West Somerset Yeomanry
Encyclopedia
The West Somerset Yeomanry was formed in 1794, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...

 was the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 of Great Britain and, across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its King and possessed a revolutionary army numbering half a million men. The Prime Minister 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
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...

 to subdue any civil disorder within the country.

Boer War

On 13 December 1899, the decision was made to allow volunteer forces to serve in the Second Boer War. 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 it wa 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 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 inscription "South Africa" on the Regimental crest commemorates service in the Boer War. The regiment provided troops for the 7th Battalion 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...

, and sailed for the Cape in March 1900.

World War I

During World War I the regiment formed second (2/1st) and third (3/1st) line regiments.

1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry

On mobilisation the original regiment, now known as the 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry, was attached to the 2nd Mounted Brigade of the 1st Mounted Division
1st 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 October 1915, they were dismounted, and moved overseas to take part in 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...

 campaign and landed at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...

 where they were attached to the 11th (Northern) Division. This lasted until the 5 November 1915, when they were attached to the 2nd Mounted Division.

After the evacuation of Gallipoli, they moved 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...

 and became part of the 2nd Dismounted Brigade, part of the Western Frontier Force
Western Frontier Force
The Western Frontier Force was a force of British Empire troops formed in response to the Senussi Uprising and coming under the command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force....

.

On 4 January 1917, the regiment was converted to an infantry unit and formed the 12th Battalion, (West Somerset Yeomanry), Somerset Light Infantry, now attached to the 229th Brigade, 74th (Yeomanry) Division. It was as part of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division that they moved 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 France until the end of the war.

2/1st West Somerset Yeomanry

The 2/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was formed in September 1914 and converted into a cyclist unit in 1916. It remained in the United Kingdom until moving to Ireland in May 1918, until the end of the war.

3/1st West Someraset Yeomanry

The third line regiment the 3/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was formed in 1915. It remained in the United Kingdom until disbanded in early 1917.

Between the wars

The Regiment was reformed in 1920 as a Gunner Brigade. On re-organisation in 1927, two West Somerset Yeomanry Batteries were brigaded with two Batteries of the Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry
Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry was founded as the Dorsetshire Regiment of Volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry in 1794. In response to the growing threat of invasion during the Napoleonic wars....

 forming the 94th Brigade R.F.A.

World War II

On mobilisation in 1939, the Regiment, now known as the 55 (Wessex) Field Regiment R.A., formed a seciond line Regiment known as the 112 Field Regiment RA.

55 (Wessex) Field Regiment

The regiment was formed around two batteries the 373 (W Somerset Yeo) and 374 (W Somerset Yeo) both equipped with 25 pounder guns and initially attached to the 45th Infantry Division.

The regiment remained in the United Kingdom, until landing in Normandy on D-Day plus 21 as part of the Guards Armoured Division which it had joined in 1942.

It saw its first action at Pubot en Bassin and was involved in the battles for Carpiquet Areodrome, 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....

 and the Miny Bocage.

It was with the Guards Armoured Division's when it advanced from the Falaise Gap to the capture of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 and in the assaults on the Albert Canal
Albert Canal
The Albert Canal is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It connects the major cities Antwerp and Liège and the Meuse and Scheldt rivers. It has a depth of , a free height of and a total length of...

 and the Escaut Canal. Italso participated in the Battle of the Reichswald and provided support for the assault river crossing of the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...

.

It ended the war at Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

 where it was deployed in an occupational role.

112 Field Regiment RA(TA)

This regiment was a second line regiment formed from the 55 (Wessex) Field Regiment. It consisted of two batteries, the 217 and 220 (Wiltshire). It remained in the United Kingdom until June 1944 when it was deployed to France, with the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.

Post-war

In 1947, the Regiment was reformed with the title 55th Field Regiment R.A. until February 1967, when with the reduction of the Territorial Army it ceased to exist as a regiment.
Some elements of the Regiment, along with elements of the North Somerset Yeomanry
North Somerset Yeomanry
The North Somerset Yeomanry was first raised in Frome in 1798. A condition of service was that it should not be required to march more than 10 miles from the town and it was soon disbanded in 1802...

, were combined with the Somerset Light Infantry to form the Somerset Yeomanry and Light Infantry, which changed title again in 1971 to become the 6th Battalion The Light Infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...

(Volunteers).
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