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Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
Encyclopedia
The Ayrshire Yeomanry was a Regiment of the British Yeomanry
and is now an armoured Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry
(QOY), part of the British Territorial Army. It is the Lowlands of Scotland's only Royal Armoured Corps
Unit and has an unbroken history stretching back to the 1790s.
The Squadron is part of 15 (North East) Brigade
within the Army's 2nd Division
,however, because of the geographic spread of the QOY the Squadron is administered by 51st (Scottish) Brigade
.
The Queen's Own Yeomanry
is the only yeomanry
regiment that serves in the formation reconnaissance role
, equipped with the CVR(T)
family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar
and Spartan
. On mobilisation, it provides squadrons to reinforce the regular formation reconnaissance regiments. It has provided personnel to both Operation HERRICK
in Afghanistan
and Operation TELIC
in Iraq
, who have served with their regular counterparts in the Royal Armoured Corps
and other arms and services.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry has won numerous battle honours and one Victoria Cross
.
and consists of a Squadron Headquarters Element (SHQ), 3 Sabre Troops, a Squadron Quarter Master Segeant (SQMS) Department and a REME
Light Aid Detachment
(LAD).
The Squadron is supported by Adjutant General's Corps
Clerks, Royal Logistics Corps Chefs and Royal Army Medical Corps
Medics.
The TA Officers and Soldiers hold all of the command appointments but on a day-to-day basis the unit is managed by a team of Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), Permanent Staff Instructors (PSIs) (SNCO instructors posted from the Regular Army) and civil servants.
by The Earl of Cassillis
in around 1794. It was formally adopted into the Army List in 1798 as The Ayrshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry making it the 7th most senior Yeomanry Regiment in the Army and the most senior in Scotland. The Yeomanry were established and recruited at this time to provide Britain with a defence against any invasion by Napoleon and French forces.
The Regiment spent its formative years in aid to the civil powers reacting to and controlling riots across Ayrshire and beyond, most notably in Paisley
. In 1897 the Regiment was granted permission to use the title Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry (Earl of Carrick's Own) in honour of the future King Edward VII, as Earl of Carrick
is a subsidiary title of the Princes of Wales
deriving from the Ayrshire
district of Carrick
. During these early years the Regiment adopted the uniorm and role of Hussar
s.
, sponsored the formation and deployment of the 17th Company of the 6th (Scottish) Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry
for service in the Second Boer War
. This was the first overseas deployment of the Yeomanry. Upon their return in 1901 the Regiment was reorganized as mounted infantry
and titled the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into the new Territorial Force
, returning to the cavalry role.
, serving as dismounted infantry
, they were attached to 52nd (Lowland) Division in October and were withdrawn in January 1916 to moved to Egypt. In early 1917 the Regiment was amalgamated with The Lanarkshire Yeomanry to form the 12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers
in 74th (Yeomanry) Division (The Broken Spurs), seeing service in the Palestine campaign before moving to the Western Front
in May 1918. A member of this Regiment, Thomas Caldwell, won the Victoria Cross
on 31 October 1918 at Oudenaarde
in Belgium.
The Regiment raised a second-line battalion, the 2/1st Ayrshire Yeomanry, in September 1914; this remained in the United Kingdom and was converted into a cyclist unit
in 1916. It moved to Ireland in May 1918, but did not see overseas service. A third-line battalion was formed in 1915, and remained in the United Kingdom until disbanded in 1917, with personnel transferred to the 4th Royal Scots Fusiliers
.
Following demobilisation after the War, the Regiment was reconstituted in 1920 in the Territorial Army.
organisation. In 1940 the Regiment transferred into the Royal Artillery
and duly formed two Regiments of Field Artillery
; 151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA, formed in February, and 152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, formed in April as a second-line duplicate.
The 151st remained in the United Kingdom until 1942, when it was assigned to 46th Infantry Division
and fought in the Tunisia Campaign
. It was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division in 1944, and remained with it through the campaign in North-Western Europe.
The 152nd was attached to the 6th Armoured Division in mid-1942, and moved with the division to North Africa that November. It remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in the Tunisia Campaign
, and the Italian Campaign
, ending the war in Austria. When peace was declared the 152nd Regiment found itself in Austria and immediately organised a gymkhana
using horses from a local Cavalry depot.
