most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry, with the rest being transferred to other roles. As a result, on 23 August 1920, the regiment was one of eight converted and reduced to the 26th (East Riding of York Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Tank Corps. The Tank Corps became the
Royal Tank Corps The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks and structured under 12th A ...
on 18 October 1923, and on 4 April 1939 the
Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the World War I, First World War. Today, it is an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks ...
in the
Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...
(RAC). By 1939, it had become clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and the doubling of the TA was authorised, with each unit forming a duplicate. On 24 August the 1st East Riding Yeomanry was reconstituted in the RAC as a Divisional Cavalry Regiment (Mechanised) equipped with 28 light tanks, 44 carriers and 41 motorcycles. At the same time, it formed its duplicate 2nd East Riding Yeomanry.


Second World War


1st East Riding Yeomanry


Battle of France

On 30 March 1940, after training at
Tidworth Tidworth is a garrison town and civil parish in south-east Wiltshire, England, on the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain. Lying on both sides of the A338 about north of the A303 primary route, the town is approximately west of Andover, sout ...
, the 1st Regiment joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
as part of the 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade, initially the Corps Cavalry to
III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...
. However, in May, the regiment passed under the command of
48th (South Midland) Division The 48th (South Midland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army. Part of the Territorial Force (TF) and raised in 1908, the division was originally called the South Midland Division, and was redesignated as th ...
,
44th (Home Counties) Division The Home Counties Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, the division recruited in the Home Counties, particularly Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex ...
, Macforce, and finally back to 48th (South Midland) Division. The regiment was first involved in fighting near Ath, south of Brussels, and then over the next fortnight fought seven rearguard actions before being finally surrounded at Cassel on the night of 29/30 May while acting as rearguard to 145th Infantry Brigade.


Training

The remnants of 1ERY (7 officers and 230 men) returned to Tidworth, where the regiment was brought up to strength by drafts from the 2nd Regiment, before moving on to Bovington to rejoin 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade. The regiment next deployed to Essex for anti-invasion duties, where it was equipped with Beaverettes. When new material became available in spring 1942, the regiment reequipped with
Covenanter tank The Cruiser tank Mk V or A13 Mk III Covenanter was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. The Covenanter was the first cruiser tank design to be given a name. Designed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as a better-armoured rep ...
s and
Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
s, and together with the
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922. It served in the World War II, Second World War. However following the reduction of forces at the end of the Cold W ...
(replaced by the
Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a mounted auxiliary unit of the British Army raised in 1794 to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion. It continued in service after the Napoleonic Wars, frequently being called out ...
in January 1944) and the
13th/18th Royal Hussars The 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 13th Hussars and the 18th Royal Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated wit ...
, it formed 27th Armoured Brigade in
79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy ...
('Hobart's Funnies'), experimenting with specialist assault armour.Joslen, p. 178. In April 1943, the regiment again re-equipped, this time with Sherman Duplex Drive tanks. Between 8 October 1943 and 17 February 1944, 1ERY formed part of 33rd Tank Brigade in
49th (West Riding) Infantry Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army. The division fought in the World War I, First World War in the Trench warfare, trenches of the Western Front (World War I), Western Front ...
before returning to the 27th.


