| Lanarkshire Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Lanarkshire Yeomanry | |
| Active | 1819 – 1999 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Role | Yeomanry |
| Part of | 74th (Yeomanry) Division (First World War) Royal Artillery (Second World War) Royal Armoured Corps (Current) |
| Engagements | Second Boer War First World War |
| Battle honours | Seebattle honours below |
TheLanarkshire Yeomanry was ayeomanryregiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismountedinfantry regiment in theFirst World War and provided twofield artillery regiments in theSecond World War, before being amalgamated into TheQueen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in 1956. Its lineage was revived by B (Lanarkshire and Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Squadron, theScottish Yeomanry in 1992 until that unit was disbanded in 1999.
The units which would become the regiment were first raised in 1819, as independenttroops ofyeomanry around Lanarkshire. The five existing troops were regimented in 1848 as theUpper Ward and Airdrie Corps of Lanarkshire Yeomanry Cavalry, later retitled as theLanarkshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry.[1]
The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats duringBlack Week in December 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899 to allow volunteer forces to serve in theSecond Boer War. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanryregiments to provide servicecompanies of approximately 115 men each for theImperial Yeomanry.[2] With theAyrshire Yeomanry, the regiment co-sponsored the 17th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Company for the 6th (Scottish) Battalion in 1900; in 1901 it provided the 107th (Lanarkshire) Company.[3]
In 1901, the regiment was reorganized asmounted infantry as theLanarkshire Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into theTerritorial Force, returning to a cavalry role and equipping aslancers, under the new title of theLanarkshire Yeomanry.[4] The regiment was based atBroomgate inLanark during the first half of the 20th century.[5][a]
| Lowland Mounted Brigade |
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| Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
Assigned units
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Training attachments
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In accordance with theTerritorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought theTerritorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered forImperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.[7]
The regiment mobilised into theLowland Mounted Brigade in August 1914, but remained in England until 1915. They landed at Gallipoli in September 1915, serving as dismounted infantry, and were attached to52nd (Lowland) Division in October; they were withdrawn in January 1916 and moved to Egypt. In early 1917 the regiment was amalgamated withThe Ayrshire Yeomanry to form the12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers in74th (Yeomanry) Division, seeing service in thePalestine campaign before moving to theWestern Front in May 1918.[8] Whilst on the Western Front, SergeantThomas Caldwell of the regiment was awarded aVictoria Cross.[9]
The 2nd Line regiment was formed in 1914. In 1915 it was under the command of the2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade in Scotland (along with the2/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry[10] and the2/1st Lothians and Border Horse[11]) and by March 1916 was atDunbar,East Lothian.[12] On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became20th Mounted Brigade, still at Dunbar underScottish Command.[13]
In July 1916 there was a major reorganization of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the United Kingdom. All but 12 regiments were converted tocyclists[13] and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to13th Cyclist Brigade. Further reorganization in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as9th Cyclist Brigade in November, still at Dunbar.[14]
About May 1918 the Brigade moved to Ireland[14] and the regiment was stationed atDerry. There were no further changes before the end of the war.[12]
The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer was affiliated to aReserve Cavalry Regiment atAldershot. In June 1916 it left the Reserve Cavalry Regiment and went toPerth. The regiment was disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line regiment or to the 5th (Reserve) Battalion of theCameronians (Scottish Rifles) atLeven.[12]
Post war, a commission was set up to consider the shape of the Territorial Force (Territorial Army from 1 October 1921). The experience of the First World War made it clear thatcavalry was surfeit. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior regiments were to be retained as cavalry (though theLovat Scouts and theScottish Horse were also to remain mounted as "scouts"). Eight regiments were converted to Armoured Car Companies of theRoyal Tank Corps (RTC), one was reduced to abattery in another regiment, one was absorbed into a local infantry battalion, one became a signals regiment and two were disbanded. The remaining 25 regiments were converted to brigades[b] of theRoyal Field Artillery between 1920 and 1922.[17] As the 13th most senior regiment in theorder of precedence, the regiment was retained as horsed cavalry.[18]
Future Prime MinisterAlec Douglas-Home, then Lord Dunglass, served in the regiment from commission as aLieutenant in 1924,[19] rising toMajor in 1933.[20]
The regiment apparently did not mechanise before the outbreak of theSecond World War; after mobilisation, it was converted to the artillery role. It transferred into theRoyal Artillery in February 1940 as155th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA; in April 1940,156th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA was formed as a second-line duplicate. Both served asfield artillery regiments.[21][22]
The 155th moved to India in May 1941, and joined9th Indian Division, equipped with25 pounder guns; in August, it moved to Malaya with the division, leaving one battery behind to form the nucleus of160th Field Regiment, RA. In September it re-equipped with4.5" guns, and in October it was transferred into11th Indian Division. It fought in theBattle of Malaya and theBattle of Singapore; with the surrender of Singapore, it was taken prisoner on 15 February 1942.[21]
The 156th moved to North Africa in July 1942, and was attached to5th Infantry Division in August; it remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in theInvasion of Sicily, theItalian Campaign and inNorth-Western Europe.[22]
After the War, the regiment reconstituted in theTerritorial Army as a yeomanry regiment, under its old title of The Lanarkshire Yeomanry, and transferred into theRoyal Armoured Corps. In 1956 it amalgamated with theQueen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry and the 1st/2ndLothians and Border Horse to form TheQueen's Own Lowland Yeomanry.[4]
The lineage of the regiment was revived with the formation of B (Lanarkshire and Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Squadron, theScottish Yeomanry atEast Kilbride in November 1992 but that regiment was disbanded a result of theStrategic Defence Review in July 1999.[23]
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was awarded the followingbattle honours (honours in bold areemblazoned on theregimental colours):[4]
| Second Boer War | South Africa 1900–01 |  |
| First World War | Ypres 1918,France and Flanders 1918,Gallipoli 1915,Egypt 1915–17,Gaza,Jerusalem,Tell 'Asur,Palestine 1917–18 | |
| Second World War | The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments. In 1833,William IV awarded the mottoUbique (meaning "everywhere") in place of all battle honours.[24] Honorary Distinction: Badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery with year-dates "1941–45" and four scrolls: "North-West Europe", "Sicily", "Italy" and "Malaya". |
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