Both Regiments fought with great courage and between them they won four Distinguished Service Order
s, twenty one Military Cross
es and twenty four Military Medal
s.
. The regiment was made part of 30 (Lowland) Independent Armoured Brigade. During this time the Regiment were issued with a wide variety of equipments, including at one stage flamethrower tanks
. The Regiment consisted of Sabre Squadrons at Ayr
, Dalry & Kilmarnock
with RHQ & Carrick Troop (HQ Sqn) in Ayr.
In 1961 the Ayrshire Yeomanry paraded at Culzean Castle, where they had been raised so many years before. They were presented with their First Guidon
bearing the Honours which had been hard won since the first overseas deployment to South Africa and through two World Wars.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry continued as an independent Regiment until 1969 when, in common with most of the Yeomanry Regiments, it was reduced to a Cadre of just a few men.
On 1 April 1971 this cadre gave rise to two new units; B Squadron of the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment, later renamed The Queen's Own Yeomanry, at the former RHQ in Ayr and 251 Squadron of 154th (Lowland) Transport Regiment
in Irvine with no affiliation to the Ayrshire Yeomanry lineage.
The Queen's Own Yeomanry were a BAOR Regiment with an Armoured
Reconnaissance role in Germany and the Ayrshire Squadron became Scotland’s only Yeomanry serving in the Royal Armoured Corps. The regiment was equipped with Ferret
, Saladin
and later CVR(W) Fox
Armoured Vehicles.
In 1992 the Squadron was transferred to the newly formed Scottish Yeomanry
. They joined a number of historic Scottish Yeomanry Squadrons that had been operating in other roles since 1969. The Scottish Yeomanry retained the Royal Armoured Corps reconnaissance role but this time it was equipped with reconnaissance Land Rover
s.
On 27 June 1998 The Scottish Yeomanry paraded in Ayr to celebrate the Bicentenary of The Ayrshire Yeomanry.
On 17 November 1998 under the Government's "Strategic Defence Review
" it was announced that The Scottish Yeomanry was to be amalgamated with The Queen's Own Yeomanry. Two of the Scottish Yeomanry's four Squadrons; The Ayrshire Yeomanry in Ayr, and The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
in Cupar
were to continue under command of The Queen's Own Yeomanry and would be equipped with CVR(T) Armoured Vehicles.
Thomas Caldwell is the only member of the unit to have been awarded the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth
forces.
Caldwell was 24 years old, and a Sergeant
in the 12th (Ayr & Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion, the Royal Scots Fusiliers
during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. The full citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette
of 3 January 1919 (dated 6 January 1919) and read:
For most conspicuous bravery and initiative in attack near Audenarde on the 31st October 1918 near Audenarde
, Belgium, when in command of a Lewis gun section engaged in clearing a farmhouse. When his section came under intense fire at close range from another farm, Sjt. Caldwell rushed towards the farm, and, in spite of very heavy fire, reached the enemy position, which he captured single-handed, together with 18 prisoners.
This gallant and determined exploit removed a serious obstacle from the line of advance, saved many casualties, and led to the capture by his section of about 70 prisoners, eight machine guns and one trench mortar.
The Guidon of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was presented by General Sir Horatius Murray KBE CB DSO at Culzean Castle
, Ayrshire
on 24 June 1961.
The Badge of the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick’s Own) Yeomanry is borne on both sides within a circlet bearing the title of the Regiment. The badge appears as a Silver Lion’s Head with Gold Wings. The whole is within the Union wreath of flowering Rose, Thistle & Shamrock surmounted by the Royal Crown.
The Battle Honours of the Regiment emblazoned on both sides of the Guidon are as follows:
Honorary Distinction: Placed under the central tie of the Union Wreath the badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery within a laurel wreath bearing four scrolls inscribed as follows:
The Regimental March of the Ayrshire Yeomanry is "The Garb of Old Gaul".