North West Europe

The training all came to fruition on 6 June 1944, when the Regiment landed on
Sword Beach Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of German-occupied Fra ...
on
D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
supporting 9th Infantry Brigade in 3rd British Infantry Division, After the failure to seize
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
on D-Day, 3rd Division's task was to capture the high ground north of the town. Next day 1ERY supported an unsuccessful attack by the 2nd Bn
Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an light infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal ...
on Cambes-en-Plaine, one of the enemy's strongest positions in this part of the front. Two days later the two units had to advance over of flat, open land under artillery, mortar and machine gun fire. They were supported by four
AVRE Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers, is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers duri ...
s of 79th Assault Squadron,
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
, and Sherman Crab flail tanks of A Squadron of the
Westminster Dragoons The Westminster Dragoons (WDs) was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, located in central London. Its lineage is continued by one of the Royal Yeomanry's six Squadron (army), squadrons. Formed in ...
from 79th Armoured Division. The infantry suffered over 200 casualties and 1ERY lost four tanks, while all the AVREs (forced to act as infantry tanks) were knocked out, but after hard fighting the battle group gained their objective. For 50 days after the landings 1ERY took part in the bridgehead battles. During this period, it also supported 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division. Because of casualties, 27th Armoured Brigade was broken up on 29 July, and on 16 August 1ERY joined 33rd Armoured Brigade,Joslen, p. 183. taking over the petrol Mk1 & II Shermans of 148 Regt RAC. The regiment was now attached to 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, for the final
Falaise Pocket The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...
Battles, the advance to the River Seine, its crossing and the taking of St Valery-en-Caux; after which the regiment transferred to 49th (West Riding) Division for the Battle of Le Havre. In October, the regiment supported
53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw servic ...
, in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
fighting around
's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...
and the later crossing of the
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
(). However, during the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
in the winter of 1944, it was hurried away to reinforce the pressure being put on the German "Bulge".


Rhine crossing

In January 1ERY and 33rd Armd Bde rejoined 79th Armoured Division and re-equipped with Buffalo amphibious vehicles for the assault crossing of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
(
Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Lippe b ...
) on 23/24 March. Captain Peter Clemence of 1ERY was responsible for lighting the routes to the Buffaloes were to take to the water. This involved daylight reconnaissance of the riverbank under enemy fire as well as placing the lights under fire on the night of the operation. Clemence was awarded the
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...
(MC). 1ERY's role in the operation was to carry the assault troops of 227th (Highland) Brigade,
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that served during the World War II, Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Ar ...
, with one troop of 6 Buffaloes allocated to each assaulting infantry company and two troops to each battalion for essential equipment such as 6-pounder anti-tank guns, wireless carriers and medical jeeps. The operation was practised behind the lines on the
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
(), during which one of the ERY Buffaloes overturned and its driver and co-driver were drowned. One participant commented that 'The yeomanry responsible for the actual crossing were delightful lot to work with, with a fine cavalry dash and a persistently horsey outlook, even in the water, when the squadron commanders were heard urging their drivers to "get their whips out".' 15th (S) Division's assault (Operation Torchlight) began at 02.00 on 24 March, and at first things went well for 1ERY and 227 Bde: two companies of 10th Bn
Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First World War, First and World War II, Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 t ...
and three of 2nd Bn
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (military unit), company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army tha ...
crossed the river without difficulty. Unfortunately, the Buffaloes carrying A and C Companies of the HLI had got off course in the darkness, and both were landed upstream of their allotted landing zones. A section of riverbank manned by a German parachute battalion remained uncleared, and B and C Companies, following up, were also landed in the wrong place. By dint of hard fighting and heavy artillery support, the HLI cleared up the confusion by 09.00, allowing the transport to begin landing. On the Argylls' front, five out of six Buffaloes assigned to D Company were unable to climb the riverbank, and had to land their passengers some way away. D Company had to fight their way for a mile round before they could join in the fight for their objective. However, the Argylls were reinforced and got the job done. Acting
Lance-Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...
Adams of 1EYR was the driver of his Troop Commander's Buffalo; having returned from the far bank with a group of wounded and prisoners, they came under shellfire while unloading. Adams shielded one of the stretcher cases from shrapnel with his own body, while the Buffalo was badly holed and some of the German prisoners were killed. Adams was awarded the
Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...
(MM). Despite operating under fire for four days, the regiment only suffered one man wounded during Operation Plunder. For the last weeks of the war, the regiment reconverted to Shermans, coming under the command of the
First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army () was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 until May 1945. It was Cana ...
clearing the Netherlands. After the war the regiment was stationed at Laboe (Kiel Estuary) until being placed in 'suspended animation' on 7 March 1946.


