Royal East Kent Yeomanry
Encyclopedia
The Royal East Kent Yeomanry were formed in 1794, originally as a series of independent troops based in the important towns of Kent
, England.In the latter part of the 19th century they frequently provided escorts for the Queen and members of the Royal Family, and as a result, in 1856 the East Kent Yeomanry became the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles (Duke of Connaught's Own).
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 (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new regiment. Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport.
The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officer
s, 10,371 men with 20 battalion
s 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 Royal East Kent Yeomanry provided troops for the 33rd Company ,11th Battalion.
.
In September 1915 the regiment was dismounted and moved to the Dardanelles
and saw action at the Battle of Gallipoli
, landing on 8 October, 1915 and attached to the 42nd Division
.
After the evacuation of Gallipoli, they were sent to Egypt
, arriving in February 1916 joining the 3rd Dismounted Brigade.
The regiment was then amagamated in February 1917 with the West Kent Yeomanry, together they formed the 10th Battalion (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry), the Buffs and moved to France in May 1918 as Infantry.
and 6th Cavalry Brigades) the remaining Yeomanry Regiments would be re roled as Artillery. The Royal East Kent Yeomanry was one of the regiments now re-designated and formed part of the Royal Artillery
. Together with Kent's other Yeomanry regiment The West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own), they formed the 6th (Kent) Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, in 1920. In 1921 it became the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, consisting of the Canterbury based 385th, and 386th Ashford based (Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry) Batteries, and the Bromley based 387th and the Maidstone based 388th (Queen's Own Yeomanry) Batteries. In 1938 the unit was re-designated as the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Army Field Regiment, Royal Artillery,
, seeing action at St. Valery-en-Caux in June 1940, after the German advance the regiment destroyed its guns and equipment and headed to Dunkirk for evacuation in Operation Dynamo
.
The regiment then moved to the Middle east and served in the 10th Army as part of the 10th Indian Division
in Iraq
during 1941. It later joined the 7th Armoured Division
the Desert Rats in July 1942, being involved in the Battle of Alam El Halfa the First and Second Battle of El Alamein
, until October 1943 when it rejoined the 10th Indian Division, serving in North Africa, Palestine
and Italy, where it ended the war on the Adriatic coast near Trieste
.
The Second Line regiment spent the first two years of the war in Iceland. On its return to the UK in 1941 the regiment joined the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division they were involved in the D-Day actions giving support to the forces attacking Caen
. They were also in action around Le Havre
and at the Turnhout Canal.
The winter of 1944-45 was spent on the Dutch - German border along the River Maas
. Their final action was at Arnhem in April 1945.
In 1961 the Kent Yeomanry was amalgamated with the Sharpshooters to form a reconnaissance regiment. Six years later the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) was reduced to squadron strength to form C Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry
More recently members of the Squadron have been deployed on operational tours in support of the regular army to Kosovo
, Bosnia
and Kuwait
.
In 2003 nine members of the Squadron were mobilised to form part of a Royal Yeomanry Squadron for the Joint NBC Regiment deploying on Operation TELIC
.
Further deployments have been to the southern province of Basra
and Al Amarah, in Iraq
.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England.In the latter part of the 19th century they frequently provided escorts for the Queen and members of the Royal Family, and as a result, in 1856 the East Kent Yeomanry became the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles (Duke of Connaught's Own).
Boer War
On 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces serve in the Second Boer WarBoer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
was made. Due to the string of defeats during Black Week
Black Week
In one disastrous week, dubbed Black Week, from 10-17 December 1899, the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg , Magersfontein and Colenso , with 2,776 men killed, wounded and captured...
in December, 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army, thus issuing a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
on 24 December 1899. This warrant officially created 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...
.
The Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each. In addition to this, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new regiment. Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport.
The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
s, 10,371 men with 20 battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and 4 companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
, which arrived 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...
between February and April, 1900. Upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations.
The Royal East Kent Yeomanry provided troops for the 33rd Company ,11th Battalion.
World War I
During World War I the Royal East Kent Yeomanry formed three regiments, the original regiment now known as the 1/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry, was joined by a second line regiment (2/1st) and a third line regiment (3/1st).1/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry
The 1/1st Royal East Kents Yeomanry were mobilised in August 1914 and joined the 1st South Eastern Mounted Brigade, 1st Mounted Division1st Mounted Division
The 1st Mounted Division was formed in August 1914 for the home defence of the United Kingdom. It was formed from existing mounted brigades of the Territorial Force, each of three regiments of Yeomanry....