The Regiment had its own well-respected volunteer military band
until the Regiment was reduced to cadre status in 1969. Although never formally established, the Regiment, and latterly the Squadron, has enjoyed the services of pipers and drummers from amongst the serving soldiers.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry song, The Proud Trooper, was written as a poem following the Regiment's actions in South Africa and the first verse is now often sung, to the tune of Amazing Grace
, when several Ayrshire Yeomen are together.
Lyrics of the first verse of The Proud Trooper;
Only five of 842 LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
Locomotives, commonly known as "Black Fives", were named. All were named in honour of Scottish Regiments; Lanarkshire Yeomanry
, The Queens Edinburgh, Ayrshire Yeomanry, Glasgow Highlander
and Glasgow Yeomanry
.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry Locomotive was built in 1935 by Armstrong Whitworth
and carried the number 5156 in LMS
Service and 45156 when continuing into service with British Rail
.
The Locomotive is a popular model in many scales and is regularly available from Hornby
and other model makers.
A replica of the Locomotive's name plate is on display in Yeomanry House, Ayr.
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
and is now an armoured Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry
Queen's Own Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army. The Queen's Own Yeomanry is the only Yeomanry regiment that serves in the formation reconnaissance role, equipped with the CVR family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar and Spartan.On...
(QOY), part of the British Territorial Army. It is the Lowlands of Scotland's only Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
Unit and has an unbroken history stretching back to the 1790s.
The Squadron is part of 15 (North East) Brigade
British 15th Infantry Brigade
The 15th Infantry Brigade is a British Army brigade. It was part of the regular British 5th Infantry Division during the Second World War, and is now part of the British 2nd Infantry Division in the north of the United Kingdom, with specific responsibility for the areas of North East England and...
within the Army's 2nd Division
British 2nd Infantry Division
The 2nd Division is a regular division of the British army, with a long history. It dates its existence as a permanently embodied formation from 1809, when it was established by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley , as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War...
,however, because of the geographic spread of the QOY the Squadron is administered by 51st (Scottish) Brigade
British 51st Infantry Brigade
The British 51st Infantry Brigade is currently known as 51 Brigade, part of the 2nd Division. It is currently the regional administrative formation responsible for all the units of the Territorial Army based in Scotland. It is the largest Regional Brigade in the United Kingdom in terms of...
.
The Queen's Own Yeomanry
Queen's Own Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army. The Queen's Own Yeomanry is the only Yeomanry regiment that serves in the formation reconnaissance role, equipped with the CVR family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar and Spartan.On...
is the only yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
regiment that serves in the formation reconnaissance role
Formation reconnaissance regiment
The Formation Reconnaissance Regiment is one of two organisations currently provided by cavalry regiments of the British Army. Until recently, it was known as the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment....
, equipped with the CVR(T)
Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance —or CVR—is a family of armoured fighting vehicles s in service with the British Army and others throughout the world...
family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar
FV107 Scimitar
FV107 Scimitar is an armoured reconnaissance vehicle used by the British Army. It is very similar to the FV101 Scorpion but mounts a high velocity 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon instead of a 76 mm gun. It was issued to Royal Armoured Corps, Armoured Regiments in the Reconnaissance role...
and Spartan
FV103 Spartan
FV103 Spartan is a tracked armoured personnel carrier of the British Army. It was developed as the APC variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance family. The vehicle can carry up to 7 personnel, including 3 crew members. Armed with a single machine gun, it is almost indistinguishable from the...
. On mobilisation, it provides squadrons to reinforce the regular formation reconnaissance regiments. It has provided personnel to both Operation HERRICK
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Operation TELIC
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, who have served with their regular counterparts in the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
and other arms and services.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry has won numerous battle honours and one Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
Organisation
A Squadron QOY is based at Yeomanry House on Chalmers Road in AyrAyr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
and consists of a Squadron Headquarters Element (SHQ), 3 Sabre Troops, a Squadron Quarter Master Segeant (SQMS) Department and a REME
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
Light Aid Detachment
Light Aid Detachment
A Light Aid Detachment is an attached independent minor unit of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers or Detachment of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers operating as a sub-unit of the supported unit...
(LAD).
The Squadron is supported by Adjutant General's Corps
Adjutant General's Corps
The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services. As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 people...