2nd East Riding Yeomanry

The 2nd ERY was formed as a
Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...
regiment as a duplicate of the 1st Regiment on 24 August 1939. On 25 June 1940, it was converted to infantry as the 10th (East Riding) Battalion,
Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...
. From the start of 1943, it started training as
parachutists Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...
and on 1 June the battalion became the 12th (Yorkshire) Parachute Battalion, of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army's
airborne forces Airborne forces are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as paratroopers. The main ...
. The battalion was serving alongside the 7th and 13th Parachute Battalions assigned to the
5th Parachute Brigade The 5th Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces formation of brigade strength, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. Created during 1943, the brigade was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division, serving alongside the 3rd Parachut ...
, which was part of the
6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who m ...
. The battalion made combat drops on 6 June 1944 (
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
) and 28 March 1945 ( Operation Varsity). The 'marching' elements of the division were ferried across the Rhine by 1st East Riding Yeomanry and 11th Royal Tank Regiment.


Postwar

The 1st ERY was reformed in the TA on 1 January 1947. In 1951 its title was officially shortened to East Riding Yeomanry (as it had always been commonly known). In 1956, the East Riding Yeomanry was merged with two other yeomanry regiments (the Yorkshire Hussars and the Yorkshire Dragoons) as the
Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry (QOYY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army from 1956 to 1971. Its lineage is maintained today by A (Yorkshire Yeomanry) Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry. History The regiment was formed by the amalgamatio ...
, which was formed on 1 April 1967, as a TAVR III unit with the RHQ and 'A' Squadron at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, 'B' Squadron at
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
and 'C Squadron at
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
. Then, on 1 April 1969, the regiment was reduced to a cadre and finally reformed on 1 April 1971 as 'A' Squadron The
Queen's Own Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY) is a reserve light cavalry reconnaissance regiment of the British Army. The regiment is part of the 19th Brigade, which was reactivated in 2022. The regimental headquarters is at Fenham Barracks, Newcastle, with sq ...
. 12th (Yorkshire) Battalion, Parachute Regiment, was reconstituted in the TA on 1 March 1947. On 1 October 1956 it was amalgamated with 13th (Lancashire) Battalion.


Uniforms and insignia

Grimston's troop raised in 1794 wore short scarlet
Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
-style jackets with buff
facings A facing colour, also known as facings, is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Char ...
and silver braid (though Grimston himself wore a blue tunic). A standard Light Dragoon or Yeomanry Tarleton helmet was worn with buff 'turban' and
hackle The hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments. In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries, ...
. The whitened leather crossbelt bore a plate engraved with 'E.R.Y.C.' (for East Riding Yeomanry cavalry) surrounded by a scroll bearing the motto ''
Pro aris et focis ("for hearth and home") and ("for God and country") are two Latin phrases used as the motto of many families, military regiments and educational institutions. literally translates "for altars and hearths", but is used by ancient authors to expr ...
'' ('for our altars and hearths', or more colloquially, 'for hearth and home'). The yeomen wore white breeches and black riding boots. The Hull Troop wore a green uniform with green facings and Yeomanry helmet, and the uniform of the Yorkshire Wold Troop is also believed to have been green. The East York Provisional Cavalry wore a green uniform with red facings. When the Grimston Yeomanry were reformed in 1803 they continued to wear the scarlet uniform with buff facings and silver braid, but now with scarlet pantaloons. The reformed Yorkshire Wold Troop now wore scarlet with green facings. The Everingham Troop adopted scarlet with yellow facings and white pantaloons. The East Riding of Yorkshire Imperial Yeomanry wore serge
khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan (color), tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage rela ...
uniforms in drill order, with staff cap and brown equipment. The walking out dress comprised a
Slouch hat A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...
and a serge tunic with blue plastron front, shoulder straps and waistbelt. After it became a lancer unit it adopted full dress uniform with a Chapka lance cap, the upper part covered in light blue cloth, and a tunic of
maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...
cloth (an unusual colour for the British Army) with light blue plastron, shoulder straps and cuffs. The unit adopted as its badge a running fox and the motto 'Forrard' in recognition of its foxhunting heritage.


