The regiment was formed on the creation of the Territorial Force in April 1908 and placed under orders of the South Wales Mounted Brigade. The predecessor was the Montgomeryshire Imperial Yeomanry which saw service in the Boer War. It was headquartered at Welshpool with the squadrons being headquartered as follows:
A Squadron: Llanfyllin (and drill stations at Meifod, Llanrhaiadr, Llanfihangel, Llangewyn, Trefonen, Llanfair and Llansiantffraid)
B Squadron: Welshpool (Guilsfield, Castle Ceireinion, Four Crosses, Chirbury, Berriew, Trewern and Forden)
C Squadron: Newtown (Church Stoke, Caersws, New Mills, Llanbrynmair, Montgomery, Trefeglwys, Bettws, Cemmaes Road, Dolfor and Llangurig)
D Squadron: Llandrindod Wells (Llanidloes, Builth Wells, Rhayader, Llanbister, Knighton and Hay on Wye)
1/1st Montgomeryshire Yeomanry
This is the original, ‘first line’ regiment
August 1914 : moved with the brigade to Hereford.
29 August 1914 : moved to Thetford in Norfolk, later going on to Aylsham near Blickling.
Brigade came under command of 1st Mounted Division.
By late September 1915 was at Holt and in October moved to Cromer.
November 1915 : dismounted.
4 March 1916 : sailed from Devonport for service in Middle East. Arrived Alexandria 11 March.
20 March 1916 : brigade joined with Welsh Border Mounted Brigade to form 4th Dismounted Brigade, under command of Western Frontier Force.
[1 January 1917: a draft of c. 40 men under Capt. H. D. Clinch were on the troopship”Ivernia” when it was torpedoed in the Mediterranean]
4 March 1917 : merged with 1/1st Welsh Horse to form 25th (Montgomery & Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Placed under command of 231st Brigade in 74th (Yeomanry) Division. [Note: I have found from men’s service records that troops transferred to RWF on 16 December 1916 but it is not certain that this applied to all]
Article: The 25th Battalion (Montgomery & Welsh Horse) Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the Third Battle of Gaza
May 1918 : moved with division to France.
2/1st
Formed as a Second-Line regiment in September 1914 and remained at home throughout the war.
July 1915 : moved to Dorchester and placed under orders of 2/1st South Wales Mounted Brigade.
September 1915 : moved with brigade to Southwold; brigade now under orders of 1st Mounted Division.
April 1916: now at Rendlesham, brigade became 4th Mounted Brigade. Absorbed 2/1st Welsh Horse.
July 1916: moved to Thorndon Park (Brentwood) and joined 2nd Mounted Brigade of new 1st Mounted Division.
October 1916: converted to a cyclist unit and with 2/1st Denbighshire Yeomanry formed 3rd (Denbigh & Montgomery) Yeomanry Cyclist Battalion, under orders of 1st Cyclist Brigade, at Worlingham.
March 1917 : resumed identity.
By November 1917 was at Gorleston and there remained.
3/1st
Formed as a Third-Line training unit in June 1915. Moved to Brecon and then sent to the 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment which was stationed at the Curragh Camp in County Kildare in Ireland. During the summer of 1915 it moved to Marlborough Barracks in Dublin and subsequently relocated to Arbour Hill Barracks. The 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment trained men for the 5th and 12th Lancers, City of London Ye
omanry, 1st County of London Yeomanry, Cheshire Yeomanry, Denbighshire Yeomanry, Glamorgan Yeomanry, Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry, Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry, Montgomeryshire Yeomanry, Pembroke Yeomanry, Shropshire Yeomanry and the Welsh Horse Yeomanry.
When the nationalist rising began in Dublin on Easter Monday 1916 the 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment was the largest single unit of the British Army based there at the time, numbering 886 personnel. After receiving the alert from the Dublin Metropolitan Police of the outbreak, the troops were ordered to Dublin Castle, the administrative base of British rule in Ireland. Squadrons of soldiers from the 6th Reserve were sent out to capture rebels and ammunition in the city and county of Dublin and surrounding counties. Major Louis Tamworth was in command of Montgomeryshire Yeomanry and secured a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic which was reportedly torn from the walls of the General Post Office – a large building which the rebels had seized as a headquarters – by a member of the Yeomanry. On his return home to Devonshire he had it framed and mounted. The Library of Trinity College Dublin purchased it from the Tamworth family in 1970.
The 3/1st remained in Ireland until June 1916 when it was dismounted to become infantry and moved to Gobowen in Shropshire. Shortly afterwards it went to the nearby Park Hall Camp at Oswestry.
Early in 1917 the 3/1st was disbanded: troops were posted to to 2/1st Montgomershire Yeomanry and 4th Reserve Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Numbering
In the 1917 renumbering of the Territorials, the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry issued numbers from the block 135001-140000. Corps of Dragoons.
Links
The regimental collection is at
Powysland Museum
The Canal Wharf
Welshpool
SY21 7AQ
Tel: 01938 554656