Clerks, Royal Logistics Corps Chefs and Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
Medics.
The TA Officers and Soldiers hold all of the command appointments but on a day-to-day basis the unit is managed by a team of Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), Permanent Staff Instructors (PSIs) (SNCO instructors posted from the Regular Army) and civil servants.
Early history
The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was formed as an independent troop of Fencible CavalryCavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
by The Earl of Cassillis
Marquess of Ailsa
Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis had been created in 1509 for the 3rd Lord Kennedy. This title had been...
in around 1794. It was formally adopted into the Army List in 1798 as The Ayrshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry making it the 7th most senior Yeomanry Regiment in the Army and the most senior in Scotland. The Yeomanry were established and recruited at this time to provide Britain with a defence against any invasion by Napoleon and French forces.
The Regiment spent its formative years in aid to the civil powers reacting to and controlling riots across Ayrshire and beyond, most notably in Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. In 1897 the Regiment was granted permission to use the title Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry (Earl of Carrick's Own) in honour of the future King Edward VII, as Earl of Carrick
Earl of Carrick
The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
is a subsidiary title of the Princes of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
deriving from the Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
district of Carrick
Carrick, Scotland
Carrick is a former comital district of Scotland which today forms part of South Ayrshire.-History:The word Carrick comes from the Gaelic word Carraig, meaning rock or rocky place. Maybole was the historic capital of Carrick. The county was eventually combined into Ayrshire which was divided...
. During these early years the Regiment adopted the uniorm and role of Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
s.
Boer War
In 1900 the Regiment, with the Lanarkshire YeomanryLanarkshire Yeomanry
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in...
, sponsored the formation and deployment of the 17th Company of the 6th (Scottish) Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry
Imperial Yeomanry
The Imperial Yeomanry was a British volunteer cavalry regiment that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Officially created on 24 December 1899, the regiment was based on members of standing Yeomanry regiments, but also contained a large contingent of mid-upper class English volunteers. In...
for service in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. This was the first overseas deployment of the Yeomanry. Upon their return in 1901 the Regiment was reorganized as mounted infantry
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
and titled the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into the new Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
, returning to the cavalry role.
First World War
Upon the outbreak of World War I the Regiment was one of the fastest to react to the mobilisation order and received congratulations from Scottish Command, even though there was an initial delay in that the orders came in a code that had not been issued to the Regiment! Following mobilisation the Regiment remained in the UK until 1915 on home defence duties. They finally deployed overseas in September ofthat year to take part in the Gallipoli landingsBattle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
, serving as dismounted infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, they were attached to 52nd (Lowland) Division in October and were withdrawn in January 1916 to moved to Egypt. In early 1917 the Regiment was amalgamated with The Lanarkshire Yeomanry to form the 12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
in 74th (Yeomanry) Division (The Broken Spurs), seeing service in the Palestine campaign before moving to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in May 1918. A member of this Regiment, Thomas Caldwell, won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
on 31 October 1918 at Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Welden, Volkegem and a part of Ooike.From the 15th to the 18th...
in Belgium.
The Regiment raised a second-line battalion, the 2/1st Ayrshire Yeomanry, in September 1914; this remained in the United Kingdom and was converted into a cyclist unit
Army Cyclist Corps
The Army Cyclist Corps was a corps of the British Army active during the First World War, and controlling the Army's bicycle infantry.Volunteer cyclist units had been formed as early as the 1880s, with the first complete bicycle unit being raised in 1888...
in 1916. It moved to Ireland in May 1918, but did not see overseas service. A third-line battalion was formed in 1915, and remained in the United Kingdom until disbanded in 1917, with personnel transferred to the 4th Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
.
Following demobilisation after the War, the Regiment was reconstituted in 1920 in the Territorial Army.
Second World War
Between the First and Second World Wars the Regiment returned to its horsed Cavalry training in Scotland. However when the call to duty came again at the beginning of Second World War the Ayrshire Yeomanry were faced with a difficult choice, they were not required as a cavalry or an armoured Regiment and were instead asked to fill a gap in the Army's ArtilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
organisation. In 1940 the Regiment transferred into the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and duly formed two Regiments of Field Artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
; 151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA, formed in February, and 152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, formed in April as a second-line duplicate.