Honorary colonels

The following served as honorary colonel of the unit: *
Marmaduke Constable-Maxwell, 11th Lord Herries of Terregles Marmaduke Constable-Maxwell, 11th Lord Herries of Terregles, (4 October 1837 – 5 October 1908) was Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1880 and Lord-Lieutenant of Kirkcudbrightshire from 1885 until his death. The son of Willia ...
, Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding, appointed 14 February 1902, died 5 October 1908 *
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock (12 May 1849 – 15 January 1912) was a British soldier, Liberal politician and colonial administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896. Early life Lawley was the son of Beilby Lawley, 2nd ...
,
GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # K ...
,
GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...
, KCB, VD, former CO, appointed 6 October 1908, died 15 January 1912 * Lt-Col J.B. Stracey-Clitherow,
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
TD, former CO, appointed 6 June 1912 * Col Hon Guy Greville Wilson, CMG, DSO, TD, CO of 1/1st EYR during World War I, appointed 2 January 1932, died 1 February 1943. *
Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
Raleigh Chichester-Constable, DSO, appointed 29 July 1947. * Col William Douglas Baird Thompson, DSO, MC, TD, DL, appointed 21 December 1955, to 1956


Memorials

There is a pair of identical carved stone memorial tablets in
Beverley Minster Beverley Minster, otherwise known as the Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one-thir ...
to the casualties of the First World War and Second World War. The former Museum of Army Transport at Beverley held a pair of wooden boards listing the regiment's battle honours for the First World War and the Second World War,IWM War Memorials Register ref 34749.
/ref> and another pair listing members of the regiment awarded honours and medals with the BEF in the Battle of France (18 names) and in North West Europe (55 names, of whom 2 died). Many items from the museum were transferred to the
National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...
.


Museum

A display of East Riding Yeomanry militaria, collected by Neil Hutty, opened to the public in May 2025 at
Burton Constable Hall Burton Constable Hall is a large Elizabethan English country house, country house in England, with 18th- and 19th-century interiors and a fine 18th-century cabinet of curiosities. The hall, a Grade I listed building, is set in a park designed b ...
, near Skirlaugh in the East Riding. Burton Constable Hall is an historic Grade I listed Elizabethan house, home to the Constable family for over 700 years (including Brigadier Raleigh Chichester-Constable), the collection illustrates the history of the East Riding Yeomanry, known as 'Wenlock's Horse' after the founder, Lord Wenlock, from its formation in 1902 until amalgamation in 1956.


See also

*
Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...
* List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908 *
Yeomanry order of precedence Precedence is the order in which the various corps of the British Army parade, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme right being highest. Precedence The British Army has frequently been the subject of amalgamation and re-organisation th ...
*
British yeomanry during the First World War The British yeomanry during the First World War were part of the British Army reserve Territorial Force. Initially, in 1914, there were fifty-seven regiments and fourteen mounted brigades. Soon after the declaration of war, second and third lin ...
*
Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army Yeomanry are part of the reserve for the British Army. At the start of First World War there were fifty-four yeomanry regiments in the British Army. Soon after the declaration of war, it was decided to increase the number of these volunteer mounte ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * * ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Richard Doherty, ''Hobart's 79th Armoured Division at War: Invention, Innovation and Inspiration'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011, . * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * * Major L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol I: ''The Battle of Normandy'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * * * Lt-Gen H.G. Martin, ''The History of the Fifteenth Scottish Division 1939–1945'', Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1948/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2014, . * R.W.S. Norfolk, ''Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteer Forces of the East Riding 1689–1908'', York: East Yorkshire Local History Society, 1965. * René North, ''Military Uniforms 1686–1918'', London: Hamlyn, 1970, . * * Col H.C.B. Rogers, ''The Mounted Troops of the British Army 1066–1945'', London: Seeley Service, 1959. * Tim Saunders, ''Operation Plunder: The British and Canadian Rhine Crossing'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2006, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, .
Robert Wright, ''A Memoir of General James Oglethorpe, one of the Earliest Reformers of Prison Discipline in England, and the Founder of Georgia, in America'', London: Chapman & Hall, 1867.


External links


Anglo Boer War



British Army units from 1945 on

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

The Long, Long Trail


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100118221541/http://warpath.orbat.com/index.htm The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918 (archive site) {{RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War Yeomanry regiments of the British Army Yeomanry regiments of the British Army in World War I Regiments of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1902 Military units and formations in the East Riding of Yorkshire Military units and formations in Kingston upon Hull Military units and formations in Beverley Regiments of Yorkshire Military units and formations disestablished in 1956