Cavalry Reserve Regiments (United Kingdom)

Seventeen Cavalry Reserve Regiments were formed by the British Army on the outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914.[1] These were affiliated with one or more active cavalry regiments, their purpose being to train replacement drafts for the active regiments. In 1915, the 3rd Line[lower-alpha 1] regiments of the Yeomanry were also affiliated with the Cavalry Reserve and, in September 1916, the Household Cavalry Reserve Regiment was formed in Windsor, supplying replacements to the dismounted Household Battalion. In 1917, the regiments underwent major reorganization, being reduced to ten in number.

Although nominally cavalry, many of the drafts ended up being converted into infantry in order to satisfy the manpower demands of trench warfare.

Despite being training and not combat formations, several were involved in the putting down of the Easter Rising in Dublin in April 1916. A little after noon on Easter Monday, a mixed troop of 9th and 12th Lancers, attached to the 6th Cavalry Reserve Regiment at Marlborough Barracks in Phoenix Park, was dispatched to investigate a "disturbance" at Dublin Castle.[3] As they cantered down Sackville Street, they were fired upon by rebels who had taken up positions in and on the roof of the General Post Office. Three troopers were killed instantly and one was mortally wounded, becoming the first military casualties of the rising. The same evening, 1,600 men of the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Brigade (consisting of the 8th, 9th and 10th Cavalry Reserve Regiments) arrived from their barracks at the Curragh to support the local Dublin garrison.[4]

Original August 1914 Formations

RegimentLocationAffiliated RegimentsRemarks
1st Life GuardsHyde Park1st Life Guards
2nd Life GuardsWindsor2nd Life Guards
Royal Horse GuardsRegent's ParkRoyal Horse Guards
1stAldershot1st Dragoon Guards
5th Dragoon Guards
3/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
3/1st Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
Absorbed into 4th, 1917
2ndAldershot2nd Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoons
3/1st Essex Yeomanry
3/1st Lothians and Border Horse
Absorbed into 4th, 1917
3rdCanterbury3rd Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoon Guards
3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
2/1st Surrey Yeomanry
1/1st Sussex Yeomanry
Absorbed into 6th, 1917
4thTidworth4th Dragoon Guards
7th Dragoon Guards
3/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry
3/1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
3/1st Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars
Absorbed into 6th, 1917
5thYork1st Dragoons
2nd Dragoons
3/1st Northumberland Hussars
3/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons
3/1st Yorkshire Hussars
3/1st East Riding Yeomanry
Absorbed into 6th, 1917
6thDublin5th (Royal Irish) Lancers
12th Lancers
3/1st City of London Yeomanry
3/1st County of London Yeomanry
B Sqn composed mainly of a draft of 160 NCOs and men from 3/1st Welsh Horse Yeomanry
Absorbed into 1st, 1917
7thTidworth9th Lancers
21st Lancers
3/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry
3/1st Berkshire Yeomanry
Absorbed into 1st, 1917
8thThe Curragh16th Lancers
17th Lancers
3/1st Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry
3/1st Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars
Absorbed into 1st, 1917
9thShorncliffe3rd Hussars
7th Hussars
3/2nd County of London Yeomanry
3/3rd County of London Yeomanry
Absorbed into 2nd, 1917
10thThe Curragh4th Hussars
8th Hussars
3/1st Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
2/1st Lancashire Hussars
3/1st Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry
Absorbed into 2nd, 1917
11thTidworth10th Hussars
18th Hussars
3/1st Hampshire Yeomanry
3/1st North Somerset Yeomanry
3/1st Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
Absorbed into 5th, 1917
12thAldershot11th Hussars
13th Hussars
3/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry
3/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry
3/1st Staffordshire Yeomanry
Absorbed into 3rd, 1917
13thColchester14th Hussars
20th Hussars
3/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry
3/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry
Absorbed into 5th, 1917
14thLongmoor15th Hussars
19th Hussars
3/1st Derbyshire Yeomanry
3/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars
Absorbed into 3rd, 1917

Formed in 1916

RegimentLocationAffiliated RegimentsRemarks
Household CavalryWindsorHousehold Battalion

After 1917 re-organization

RegimentLocationAffiliated RegimentsRemarks
1st Life GuardsHyde Park1st Life Guards
2nd Life GuardsWindsor2nd Life Guards
Royal Horse GuardsRegent's ParkRoyal Horse Guards
Household CavalryWindsorHousehold BattalionDisbanded early 1918
1stThe Curragh5th Lancers
9th Lancers
12th Lancers
16th Lancers
17th Lancers
21st Lancers
3/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry
3/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry
3/1st City of London Yeomanry
2/1st Surrey Yeomanry
3/1st East Riding Yeomanry
2ndThe Curragh3rd Hussars
4th Hussars
7th Hussars
8th Hussars
3/1st Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry
2/1st Lancashire Hussars
3/1st County of London Yeomanry
3/3rd County of London Yeomanry
3/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars
3/1st Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars
3/1st Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry
3rdAldershot11th Hussars
13th Hussars
15th Hussars
19th Hussars
3/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry
3/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry
3/1st Staffordshire Yeomanry
3/1st Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
3/1st Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
4thAldershot1st Dragoon Guards
2nd Dragoon Guards
5th Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoons
3/1st Derbyshire Yeomanry
3/1st Essex Yeomanry
3/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
3/1st Hampshire Yeomanry
3/2nd County of London Yeomanry
3/1st Lothians and Border Horse
5thTidworth10th Hussars
14th Hussars
18th Hussars
20th Hussars
3/1st Northumberland Hussars
3/1st Yorkshire Hussars
3/1st Warwickshire Yeomanry
3/1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
3/1st Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars
6thTidworth3rd Dragoon Guards
4th Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoon Guards
7th Dragoon Guards
1st Dragoons
2nd Dragoons
3/1st Berkshire Yeomanry
3/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry
3/1st Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
3/1st North Somerset Yeomanry
3/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons

Notes

  1. In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial 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 for Imperial 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.[2]

References

  1. The Cavalry Reserve Regiments The Long, Long Trail
  2. Rinaldi 2008, p. 35
  3. Ciaran Byrne, The Harp and Crown, the History of the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers, 1902 - 1922, p. 105
  4. General J.G. Maxwell, From the General Officer, Commanding-in-Chief, The Forces in Ireland. To the Field-Marshal, Commanding-in-Chief, The Home Forces. 25 May 1916

Bibliography

  • Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0.
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