The 151st remained in the United Kingdom until 1942, when it was assigned to 46th Infantry Division
46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 46th Infantry Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Army formation during the Second World War, that was a duplicate of the 49th Infantry Division. The 46th Infantry Division was part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to France in 1940 as a labour and training unit but ended up fighting in...
and fought in the Tunisia Campaign
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
. It was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division in 1944, and remained with it through the campaign in North-Western Europe.
The 152nd was attached to the 6th Armoured Division in mid-1942, and moved with the division to North Africa that November. It remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in the Tunisia Campaign
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
, and the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
, ending the war in Austria. When peace was declared the 152nd Regiment found itself in Austria and immediately organised a gymkhana
Gymkhana
Gymkhana is a typical Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Hindi-Urdu word for "racket court," is an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held...
using horses from a local Cavalry depot.
Both Regiments fought with great courage and between them they won four Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
s, twenty one Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
es and twenty four Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
s.
Post War
After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army as a Yeomanry Regiment, under its old title of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry, and transferred into the Royal Armoured CorpsRoyal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
. The regiment was made part of 30 (Lowland) Independent Armoured Brigade. During this time the Regiment were issued with a wide variety of equipments, including at one stage flamethrower tanks
Churchill Crocodile
The Churchill Crocodile was a British flame-throwing tank of late Second World War. It was a variant of the Tank, Infantry, Mk VI Churchill Mark VII, although the Churchill Mark IV was initially chosen to be the base vehicle....
. The Regiment consisted of Sabre Squadrons at Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, Dalry & Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
with RHQ & Carrick Troop (HQ Sqn) in Ayr.
In 1961 the Ayrshire Yeomanry paraded at Culzean Castle, where they had been raised so many years before. They were presented with their First Guidon
Heraldic flag
In heraldry and vexillology, an heraldic flag is any of several types of flags, containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices, used for personal identification....
bearing the Honours which had been hard won since the first overseas deployment to South Africa and through two World Wars.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry continued as an independent Regiment until 1969 when, in common with most of the Yeomanry Regiments, it was reduced to a Cadre of just a few men.
On 1 April 1971 this cadre gave rise to two new units; B Squadron of the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment, later renamed The Queen's Own Yeomanry, at the former RHQ in Ayr and 251 Squadron of 154th (Lowland) Transport Regiment
154th (Lowland) Transport Regiment
154th Transport Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport, was a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.The regiment was formed in 1967 from two territorial transport regiments, with two transport squadrons; a third was formed from a cadre of The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in 1967, and...
in Irvine with no affiliation to the Ayrshire Yeomanry lineage.
The Queen's Own Yeomanry were a BAOR Regiment with an Armoured
Reconnaissance role in Germany and the Ayrshire Squadron became Scotland’s only Yeomanry serving in the Royal Armoured Corps. The regiment was equipped with Ferret
Ferret armoured car
The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret Scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company, Daimler...
, Saladin
Alvis Saladin
The Saladin is a six-wheeled armoured car built by Alvis, and fitted with a 76mm gun.Used extensively by the British Army, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car that had been in service since World War II.-History:...
and later CVR(W) Fox
Fox Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle
The FV721 Fox Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance was a 4x4 armoured car deployed by the British Army as a replacement for the Ferret scout car and the Saladin Armoured Car...
Armoured Vehicles.
In 1992 the Squadron was transferred to the newly formed Scottish Yeomanry
Scottish Yeomanry
The Scottish Yeomanry was a Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army formed in 1992. It served until 1999 when it was amalgamated with the Queen's Own Yeomanry .-History:...
. They joined a number of historic Scottish Yeomanry Squadrons that had been operating in other roles since 1969. The Scottish Yeomanry retained the Royal Armoured Corps reconnaissance role but this time it was equipped with reconnaissance Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
s.
On 27 June 1998 The Scottish Yeomanry paraded in Ayr to celebrate the Bicentenary of The Ayrshire Yeomanry.
