The West Somerset Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. First raised in 1794, it participated in the Second Boer War and World War I before being converted to an artillery regiment. It served in World War II (as two field artillery regiments). Post-war it was gradually reduced in strength until the yeomanry lineage of the successor unit was discontinued on 9 November 1988.
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Under threat of invasion by Revolutionary France from 1793, and with insufficient military forces to repulse such an attack, the British government under William Pitt the Younger decided in 1794 to increase the Militia and to form corps of volunteers for the defence of the country. The mounted arm of the volunteers became known as the "Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry", who 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.Frederick, pp. vii–viii.Rogers, p. 145. A Troop was raised in Bridgwater, Somerset, as early as June 1794. Three other troops were raised by the end of the year, and they were regimented as the West Somersetshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1798Frederick, p. 51. William Bellett, a half-pay lieutenant in the 22nd Foot, was appointed captain and adjutant of the West Somerset Yeomanry in 1794.
Despite the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the Yeomanry was retained by the government "for Military Service in aid of the Civil Power" in the absence of organised police forces. The establishment of police forces reduced the need for Yeomanry to be called out.Spiers, p. 79. The unwillingness of the government to pay for the Yeomanry led to many corps being disbanded in 1827–28. Twenty-two corps were authorised to continue officially, and another sixteen were allowed to continue to serve without pay. Serving without pay from 1828 to 1831, the Regiment was never disbanded.
However, a wave of civil unrest across Britain from 1830 led to a revival of the Yeomanry. The West Somerset Yeomanry was reorganised in 1831 and Charles Kemeys Kemeys-Tynte, Member of Parliament for Bridgwater was appointed Colonel Commandant on 25 July 1831.
Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned 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 West Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire Yeomanry were assigned to the Cavalry Brigade of V Corps based at Yeovil, alongside two Regular Army cavalry regiments and a Royal Horse Artillery battery. This was never more than a paper organisation, but from April 1893 the Army List showed the Yeomanry regiments grouped into brigades for collective training. They were commanded by the senior regimental commanding officer but they did have a Regular Army Brigade major. The West Somerset Yeomanry together with the North Somerset Yeomanry formed the 4th Yeomanry Brigade. The Yeomanry brigades disappeared from the Army List after the Second Boer War.Army List, various dates. On 1 April 1893, Yeomanry troops were reorganised into squadrons.
Imperial Yeomanry
Due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899, the British government realised that more troops, in addition to the regular army, were needed in South Africa to fight the Second Boer War. On 13 December 1899, it was decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899, officially creating the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of about 115 men each, trained as Mounted infantry. In addition, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new units.Dunlop, pp. 104–118.Rogers, p. 228.Ryan.Spiers, p. 239.IY at Anglo-Boer War. The first contingent of recruits in 20 four-companybattalions arrived in South Africa between February and April 1900.
The West Somerset Yeomanry sponsored 25th (West Somerset) Company, which served in 7th Battalion, IY, (alongside the Dorset, Devon and North Somerset Yeomanry companies), and sailed for the Cape in March 1900.Amery, Vol IV, Appendix.
On arrival, the battalion joined a Yeomanry brigade under Col Viscount Downe to take part in Lord Roberts' advance from Bloemfontein.Amery, Vol III, p. 495. However, formations were frequently reorganised, and by mid-April the 7th Bn was operating under Major-General John Brabazon in Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Chermside's column. Brabazon's brigade was sent ahead as a covering force on 20 April as the columns advanced on Dewetsdorp. The Yeomanry attempted to outflank the main Boer position, but were driven back by pom-pom gun and rifle fire. After the Boers evacuated Dewetsdorp, Brabazon was sent to relieve the beleaguered garrison of Wepener.Amery, Vol IV, pp. 67–68, 72. By early May, the battalion was serving as 'Corps Troops' under Robert's main army. From September 1900 the fighting developed into Guerrilla warfare, and the mounted troops took part in 'drives' trying to catch groups of Boers, and providing escorts for convoys. The First Contingent of the IY returned home after its year's service, and the next time the 7th Bn went in to action, in May 1901, its ranks had been refilled with raw recruits from England.Amery, Vol V, p. 230.
25th Company gained the West Somerset Yeomanry its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–01.Leslie.
The Imperial Yeomanry were trained and equipped as mounted infantry. The concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, with an establishment of RHQ and four squadrons with a machine gun section. The regiment became the West Somerset Imperial Yeomanry on 17 April 1901.
