The regiment, which traces a history back to 1794, was re-formed on the creation of the Territorial Force in April 1908. It was headquartered at St John’s in Warwick, with the squadrons being headquartered as shown below. The regiment came under command of the 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade.
- A Squadron: Birmingham (at the Yeomanry Club, Corporation Street)
- B Squadron: Warwick (with drill stations at Kineton, Brailes and Southam)
- C Squadron: Coventry (Rugby and Nuneaton)
- D Squadron: Stratford-upon-Avon (Henley-in-Arden, Salford Priors and Weston-sub-Edge).
1/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry
- August 1914 : moved to what is now Warwick racecourse (men being billeted in the town) while mobilisation was completed within a few days, the Birmingham, Coventry and Stratford squadrons joining at Warwick (C Sqn left Coventry on 10 August). By 12 August the War Office announced that the brigade had volunteered for service abroad. It was also decided that in addition to rifles, the men of the regiment would be armed with swords.
- 13-14 August 1914: moved by train to Bury St Edmunds; brigade came under command of 1st Mounted Division.
- 31 August 1914 : moved with brigade to Newbury and transferred to 2nd Mounted Division.
- November 1914 : moved with brigade to Norfolk, regiment to Sheringham. Moved on 17 December to Norwich.
- 11 April 1915 : horses and a detachment of men sailed from Avonmouth for Egypt on ‘Wayfarer’. Torpedoed when 60 miles NW of Scilly Isles. Towed to Queenstown (Ireland). Men finally arrived at Alexandria 24 April. The main body sailed on the ‘Saturnia’ via Malta without incident.
- 18 August 1915 : landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, dismounted. Took part in attack on Chocolate Hill and Hill 112 on 21 August.
- Early September 1915 : severe sickness together with battle casualties resulted in temporary reorganisation, merging with 1/1st Gloucestershire and 1/1st Worcestershire Yeomanry to form 1st South Midland Regiment, 1st Composite Mounted Brigade. Continued in trench warfare activities in Green Hill and Chocolate Hill sectors until evacuated to Mudros on 31 October 1915.
- December 1915 : withdrew from Gallipoli and returned to Egypt.
- January 1916 : brigade became an independent command and was retitled as 5th Mounted Brigade.
- February 1917 : brigade transferred to Imperial Mounted Division.
- June 1917 : division retitled Australian Mounted Division.
- April 1918 : merged with South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry to form “B” Battalion of the Machine Gun Corps.
- 26 May 1918 : sailed from Alexandria on ‘Leasowe Castle’ which was torpedoed. Returned to Egypt.
- 18 June 1918 : sailed again, arriving Taranto (Italy) 21 June 1918. Moved by train to Etaples.
- 19 August 1918 : renamed as 100 Battalion MGC.
Did you know? A Turkish artillery field gun, captured in the famous mounted charge at Huj on 8 November 1917, stands today in the museum of the Warwickshire Yeomanry on Jury Street in Warwick. “Shouting, they burst through the battery position, sabreing and riding down the gunners, and dashed on, through reduced now to a mere handful, to attack the machine guns“. [Official History Military Operations Egypt & Palestine Volume 2 Part 1]
2/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry
- Formed at Warwick in September 1914 as a “second line” (training, draft-supplying reserve) for the 1/1st.
- April 1915 : moved to Cirencester and came under orders of 2/1st Mounted Brigade.
- June 1915 : moved with brigade to King’s Lynn, brigade under orders of 2/2nd Mounted Division. On 14 July moved to Holkham and in October went on to Fakenham.
- April 1916 : brigade was redesignated 10th Mounted Brigade in 3rd Mounted Division. Moved to Tunbridge Wells.
- July 1916 : division retitled 1st Mounted Division; regiment moved to 1st Mounted Brigade at Horndon Park (Brentwood). Moved to Epping in November. Returned to Thorndon Park in April 1917.
- September 1917 : converted into a cyclist unit.
- October 1917 : placed under orders of 214th Brigade in 71st Division at Colchester. Preparing to move to Murmansk in North Russia.
- 12 February 1918 : brigade moved to 67th Division, also at Colchester.
- Late March 1918 : all fit men “combed out” and sent as drafts to France. Murmansk operation cancelled.
3/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry
- Formed as a “third line” (training, draft-supplying reserve for the 1/1st and 2/1st) at Warwick in June 1915, affiliated to 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment.
- February 1917: absorbed into 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth.
In the 1917 renumbering of the Territorials, the Warwickshire Yeomanry issued numbers from the block 310001-315000. Corps of Hussars.
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