On 17 November 1998 under the Government's "Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
" it was announced that The Scottish Yeomanry was to be amalgamated with The Queen's Own Yeomanry. Two of the Scottish Yeomanry's four Squadrons; The Ayrshire Yeomanry in Ayr, and The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse is a Yeomanry Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry part of the British Territorial Army. It was formed following the amalgamation of the The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and The Scottish Horse regiments....
in Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
were to continue under command of The Queen's Own Yeomanry and would be equipped with CVR(T) Armoured Vehicles.
Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Caldwell was 24 years old, and a Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 12th (Ayr & Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion, the Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. The full citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 3 January 1919 (dated 6 January 1919) and read:
For most conspicuous bravery and initiative in attack near Audenarde on the 31st October 1918 near Audenarde
Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Welden, Volkegem and a part of Ooike.From the 15th to the 18th...
, Belgium, when in command of a Lewis gun section engaged in clearing a farmhouse. When his section came under intense fire at close range from another farm, Sjt. Caldwell rushed towards the farm, and, in spite of very heavy fire, reached the enemy position, which he captured single-handed, together with 18 prisoners.
This gallant and determined exploit removed a serious obstacle from the line of advance, saved many casualties, and led to the capture by his section of about 70 prisoners, eight machine guns and one trench mortar.
The Guidon
Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle is a castle near Maybole, Carrick, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
on 24 June 1961.
The Badge of the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick’s Own) Yeomanry is borne on both sides within a circlet bearing the title of the Regiment. The badge appears as a Silver Lion’s Head with Gold Wings. The whole is within the Union wreath of flowering Rose, Thistle & Shamrock surmounted by the Royal Crown.
The Battle Honours of the Regiment emblazoned on both sides of the Guidon are as follows:
| SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02 Second Boer War The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State... |
YPRES 1917 |
| FRANCE & FLANDERS 1918 | GALLIPOLI 1915 |
| RUMANI Battle of Romani The Battle of Romani was fought east of the Suez Canal, near the Egyptian town of Romani and the site of ancient Pelusium on the Sinai Peninsula during the First World War... |
EGYPT 1916-17 |
| GAZA Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during the First World War. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Ottoman defensive Gaza-Beersheba line... |
JERUSALEM Battle of Jerusalem (1917) The Battle of Jerusalem developed from 17 November with fighting continuing until 30 December 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I... |
| TELL’ASUR | PALESTINE 1917-18 |
Honorary Distinction: Placed under the central tie of the Union Wreath the badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery within a laurel wreath bearing four scrolls inscribed as follows:
| 1942-45 | NW EUROPE | N AFRICA | ITALY |
Regimental music
The Regiment had its own well-respected volunteer military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
until the Regiment was reduced to cadre status in 1969. Although never formally established, the Regiment, and latterly the Squadron, has enjoyed the services of pipers and drummers from amongst the serving soldiers.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry song, The Proud Trooper, was written as a poem following the Regiment's actions in South Africa and the first verse is now often sung, to the tune of Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
, when several Ayrshire Yeomen are together.
Lyrics of the first verse of The Proud Trooper;
"I’ve Listed in The County Horse,
A Yeoman don’t you know,
With spurs of steel upon my heel,
full swagger now I go,
I’ve sworn an oath to serve the Queen,
And to defend Her Throne,
I’m proud to be a Trooper in,
The Earl of Carrick’s Own."
The Ayrshire Yeomanry Locomotive
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951...
Locomotives, commonly known as "Black Fives", were named. All were named in honour of Scottish Regiments; Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Lanarkshire Yeomanry
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in...
, The Queens Edinburgh, Ayrshire Yeomanry, Glasgow Highlander
Glasgow Highlanders
The Glasgow Highlanders was a former Territorial Army regiment in the British Army, it eventually became part of The Highland Light Infantry regiment in 1881, which later became The Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1959...
and Glasgow Yeomanry
Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Glasgow can trace their formation back to the late 18th century, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its...
.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry Locomotive was built in 1935 by Armstrong Whitworth
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
and carried the number 5156 in LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
Service and 45156 when continuing into service with British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
.
The Locomotive is a popular model in many scales and is regularly available from Hornby
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
and other model makers.
A replica of the Locomotive's name plate is on display in Yeomanry House, Ayr.
Alliances
- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...