Territorial Force The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. On 1 April 1908, the regiment was renamed as the West Somerset Yeomanry. The regiment was based at County Territorial Hall in Taunton (since demolished).London Gazette, 20 March 1908. It formed part of the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade in Southern Command.
The regiment's organisation was:
West Somerset YeomanryHQ TauntonA Squadron Wellington (detachments at Minehead, Wiveliscombe, Washford, Dulverton, Williton) B Squadron Taunton (detachments at Churchinford, Buckland St. Mary, Bishops Lydeard, Churchstanton, Hatch Beauchamp)C Squadron Bridgwater (detachments at Highbridge, Glastonbury, Langport, Nether Stowey, North Petherton) D Squadron Yeovil (detachments at Crewkerne, Chard, Ilminster, South Petherton, Martock)
It was ranked as 33rd (of 55) in the order of precedence of the Yeomanry Regiments in the Army List of 1914. When the order of precedence was being established, inaccuracies in tracing its history led to a loss of precedence despite apparently serving continuously from 1794.
World War I
At the outbreak of the World War I, the regiment mobilised at County Territorial Hall, Taunton, on 4 August 1914 and moved to Winchester. On 15 August it moved with the 2nd South Western Mounted Bde to the Colchester area of Essex, with the regiment at Ardleigh.James, p. 28.West Somerset Yeomanry at Long, Long Trail.
Under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the TF into being, it 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, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units, then on 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Early in 1915 a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry The 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry remained in Essex for the next year, moving to Great Bentley in October 1914 and Tendring the following month. In August 1915 a Yeomanry division (2nd Mounted Division) serving in Egypt was dismounted and sent to reinforce the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force fighting at Gallipoli, and a number of independent mounted brigades were sent from England to join them. The 1/2nd South Western Bde was one of those selected: the 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was dismounted at Thorpe-le-Soken. It entrained for Liverpool on 23 September, embarked next day aboard the RMS Olympic and sailed on 25 September.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 334–335, 365.Westlake, p. 276.
Gallipoli 1915 The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde arrived at Mudros on 1 October, transferred to the SS Osmanieh and sailed for Suvla Bay. It landed on 9 October and was attached to 11th (Northern) Division. The 1/1st WSY bivouacked at 'Oxford Street' at Karakol Dagh. It began work on digging trenches and suffered its first casualties. On 3 November the brigade did its first tour of duty in the firing line, with 1/1st WSY relieving 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in the forward trenches at 'Lone Tree Gully'. It was relieved by 9th Bn Sherwood Foresters on 11 November and returned to Oxford St, later marching via Lala Baba and Salt Lake to the A Section support trenches.Aspinall-Oglander, p. 390.Becke, Pt 3a, p. 21.
The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was attached to the 2nd Mounted Division from 15 November,Becke, Pt 2a, p. 15. and the 1/1st WSY took over forward trenches in 'White House' sector on 18 November, with its HQ at 'Pope's Seat'. It was relieved by the 1/1st Royal North Devon Yeomanry on 24 November and went back to the support line at 'Willow Tree', 'Cater's House' and 'Tint's Corner', but on 27 November B Sqn was sent up to reinforce the North Devons in the firing line and next day C Sqn similarly reinforced 1/1st Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry. This was during a severe storm that turned into a blizzard. The brigade, and 53rd (Welsh) Division to which it had just been attached, suffered large numbers of casualties due to the weather as well as battle casualties – on 29 November the Willow Tree position was badly shelled. By the time the 1/1st WSY was relieved and went back to Lala Baba, it had suffered casualties of 3 officers and 78 other ranks in the period 27–29 November. Its strength was down to 294 by 2 December, with many men sick in hospital, and it dwindled to 111 by 4 December.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 431–434.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 9–17.Becke, Pt 2a, p. 117–22.
The 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was attached to 2nd Mounted Division again on 9 December, and the remnant of 1/1st WSY returned to the Willow Tree sector next day. However, the decision had been made to shut down the campaign, and the Suvla sector was evacuated first. 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry was embarked during the last night of the operation, 19/20 December, when the secret evacuation was achieved without a single casualty. The regiment was taken first to Imbros and then re-embarked for Egypt.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 440–460.
Egypt 1916–17 In December 1915 the regiment landed in Alexandria. In February 1916, 1/2nd South Western Mounted Bde was absorbed into the 2nd Dismounted Brigade (along with elements of the Highland and Lowland Mounted Brigades) in the Western Frontier Force (WFF).