The Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed in 1794. The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry (Yeomanry) in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars and served in the Second Boer War and the First World War. It was converted to an armoured role during the Second World War. In 1956, it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry. Its lineage is continued today by the Queen's Own Yeomanry.
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars After Britain was drawn into the French Revolutionary Wars, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry (Yeomanry) that could be called on by the King to defend the country against invasion or by the Lord Lieutenant to subdue any civil disorder within the county.Rogers, p. 145. On 12 June a meeting at Northallerton in the North Riding of Yorkshire resolved to raise Troops of yeomanry. The Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, the Duke of Norfolk, proceeded to raise two regiments of West Riding Yeomanry Cavalry on 13 August: the 1st or Southern Corps at Pontefract and the 2nd or Northern Regiment, which included the North Riding Troops. These later became the Yorkshire Dragoons and the Yorkshire Hussars respectively. A local landowner, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse, was Colonel-Commandant of both corps. Each regiment initially consisted of five Troops of 50 men each, those of the 2nd Corps being the 1st and 2nd Craven (Skipton), Agbrigg and Morley, Barkston Ash and Clare (Knaresborough).Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Hussars, pp. 2–3.Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Dragoons, pp. 1–2.'Military Doncaster' (1903) at Doncaster History.Frederick, pp. 57–8.Yorkshire Hussars at British Empire.
The short-lived Peace of Amiens signed in March 1802 saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, but on 25 July three troops of the Northern Regiment (at Knaresborough under Captain Robert Harvey, Tadcaster under Lord Hawke, and Aberford under Lieutenant Bainbridge) offered to renew their service. They were joined by four more troops (one of them from Ripon) on 9 October, another (under the command of Lord Grantham) on 18 May 1803, and a ninth (under Capt W.C. Fenton) in December. Robert Harvey became Colonel of the Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry and held the position until 1819.Yorkshire Hussars' COs at British Empire.
Although the French invasion threat had dwindled, there was civil unrest and on 5 May 1812 the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to counter the Luddite industrial riots. In 1814 the troops were reorganised to equalise the numbers at 50 men each, with a Sergeant-Major and two trumpeters to each troop. They were now based at: Harewood (2 Trps), Otley, Tadcaster, Selby, Ripon and Knaresborough (2 Trps). Two further troops were raised from Leeds in September 1817 under the command of Capt William Beckett, later MP for Leeds.
19th Century The Yeomanry declined in importance and strength after the end of the French wars,Spiers, p. 79. but the regiments continued in industrial Yorkshire. The Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry was redesignated the Yorkshire Hussar Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry on 11 January 1819. Later that year Lord Grantham (who succeeded as the 2nd Earl de Grey in 1833) took over as Commanding Officer (CO) following the death of Col Harvey and held the position for 40 years, apart from 1841 to 1843 when he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lt-Col Beckett exercised the command.Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Hussars, p. 9. The regiment was called out in support of the civil power on several occasions, particularly during the riots of 1826 when various troops of the regiment were 'almost incessantly under arms', and the Chartist disturbances of 1842, when they were on duty from 3 June to 31 August around Leeds and Bradford, and Capt York's Troop had to charge the mob at Cleckheaton.Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Hussars, p. 6.
By 1855 the regiment was distributed as follows:Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Hussars, p. 7. A Troop at Knaresborough B Troop at York C & D Troops at Ripon E Troop at Harewood F Troop at Otley G Troop at Aberford H Troop at Wheldrake, near York I & K Troops at Leeds
On 30 August 1859 Earl De Grey handed over to Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood as Lt-Col Commandant and Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock as Lt-Col, who himself took over as Lt-Col Commandant on 23 September 1870. The title Princess of Wales's Own was conferred on the regiment on 1 February 1864.Army List, various dates.
In 1871 the number of troops was reduced to eight, each with a sergeant-major as permanent staff instructor (PSI), distributed as follows: A Trp at Leeds B Trp at York C & F Trps at Ripon D Trp at Selby E Trp at Harewood G Trp at Aberford H Trp at Tadcaster.
1875 saw the first issue of Westley Richards breechloading carbines to the regiment, although there were still only enough to arm half the regiment by 1877.Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Hussars, p. 12.
Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Yeomanry units places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The Yorkshire Hussars were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 1st Division of VII Corps based at York, alongside Regular units of infantry, artillery and engineers. This scheme was short-lived, but from 1893 the Yorkshire Hussars, Yorkshire Dragoons, and (until its disbandment in 1894) the 2nd West York Yeomanry, were brought together as the 13th Yeomanry Brigade, with its HQ at York.Barlow & Smith, Yorkshire Dragoons, p. 23. In 1898 the regiment officially became the Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own).
Imperial Yeomanry
The Yeomanry was not intended to serve outside the United Kingdom, but following a string of defeats during Black Week in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just the regular army to fight the Second Boer War, particularly mounted troops. On 13 December, the War Office decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the field, and a Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December that officially created the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). This was organised as county service companies of approximately 115 men enlisted for one year. Existing yeomen and fresh volunteers (mainly middle and upper class) quickly filled the new force, which was equipped to operate as Mounted infantry.Dunlop, pp. 104–18.Money Barnes, pp. 242–5.Rogers, p. 228.Spiers, p. 239.
