The regiment was formed on the creation of the Territorial Force in April 1908 and placed under orders of the Eastern Mounted Brigade. It was headquartered at Cattle Market Street in Norwich with the squadrons being headquartered as follows:
A Squadron: Norwich (and drill stations at Attlesborough, Long Stratton, Loddon, Diss and Harleston)
B Squadron: North Walsham (Brandiston, Blofield, Coltishall, Cromer, Hanworth, Holt, Marsham, Reepham, Stalham and Great Yarmouth)
C Squadron: Fakenham (Barwick, Bircham, Brisley, Desringham, East Dereham, Fransham, Hardingham, Hunstanton, Massingham, Quarles, Summerfield, Swaffham, Watton, Wells, Wymondham and Walsingham)
D Squadron: King’s Lynn (Downham Market, Thetford and Wisbech)
A detail from the Norfolk Yeomanry memorial window in Norwich Cathedral. Note the regimental badge (GvR) on left. From the Simon_K photostream at flickr.com, with thanks
1/1st Norfolk Yeomanry
August 1914 : moved with the brigade to Woodbridge and came under orders of 1st Mounted Division.
July 1915: moved nearer to the coast.
25 September 1915 : dismounted and sailed from Liverpool on SS ‘Olympic’ for service at Gallipoli.
10 October 1915 : landed at Anzac cove whereupon brigade came under orders of 54th (East Anglian) Division.
December 1915 : evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt.
22 February 1916 : Eastern and Southern Mounted Brigades formed 3rd Dismounted Brigade, on Suez Canal defences.
July 1916 : brigade moves to join Western Frontier Force,
7 February 1917 : formally converted to infantry and became 12th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. Placed under orders of 230th Brigade in 74th (Yeomanry) Division.
7 May 1918 : landed with division at Marseilles for service in France.
21 June 1918 : transferred to 94th Brigade in 31st Division.
2/1st
Formed as a Second-Line regiment in September 1914 and remained at home throughout the war.
Under orders of 2/1st Eastern Mounted Brigade from January 1915. Moved to Huntingdon.
March 1916: brigade became 13th Mounted Brigade, under orders of 4th Mounted Division at Wivenhoe.
July 1916: converted to a cyclist unit in 5th Cyclist Brigade, under 2nd Cyclist Division.
November 1916: merged with 2/1st Suffolk Yeomanry to form 7th (Suffolk and Norfolk) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment, under command of 3rd Cyclist Brigade.
March 1917 : resumed original identity but in same brigade, now in Ipswich area. Moved to Woodbridge by July 1917.
May 1918: moved to Ireland, being at Castlereagh and then Gort.
3/1st
Formed as a Third-Line training unit in 1915.
Early 1917: disbanded, with personnel going to 2/1st and to 4th Reserve Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment.
In the 1917 renumbering of the Territorials, the Norfolk Yeomanry issued numbers from the block 140001-145000. Corps of Dragoons.
Links
The regimental collection is at
The Muckleburgh Collection
Weybourne
Holt
NR25 7EG
Tel: 01263 588210
Web: www.muckleburgh.co.uk