Bedfordshire Yeomanry
Encyclopedia
Bedfordshire Yeomanry, a unit of the British Army
originally raised in 1797 as a body of independent troops, the Bedfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry was disbanded after the Napoleonic Wars
and briefly reformed from 1817 to 1827.
In 1901 the Bedfordshire Yeomanry was re-constituted as the Bedfordshire Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa
(Second Boer War
).
From 1908 the Bedfordshire Yeomanry was part of the Territorial Force
, training as Lancers, with its Headquarters at Bedford
and sub-units and detachments as follows:
• A Squadron at Bedford
• B Squadron at Biggleswade (det at Shefford)
• C Squadron at Dunstable (dets at Leighton Buzzard, Woburn, Ampthill)
• D Squadron at Godmanchester (Hunts.) (dets at St. Neots, Kimbolton, Ramsey, Somersham, Sutton, Chatteris)
During World War I
the 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry served in the territories of the French Third Republic
, eventually dismounting to serve in the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Cambrai and the Hundred Days Offensive
in 1918. The record of the unit’s service was set out by L. R. C. Southern (Lieutenant), an officer of the regiment, in The Bedfordshire Yeomanry in the Great War (Rush & Warwick, Bedford, 1935). 2/1st & 3/1st formations were also formed, remaining in the UK throughout the war.
After the Great War the unit was re-organised as an artillery regiment, in which form it saw out World War II
.
In 1961 it was amalgamated to become the 286th (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
originally raised in 1797 as a body of independent troops, the Bedfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry was disbanded after the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and briefly reformed from 1817 to 1827.
In 1901 the Bedfordshire Yeomanry was re-constituted as the Bedfordshire Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(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...
).
From 1908 the Bedfordshire Yeomanry was part of the 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:...
, training as Lancers, with its Headquarters at Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and sub-units and detachments as follows:
• A Squadron at Bedford
• B Squadron at Biggleswade (det at Shefford)
• C Squadron at Dunstable (dets at Leighton Buzzard, Woburn, Ampthill)
• D Squadron at Godmanchester (Hunts.) (dets at St. Neots, Kimbolton, Ramsey, Somersham, Sutton, Chatteris)
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry served in the territories of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, eventually dismounting to serve in the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Cambrai and the Hundred Days Offensive
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...
in 1918. The record of the unit’s service was set out by L. R. C. Southern (Lieutenant), an officer of the regiment, in The Bedfordshire Yeomanry in the Great War (Rush & Warwick, Bedford, 1935). 2/1st & 3/1st formations were also formed, remaining in the UK throughout the war.
After the Great War the unit was re-organised as an artillery regiment, in which form it saw out World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1961 it was amalgamated to become the 286th (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.