An equipment and emergency fund was set up in the West Riding and by 2 January 1900 13th Yeomanry Brigade had enrolled 330 volunteers at Leeds. The Yorkshire Hussars sponsored the 9th (Yorkshire (Doncaster)) Company and the Yorkshire Dragoons the 11th (Yorkshire Dragoons) Company. Selection and mobilisation began at Sheffield Cavalry Barracks on 6 January and the two companies were complete by 17 January.IY Companies at Roll of Honour.IY at Anglo-Boer War.The Times 3, 8, 17 January 1900 quoted in Les Hussards. Along with two companies from Nottinghamshire, the 9th and 11th served in the 3rd Battalion, IY, which was placed under the command of Temporary Lt-Col George Younghusband from the Indian Army.London Gazette, 26 January 1900.
The Yorkshire Hussars, together with the Yorkshire Dragoons, also raised 66th (Yorkshire) Company in 16th Battalion, and in 1901 it raised 109th (Yorkshire Hussars) Company for the second contingent, and this company also served with 3rd Bn. In 1902, 16th Bn was disbanded and 66th (Yorkshire) Company joined 3rd Bn.IY at Regiments.org.
Boshof 3rd Battalion IY with its horses embarked on at Liverpool on 29 January 1900 and was the first IY battalion to arrive in South Africa, disembarking at Cape Town on 20 February 1900.'Yorkshire Hussars at Les Hussards. It was attached to 1st Division under the command of Lord Methuen. On 5 April Methuen learned of the presence of a small Boer Commando led by the French Comte de Villebois-Mareuil and ordered the IY and other mounted troops to saddle up at once. The force caught the commando, pinned it with a few rounds of artillery fire, and then advanced by short rushes. The Yorkshire contingent went round the left flank while the Kimberly Mounted Volunteers went round the right, taking advantage of the natural cover. The whole force then closed in and stormed the hill. De Villebois-Mareuil was killed and his men surrendered. The Battle of Boshof was the first action for the new IY, but with little field training, only a brief musketry course, and few officers, they 'acted like veteran troops'. Methuen was 'much struck by the intelligent manner in which they carried out the attack and made use of cover'.Creswicke, pp. 39–41.Miller, pp. 184–6.
Methuen's Column quickly became known as the 'Mobile Marvels'. On 14 May Methuen marched on Hoopstad and then continued into Orange Free State protecting the flank of Lord Roberts' main army. Methuen's column reached Bothaville on 24 May, but Roberts became concerned about his communications, so Methuen was switched to protecting the rear, and marched to Kroonstad, where his force arrived on 28 May, having completed a march of in 15 days over poor roads. On 30 May, Methuen was informed that the 13th (Irish) Bn IY was cut off at Lindley, and he rode with his own IY battalions to relieve them, covering in 24 hours. The mounted column had a five-hour fight to force its way past 3000 Boers led by Christiaan de Wet. Most of the force in Lindley had already surrendered, but Younghusband was able to free a number of the prisoners. Methuen then pushed on to relieve 9th Division, which was besieged at Heilbron, completing a march of in under a month.Miller, pp. 187–89, fns 94 & 118.
Guerrilla warfare Methuen's Column now took part in the pursuit of de Wet's force south down the railway towards Kroonstad, beginning with a sharp action at Renoster River on 24 June. The 'Great de Wet Hunt' began in earnest in August, with Methuen personally leading a column including the 1st Yeomanry Brigade. Methuen drove his force on with little rest, to Welverdiend Pass and Taaibosch Spruit, then to Frederikstad. On 12 August the column engaged the Boers at Mooi River Bridge for four hours, capturing guns and wagons and freeing British prisoners. Methuen's column had covered in six days, driving de Wet towards the Olifant's Nek pass, which Methuen believed was blocked by other columns. On the night of 13/14 August his troops set out to catch the Boers, engaging them at Buffelshoek about from the pass. However, the Boers escaped through the pass, which had not been blocked. With his troops exhausted, Methuen had to call off the pursuit.Miller, pp. 190, 201–7, fn. 37.
Drives to catch the remaining commandos went on for almost another two years. The First Contingent of the Imperial Yeomanry completed their year's term of service in 1901. Between 24 March 1900 and 4 April 1901 the 3rd Battalion marched and was in action 39 times, suffering 109 casualties out of a strength of 500 men. The 66th Company in 16th Bn was in 16 major actions.London Gazette, 16 April 1901.
Many of the Yeomanry went home after their year's service and were replaced by a Second Contingent, including the 109th (Yorkshire Hussars) Company, which joined the 3rd Bn, while others stayed on during the gruelling last year of the war. The war ended on 31 May 1902 with the Treaty of Vereeniging. The service of its IY companies earned the Yorkshire Hussars its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–02.Leslie.