The Middlesex Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry regiment of the British Army originally raised in 1797. It saw mounted and dismounted action in the Second Boer War and in the First World War at Gallipoli, Salonika and in Palestine, where one of its officers won a Victoria Cross at the Battle of Buqqar Ridge and the regiment rode into Damascus with 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Between the world wars the regiment was converted to the signals role and it provided communications for armoured formations in the Second World War, including service in minor operations in Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Iran, as well as the Western Desert, Italian and North-West European campaigns. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army and its lineage is maintained today by 31 (Middlesex Yeomanry and Princess Louise's Kensington) Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals, which forms part of the Army Reserve.
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.Rogers, p. 145. A cavalry troop entitled the Uxbridge Volunteer Cavalry was raised by Christopher Baynes (later Sir Christopher Baynes, 1st Baronet) in 1797. By 1798 the unit consisted of over 100 men organised in two Troops. It was once called out, in 1801 to prevent rioting.Money Barnes, pp. 194–7.Lord & Watson, pp. 156–9.Nalder, pp. 594–5. After the Treaty of Amiens was concluded in 1802 the regiment was disbanded following a spate of industrial unrest and rioting, authorisation was given on 10 December 1830 to raise two new troops of Yeomanry in the Uxbridge district. It was raised as the Uxbridge Squadron of Yeomanry Cavalry with troops at Harefield and West Drayton, in 1830. The regiment was called upon to provide an escort for King William IV as he passed through Uxbridge to visit the Marquess of Westminster at Moor Park in 1834. The unit was called out on several occasions, notably in 1832 and at the time of the 1848 Chartist meeting on Kennington Common, but merely 'stood by' in barracks and saw no action.
The Uxbridge Squadron became the Middlesex Yeomanry Cavalry in 1838 with the following organisation: A Troop in London B Troop in Uxbridge C Troop in London D Troop in West Middlesex (including a contingent at Brighton, Sussex)
Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Yeomanry units places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The Middlesex Yeomanry were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 3rd Division of II Corps based at Dorking, alongside Regular units of infantry, artillery and engineers.Army List, various dates.
In the early 1880s the regiment's headquarters (HQ) moved to 43 Albemarle Street in London's West End, later to 25 Chapel Street off Edgware Road, and it had the following organisation:
A Troop in Brighton B Troop in London C Troop in London D Troop in West Middlesex
The regiment evolved to become the Middlesex Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry (Uxbridge) in 1871 and, by order of Field Marshal the Duke of Cambridge, serving at that time as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, the Middlesex (Duke of Cambridge's Hussars) Yeomanry Cavalry in 1884.
By 1899 RHQ was at 1 Cathcart Road, South Kensington, and the regiment was in the 1st Yeomanry Brigade together with the Berkshire Yeomanry.
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, particularly mounted troops. On 13 December, the War Office decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the field, and a Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December that officially created the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). This was organised as county service companies of approximately 115 men enlisted for one year. Existing yeomen and fresh volunteers (mainly middle and upper class) quickly filled the new force, which was equipped to operate as Mounted infantry.Dunlop, pp. 104–18.Money Barnes, pp. 242–5.Rogers, p. 228.Spiers, p. 239.
The Middlesex Yeomanry raised the 34th and 35th (Middlesex) Companies, which served alongside two Royal East Kent Yeomanry in 11th Battalion, arriving in South Africa on 20 March, and 62nd (Middlesex) Company in 14th Battalion, which disembarked on 4 May. In 1901 it raised 112th (Middlesex) Company for the second contingent, and this company also served with 11th Bn. In 1902, 14th Bn was disbanded and 62nd (Middlesex) Company joined 11th Bn.IY at Regiments.org.IY Companies at Roll of Honour.IY at Anglo-Boer War.Money Barnes, pp. 262–4.
At the beginning of May 1900 the 11th Battalion IY, under the command of Lt-Col W.K. Mitford of the Middlesex Yeomanry, was with 8th Division in Lt-Gen Sir Leslie Rundle's column.Amery (1909), Appendix to Chapters I-XIV, pp. 503–14. Lord Roberts resumed his advance into the Orange Free State on 3 May, ordering Rundle to prevent any Boers from re-occupying the south-east of the country. On 25 May Maj Henry Dalbiac (a former Royal Artillery officer and veteran of Tel el Kebir) with 34th (Middlesex) Company, acting as advance guard, entered the empty town of Senekal. The Boers attacked the town later in the day, killing Dalbiac and three others. Four of the troopers were wounded and 13 surrendered, while seven made their escape. The rest of the division reoccupied the town later in the day.Watt.Dalbiac at Anglo-Boer War.Maurice, p. 139.
