Warwickshire Yeomanry

In 1941, the Territorial Army changed its title to the Royalist Corps of Yeomanry, and was disbanded in 1974. The regiment finally came to an end with its last Colonel being promoted to Vice-Admiral on 1 July 1996. The regiment should not be confused with the Royalist Yeomanry Light Infantry currently known as the Royalist Infantry Division, which was originally a paramilitary training formation until the 1960s and later commissioned as a regular regiment (still retaining its Yeomanry title) for the RNLI's Volunteer Coastguard Flotilla.

History

The Yeomanry was raised as a junior Reserve Force during the First World War, and was first deployed to the Mediterranean in November 1918. It saw two action during the First World War: the First Battle of Gaza which ended in March 1918; and the First Battle of Hooge. Later, it saw action in the Russian and Belgian, and Gallipoli, campaigns, and did not see any more action after the end of those operations.

The regiment then took part in the Second World War; at the end of the Battle of the Somme in September 1916, it lost 220 men killed in action, 300 wounded and had no casualties due to demobilization until the end of the war in November 1918. In July 1918, it saw combat again in the Action of Courcelette, and then went home to its new home in the Western Desert. Later, during the Rhine Campaign in May–June 1919, a short raiding mission was mounted in which ten Yeomanry men, two officers and nine other ranks were taken prisoner. Only five survived. Finally, in July–August 1919 in the Action of the Festung Pfalz, the regiment had 60 men killed and 30 wounded. More were captured in the 'Beaver River raid' then returned to France. On 28 August 1920, the regiment left service without fighting. The regiment was reformed at Sheffield as part of the reformed Territorial Army in April 1927, and by 1950 was considered surplus to requirements. With the start of the Second World War in 1939, further replacement units began to be formed.