2nd Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)

During the Peninsular War, Wellington organized his cavalry into one, later two, cavalry divisions. They performed a purely administrative, rather than tactical, role;[4] the normal tactical headquarters were provided by brigades commanding two, later usually three, regiments.[5] On 19 June 1811, the cavalry was reorganized as two divisions and the existing Cavalry Division was redesignated as 1st Cavalry Division with the formation of the 2nd Cavalry Division.[6]

Major General Sir William Erskine took command on formation.[6] He was absent from 8 December 1811 to 8 April 1812, though at this time the division only comprised one brigade.[7] He resumed command briefly, but committed suicide in Lisbon on 13 February 1813.[6] The divisions were once again amalgamated as The Cavalry Division on 21 April 1813 with Lieutenant General Stapleton Cotton (of the 1st Cavalry Division) in command.[8]

The division was formed on 19 June 1811 with De Grey's and Long's Brigades; Long's Brigade was to remain with the division throughout its existence. Between 8 November 1811 and 23 March 1812 it commanded just one brigade and it never exceed three brigades in strength.[9]

On 6 September, the formerly independent 5th Cavalry Brigade was joined with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade from the Cavalry Division as Gough's Command. Named for the commander of 3rd Cavalry Brigade, Brigadier-General Hubert Gough, it took part in the First Battle of the Aisne (12–15 September). On 13 September, the command was re-designated as the 2nd Cavalry Division, with the addition of divisional troops from the Royal Horse Artillery, Royal Engineers etc.[10]

The 4th Cavalry Brigade joined the division on 14 October from 1st Cavalry Division to bring it up to the standard three brigade strength. The division remained on the Western Front until the end of the war.[11]

In 1914, the division took part in First Battle of Ypres, notably the battle of Gheluvelt (29–31 October). In 1915, the division was in action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–12 March 1915) and the Second Battle of Ypres notable the Battle of St Julien (26 April–3 May) and the Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge (24–25 May).[10]

1916 saw no notable actions, but in 1917 the division saw action in the Battle of Arras (First Battle of the Scarpe, 9–11 April). and the Battle of Cambrai (the Tank Attack of 20 and 21 November, the Capture of Bourlon Wood of 24–28 November and the German Counter-Attack of 30 November–3 December).[10] At other times, the brigades formed dismounted units and served in the trenches as regiments under the command of their brigadiers.[12]

1918 saw the return of the war of movement and the division took part in the First Battle of the Somme notably the Battle of St Quentin (21–23 March), the Battle of the Lys (Battle of Hazebrouck of 14–15 April), the Battle of Amiens (8–11 August) and the Second Battle of the Somme (Battle of Albert of 21–23 August and the Second Battle of Bapaume of 31 August–3 September).[13]

The division was then split up with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade serving with First Army, 4th Cavalry Brigade with Third Army and 5th Cavalry Brigade with Fourth Army.[13] The brigades variously took part in the battles of the Hindenburg Line: the battles of Canal du Nord (27 September–1 October), St. Quentin Canal (29 September–2 October), Beaurevoir Line (3–5 October) and Cambrai (8–9 October) and the Pursuit to the Selle (9–12 October). Its final action was to take part in the Advance in Picardy (17 October–11 November) including the Battle of the Sambre (4 November) and the capture of Mons (11 November, 3rd Canadian Division with 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers and one section[lower-alpha 8] of D Battery, RHA).[13]

At the Armistice, units of the division had reached Clairfayts (5th Cavalry Brigade with Fourth Army), Erquelinnes (4th Cavalry Brigade with Third Army) and Havré and St. Denis (3rd Cavalry Brigade with First Army). On 15 November, the division was re-assembled near Maubeuge and ordered to advance into Germany as an advance screen for Fourth Army and form part of the Occupation Force. The move began on 17 November, Ciney and Rochefort were reached five days later and the 5th Cavalry Brigade crossed the German border south of St. Vith on 1 December.[13]

In late December, the division moved to winter quarters south and south-east of Liège. It remained here until 30 January 1919 when it exchanged regiments with 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions then gradually moved back to England. The Division ceased to exist at midnight 31 March / 1 April 1919.[13]

The Retreat from Mons: 16th Lancers on the march, September 1914.

The brigade joined Gough's Command on 6 September from The Cavalry Division and remained with the division until the end of the war.[10]

Squadron from the 1st Life Guards August 1914, attached to the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment, preparing to leave for France.

The brigade joined the division on 14 October from 1st Cavalry Division and remained with the division until the end of the war.[11]

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) training in France during the First World War.

The brigade, formerly independent, joined Gough's Command on 6 September and remained with the division until the end of the war.[10]

III Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

D Battery, Royal Horse Artillery attached to 3rd Cavalry Brigade[lower-alpha 20]

E Battery, Royal Horse Artillery attached to 5th Cavalry Brigade[lower-alpha 20]

J Battery, Royal Horse Artillery attached to 4th Cavalry Brigade[lower-alpha 20]

1/1st Warwickshire Battery, RHA (TF)[lower-alpha 21]

III Brigade Ammunition Column

The division was supported by the following units:[11]

In the 1920s the division was reformed from Yeomanry regiments in the Territorial Army with the following organisation:[3]

5th Cavalry Brigade

• Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own)
• Yorkshire Dragoons (Queen's Own)
• Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers)

6th Cavalry Brigade

• Warwickshire Yeomanry
• Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment)
• Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert's Own)

Royal Artillery

• 11th (Honourable Artillery Company and City of London Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery
  • A & B HAC Batteries
  • No 1 City of London (Yeomanry) Battery

Royal Engineers

• 2nd Cavalry Divisional Royal Engineers
  • 2nd (Cheshire) Field Squadron

Royal Corps of Signals

• 2nd Cavalry Divisional Signals (Middlesex Yeomanry)
  • A & B (Middlesex Yeomanry) Squadrons

Royal Army Service Corps

• 2nd Cavalry Divisional Train
  • No 529 (Cheshire) Cavalry (Horse Transport) Company
  • No 530 (Cheshire) Cavalry (Mechanical Transport) Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

• 170th Cavalry Field Ambulance

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

• 2nd Cavalry Divisional Detachment

On the outbreak of World War II 2nd Cavalry Division's units were reorganised as 1st Cavalry Division and served in Palestine, Iraq and Syria before being converted into 10th Armoured Division on 1 August 1941.[22]

• Becke, Major A.F. (1935). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-09-4.
• Clarke, W.G. (1993). Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN 09520762-0-9.
• Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1990). The Napoleonic Source Book. London: Guild Publishing.
• James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
• Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
• Reid, Stuart (2004). Wellington's Army in the Peninsula 1809–14. Vol. 2 of Battle Orders Series. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-517-1.
• Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army, London: War Office, 7 November 1927.