The war ground on as the Imperial forces tried to control the Boer Commandos with a system of blockhouse lines. Rundle's force was building one such line that had reached Tweefontein just before Christmas 1901, watched by a large commando under Christiaan de Wet. 11th Battalion IY was the main part of a covering force of 400 yeomanry and two guns camped on the nearby hill of Groenkop under the command of Maj Williams. The approaches were inadequately picketed, and at 02.00 on Christmas morning de Wet led his men up the hill. They were already halfway up before they were challenged by a sentry, and immediately stormed the camp, sweeping through the tents and transport lines in the dark. Of around 550 men in camp, almost 350 were killed or captured in the Battle of Groenkop, and the camp was looted by the hungry Boers. However, it was their last major success, and the war ended in April 1902.Kruger, pp. 468–9.Pakenham, pp. 264–5. The Middlesex IY companies earned the regiment its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–01.Leslie.Stonham & Freeman.
The IY concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, the Middlesex becoming the Middlesex Imperial Yeomanry (Duke of Cambridge's Hussars) in 1901. It HQ was at Rutland Yard, Knightsbridge The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the Middlesex becoming the 1st County of London Yeomanry (Middlesex, Duke of Cambridge's Hussars). It formed part of the TF's London Mounted Brigade. Regimental HQ moved to the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea in 1912.Barnes, pp. 272–4.1st CoLY at Stepping Forward London.
First World War
In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (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, 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.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/1st County of London Yeomanry
The 1st Line regiment was mobilised in August 1914 and moved with the London Mounted Brigade to Hounslow before joining the 2nd Mounted Division at Streatley.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 9–17.2nd Mounted Division at Long, Long Trail. In mid-November 1914 the division moved to Norfolk as part of the coast defences. In April 1915 the regiment was at Mundesley when the brigade was ordered overseas. The regiment entrained for Avonmouth Docks where the men embarked on the Nile on 14 April and sailed for Egypt. The horses were loaded aboard the cramped and insanitary Crispin, and 32 died during the voyage. On arrival the brigade was sent to the Suez Canal defences near Ismailia, being redesignated the 4th (London) Mounted Bde.Westlake, pp. 265–6.
Gallipoli On 10 August the 2nd Mounted Division was ordered to reorganise as a dismounted formation and prepare to proceed overseas. Each regiment left a squadron HQ and the officers and men of two troops to look after the horses. On 13 August the rest of the regiment (16 officers and 320 other ranks) entrained for Alexandria where they boarded the Caledonia the next day. It arrived at Mudros on 16 August, transhipped them to the Doris next day, and on 18 August they landed at Suvla Bay to join in the Gallipoli Campaign.
On the afternoon of 21 August the division was ordered to advance from Lala Baba across the plain to Chocolate Hill and then attack the Turkish positions on the W Hills. The advance across the plain was described by a Turkish artillery officer as presenting 'a target such as artillerymen thought impossible outside the world of dreams'. On reaching Chocolate Hill the dismounted Yeomen continued towards Scimitar Hill and Hill 112 without having a chance to reconnoitre the position or be properly briefed. Part of the hill was captured, but the surviving Yeomen came under enfilade fire and by nightfall were hanging onto a ragged line halfway up the hills. By the time the Middlesex Yeomanry were withdrawn to Lala Baba the following day they had suffered casualties of 10 killed or died of wounds and 46 wounded. This, the Battle of Scimitar Hill, was the last British attack delivered on the Suvla Front.North, pp. 182–5.
From now on the regiment took its turns holding the front line. By 4 September the Yeomanry were so weak from casualties and sickness that the brigade (1/1st County of London (Middlesex), 1/1st City of London (Rough Riders) and 1/3rd County of London (Sharpshooters)) was formed into a composite 4th London Regiment of Yeomanry. The regiment was relieved on 17 September by the Scottish Horse, one look-out mistakenly reporting the arrival of some Scottish Gaelic-speaking soldiers as a Turkish break-in. When the Middlesex Yeomanry were withdrawn to Lala Baba on 1 November they were reduced to fewer than 50 men. They were evacuated to Mudros and then Egypt to recuperate, the regiment regaining its independence in December.
Salonika During December 1915 and January 1916 the 2nd Mounted Division was broken up and its units distributed to other formations. 4th (London) Mounted Brigade was redesignated 8th Mounted Brigade and sent to Abbassia to return to the Suez Canal defences. In November the brigade was sent to the Macedonian front, disembarking at Salonika and going up-country to serve as GHQ troops. On occasions mounted parties of the Middlesex Yeomanry, riding with muffled bits, were sent out at night into No man's land (here about wide) to erect barbed wire obstacles.Wakefield & Moody, pp. 9, 126–9, Appendix.
Palestine