.
In September 1915 the regiment was dismounted and moved to the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
and saw action at the Battle of Gallipoli
Battle 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...
, landing on 8 October, 1915 and attached to the 42nd Division
42nd (East Lancashire) Division
The 42nd Division was a Territorial Force division of the British Army. Originally called the East Lancashire Division, it was redesignated as the 42nd Division on 25 May 1915. It was the first Territorial division to be sent overseas during the First World War. The division fought at Gallipoli,...
.
After the evacuation of Gallipoli, they were sent to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, arriving in February 1916 joining the 3rd Dismounted Brigade.
The regiment was then amagamated in February 1917 with the West Kent Yeomanry, together they formed the 10th Battalion (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry), the Buffs and moved to France in May 1918 as Infantry.
2/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry
The 2/1st was formed September 1914,they were converted to a cyclist unit in 1916 attached to the 4th Mounted Division and would remain in the United Kingdom until April 1918 when moved to Ireland. They ended the war in Ireland and did not see active service.3/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry
The 3/1st was formed in 1915, they also remained in United Kingdom until being disbanded in early 1917.Between the wars
On the reforming of the TA, the 14 senior Yeomanry Regiments remained as horsed cavalry regiments (6 forming the 5th5th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 5th Cavalry Brigade, was a part of the British Army, it served in both world wars in World War One it was part of the 2nd Cavalry Division, and during the Second World War it was formed in 1939 from Yeomanry Regiments and part of the 1st Cavalry Division....
and 6th Cavalry Brigades) the remaining Yeomanry Regiments would be re roled as Artillery. The Royal East Kent Yeomanry was one of the regiments now re-designated and formed part of 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:...
. Together with Kent's other Yeomanry regiment The West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own), they formed the 6th (Kent) Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, in 1920. In 1921 it became the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, consisting of the Canterbury based 385th, and 386th Ashford based (Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry) Batteries, and the Bromley based 387th and the Maidstone based 388th (Queen's Own Yeomanry) Batteries. In 1938 the unit was re-designated as the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Army Field Regiment, Royal Artillery,
97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment
The 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment served with the 5th Infantry Division, during the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, seeing action at St. Valery-en-Caux in June 1940, after the German advance the regiment destroyed its guns and equipment and headed to Dunkirk for evacuation in Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
.
The regiment then moved to the Middle east and served in the 10th Army as part of the 10th Indian Division
10th Indian Division
The 10th Indian Division was a formation of the British Indian Army during World War I. It was the basis of Indian Expeditionary Force F which served in Egypt and was disbanded in March 1915....
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....
during 1941. It later joined the 7th Armoured Division
British 7th Armoured Division
The 7th Armoured Division was a British armoured division which saw service during the Second World War where its exploits made it famous as the Desert Rats....
the Desert Rats in July 1942, being involved in the Battle of Alam El Halfa the First and Second Battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
, until October 1943 when it rejoined the 10th Indian Division, serving in North Africa, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Italy, where it ended the war on the Adriatic coast near Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
.
143rd (Kent yeomanry) Field Regiment
In 1939 the 143rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (Kent Yeomanry) was formed as a duplicate of 97th Regiment.The Second Line regiment spent the first two years of the war in Iceland. On its return to the UK in 1941 the regiment joined the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division they were involved in the D-Day actions giving support to the forces attacking Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
. They were also in action around Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and at the Turnhout Canal.
The winter of 1944-45 was spent on the Dutch - German border along the River Maas
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
. Their final action was at Arnhem in April 1945.
Post war
In 1947 it became the 297th (Kent Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal ArtilleryIn 1961 the Kent Yeomanry was amalgamated with the Sharpshooters to form a reconnaissance regiment. Six years later the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) was reduced to squadron strength to form C Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry
Royal Yeomanry
The Royal Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the Territorial Army consisting of five squadrons and a military band:*A Squadron *B Squadron...
More recently members of the Squadron have been deployed on operational tours in support of the regular army to Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
.
In 2003 nine members of the Squadron were mobilised to form part of a Royal Yeomanry Squadron for the Joint NBC Regiment deploying on 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...
.
Further deployments have been to the southern province of Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
and Al Amarah, 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....
.