Hertfordshire Yeomanry
The Hertfordshire Yeomanry is a unit of the British Army specializing in artillery and yeomanry that can trace its formation to the late 18th century. First seeing service in the Second Boer War, it subsequently served in both the First World War and the Second World War. Its lineage was maintained by 201 Battery, 100th Regiment Royal Artillery until that unit was placed in suspended animation in 2014.
History
Formation and early history
In 1793 the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, 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. Five independent Troops of Yeomanry Cavalry were raised in Hertfordshire in June 1794. They were disbanded one by one between 1807 and 1824. In late 1830 and early 1831 seven new troops were formed, four of which were grouped as the South Hertfordshire Corps. Of the three independent Troops only the North Hertfordshire Troop survived. It was amalgamated with the South Hertfordshire Corps to form the Hertfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1870.Second Boer War
On 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces to 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 volunteered to join the new regiment.The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men with 20 battalions and 4 companies, which arrived in South Africa between February and April 1900. Upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations. The Hertfordshire Yeomanry provided troops for the 42nd Company,12th Battalion. The regimental headquarters moved from St Albans to Yeomanry House in Hertford in 1912.
World War I
In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 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 and 2nd Line units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.1/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry
The 1/1st was mobilised in August 1914 and attached to the Eastern Mounted Brigade, they later moved to Egypt in January 1915 and joined the Yeomanry Mounted Brigade. The Yeomanry Mounted Brigade moved to Gallipoli as dismounted troops attached to the 2nd Mounted Division and redesignated as the 5th Mounted Brigade.After the evacuation of Gallipoli they returned to Egypt in December 1915, and were remounted and moved to the Western Frontier Force.
In March 1916 the Regiment was split up, RHQ with A Squadron were attached to the 54th Division, later A Squadron joined XXI Corps, Cavalry in Palestine.
B Squadron was attached to the 11th Division, in England until on 12 July 1916 joined VI Corps Cavalry, until early in 1917 when it moved to join XVIII Corps, Cavalry. In May 1917 it became GHQ Troops. In July 1917 it returned to Egypt and in May 1918 joined XXI Corps Cavalry in Palestine.
D Squadron moved to Mesopotamia, initially on Lines of Communication duties and in July 1916 it was attached to the 13th Division, until December of that year when they moved to III Corps Cavalry.
In August 1917 they were attached to the 15th Indian Infantry Division, and in May 1918 they were tasked with Lines of Communication duties with the North Persia Force.
2/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry
The 2nd Line regiment was formed at Hertford on 1 September 1914. In August 1915, it was attached to the 69th Division at Huntingdon. On 28 April 1916 it joined the 16th Mounted Brigade of the 4th Mounted Division in the Manningtree area. It moved to West Malling in October 1916 and to the Sevenoaks area in March 1917.In September 1917, the regiment was converted to cyclists and joined the 13th Cyclist Brigade of The Cyclist Division. On 26 October it transferred to the 214th Brigade in 71st Division at Colchester. This brigade was intended to serve at Murmansk. On 12 February 1918, the brigade joined the 67th Division, still at Colchester. In March, all fit men were posted to France and the Murmansk operation was cancelled. The regiment remained in East Anglia for the rest of the war.
3/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry
The 3rd Line regiment was formed at Hertford in December 1914. In March 1915 it was affiliated to the 13th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Colchester, moving to Maresfield later in the year. In February 1917 it was absorbed into the 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth.Between the Wars
When the TF reformed as the Territorial Army in 1920, the 14 senior Yeomanry regiments remained as horsed cavalry but the remaining regiments were re-roled as Royal Artillery. In 1921 the regiment absorbed two batteries from the former 4th East Anglian Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and became 86th Brigade, RFA, with 341–4 Field Batteries, in 54th Division.World War II
During World War II there were four regiments associated with the Hertfordshire Yeomanry: the pre-war 86th Field Regiment RA and its 2nd Line unit, the 135th Field Regiment RA . 79th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was also formed in 1939. In 1942 both 86th and 147th Field Regiments supplied cadres to help form 191st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.86th (East Anglian) (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
The 86th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was mobilised in September 1939, its batteries were:- 341 Battery
- 342 Battery
- 462 Battery – formed 18 November 1940 as 343 Bty, renumbered 18 January 1941
135th (East Anglian) (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
The 135th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed in September 1939 it consisted of three batteries:The Regiment remained in the United Kingdom until 1941 when it was sent to India and joined the 18th Infantry Division and deployed to Fortress Singapore it was still serving with the 18th Division when Singapore was captured by the Japanese.
Bridge on the River Kwai
, was promoted from second-in-command of 59th Medium Regiment to command 135th Field Regiment in 1941. In October 1941, his unit was shipped to the Far East. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for heroism during the defence of Singapore. Because of his qualities of leadership, his superiors ordered him on 12 February 1942 to join the evacuation of Singapore, but Toosey refused so that he could remain with his men during their captivity. He was the senior Allied officer in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp at Tha Maa Kham in Thailand during World War II. The men at this camp built the Bridge on the River Kwai which was described in a book by Pierre Boulle and later in an Oscar-winning film in which Alec Guinness played the senior British officer. Both the book and film outraged former prisoners because Toosey did not collaborate, unlike the fictional Colonel Nicholson.79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
79th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed in 1939 with headquarters at Watford.It served in the Battle of France, The Blitz, Operation Torch and the Italian Campaign before being placed in suspended animation in early 1945.Postwar
The regiment was re-constituted as 286 Field Regiment in 1947 and absorbed 479 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1955. The regiment amalgamated with the 305th Light Regiment to form the 286th Field Regiment in 1961. The unit was disbanded in 1967 but reformed as 201 Battery, 100th Regiment Royal Artillery in 1971. Under Army 2020, this unit was placed in suspended animation in 2014.Memorial
A memorial tablet to the men of all four Hertfordshire Yeomanry artillery regiments who died during the Second World War was unveiled in St Albans Cathedral on 19 September 1954.Uniforms
In the 1890s the Hertfordshire Yeomanry wore a scarlet and blue full dress modelled on that of the regular dragoon regiments of the British Army. This included a white metal spiked helmet with black plume and the Hertfordshire badge in white metal on gilt. Simpler uniforms were worn for training and ordinary duties. After 1903 a less elaborate uniform of peaked cap, scarlet patrol jacket with white facings plus silver shoulder chains was adopted for wear by other ranks for parade and off-duty wear. Officers retained the earlier full dress, including plumed helmets and silver braided pouch belts. All ranks wore dark blue overalls with double red stripes.After 1914 the Northumberland Hussars wore the standard khaki service dress of the British Army with regimental insignia, for nearly all occasions. This included leather bandoliers during the regiment's remaining years as a mounted unit. After 1938 khaki battle dress was adopted.