The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a cavalry regiment and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two reconnaissance regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Leicestershire and Derbyshire (Prince Albert's Own) Yeomanry in 1957. In the 1790s, the threat of invasion of England was high, with the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. ... British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ... There are currently eleven regular cavalry regiments of the British Army, with five serving as armoured regiments, and five as formation reconnaissance regiments. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Early history

The regiment was first formed as the Derbyshire Corps of Fencible Cavalry in 1794, as a regiment of full-time fencible soldiers for home defence. The regiment changed shortly thereafter to the Derbyshire Corps of Yeomanry Cavalry, a part-time yeomanry regiment, and was dispersed in individual troops. In 1834, the troops were regimented as the Derbyshire Yeomanry Cavalry. sponsored two companies of the Imperial Yeomanry in 1900, for service in the South African War, and in 1901 was itself reorganized as mounted infantry as the Derbyshire Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into the Territorial Force, returning to a cavalry role and equipping as dragoons, under the new title of The Derbyshire Yeomanry.^[1] MCB 05:55, 15 September 2005 (UTC) Categories: Possible copyright violations ... In the 1790s, the threat of invasion of England was high, with the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. ... The Imperial Yeomanry was created on December 24, 1899 — most units being raised during 1900 and 1901 — to allow volunteer cavalry troops to fight as mounted infantry alongside regular troops of the British Army in the Second Boer War as, at that time, Yeomanry regiments had no obligation... Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one in 1880-81 and the second from October 11, 1899-1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put an end to the two independent... Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot with muskets or rifles. ... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution A dragoon is a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. ...

First World War

The regiment mobilised in August 1914, but remained in England until 1915, when they moved to Egypt with 2nd Mounted Division. They then sailed for Gallipoli, where they saw action at the Battle of Scimitar Hill, serving as dismounted infantry, and took heavy losses. Returning to Egypt in December, the regiment was employed with the Western Frontier Force in the Senussi Campaign, before moving to Salonika in February 1916. One squadron served with the 27th Division from March to June 1916, whilst the regiment remained as GHQ reserve in Macedonia until the end of the war. Combatants Britain Ottoman Empire Commanders Beauvoir De Lisle Mustafa Kemal Strength 14,300 Unknown Casualties 5,300 2,600 The Battle of Scimitar Hill(Yusufçuk Tepe) was the last offensive mounted by the British at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I. It was also the... The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ... A military division: British 27th Division This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The regiment raised a second-line battalion, the 2/1st Derbyshire Yeomanry, in September 1914; this remained in the United Kingdom, did not see service, and was converted into a cyclist unit in 1916. A third-line battalion was formed in 1915, and remained in the United Kingdom until absorbed into the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in 1917.^[2]

Following demobilisation after the War, the regiment was reconstituted in 1920 in the Territorial Army. In 1921 it was reorganised as the 24th (Derbyshire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company of the Tank Corps, and April 1939 returned to full regimental status as the Derbyshire Yeomanry, being mechanised and transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps.^[1] The Territorial Army (TA) is the principal reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. ... The Tank Corps is either: The original name of the Royal Tank Regiment of the British Army The United States Tank Corps (see Tank history) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army. ...

Second World War

In August 1939, the regiment was duplicated, producing the 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry and 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, both of which mobilised along with the Territorial Army on the outbreak of war in September. They were equipped with armoured cars, serving as reconnaissance units. Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ...

Both regiments saw service in the North African Campaign; in 1942, the 2nd Derbyshire fought at the Battle of Alam el Halfa and the Second Battle of El Alamein (as part of 7th Armoured Division). The 1st Derbyshire, meanwhile, had landed in Tunisia in late 1942 as the reconnaissance regiment of the 6th Armoured Division, fighting at Medjez el Bab; during the race to the Tunisian coast, it fought at Kasserine Pass and Foundouk, finally reaching Tunis in March 1943. The 1st Derbyshire then moved to Italy with the 6th Armoured, where it saw heavy fighting during May 1944, including action at the Battle of Monte Cassino. Through July and August it fought in the advance to Florence, and in April 1945 saw action at the Argenta Gap and Fossa Cembalina. During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ... Battle of Alam Halfa Conflict World War II Date August 30–September 6, 1942 Place El Alamein, Egypt Result Allied strategic victory Axis tactical victory The Battle of Alam el Halfa took place between August 30 and September 6, 1942 during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II... For the Battle of Alam Halfa, which is also often termed the Second Battle of El Alamein, see Battle of Alam Halfa Combatants British Eighth Army Panzer Army Africa Commanders Bernard Montgomery Erwin Rommel Strength 220,000 men 1,100 tanks[1] 116,000 men[1] 559 tanks(220 panzers... The 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) of the British Army was the most famous unit of its type in British service during World War II. It was a regular division in the Middle East, designated the Mobile Division at first, renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) in September 1939, and... // History This Second World War British Army formation was created on the 12th September 1940. ... Majaz al Bab is a town in northern Tunisia. ... The Battle of the Kasserine Pass took place in World War II during the Battle of Tunisia, fought between the German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel, and the Americans under General Lloyd Fredendall in the Kasserine Pass (a 2 mile wide gap in the Dorsal Chain of the Atlas... Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland New Zealand Canada Free France India and others Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark Clark Oliver Leese Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff Frido von Senger Strength 105,000 80,000 Casualties 54,000 20,000 The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle...

Returning to the United Kingdom in 1943, the 2nd was assigned to 51st (Highland) Division, where it served as the divisional reconnaissance regiment until the end of the war. It received battle honours for action in August, fighting at Dives Crossing, La Vie Crossing and Lisieux during the crossing of the Seine; in September and October, it received honours for fighting on the Lower Maas, and in January 1945 for fighting at Ourthe during the Battle of the Bulge. They received battle honours for fighting in the Rhineland and the Reichswald in February, and crossed the Rhine in March in Operation Plunder. Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... During World War II, Operation Plunder was the crossing of the Rhine river at Rees, Wesel and south of the Lippe Canal by the British Second Army, under Lieutenant-General Miles C Dempsey, and the US Ninth Army, under Lieutenant-General William H Simpson. ...

After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army. In 1957 it amalgamated with The Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert's Own), forming The Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry.^[1] The Territorial Army (TA) is the principal reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} The Derbyshire Yeomanry, regiments.org
2. ^ Derbyshire Yeomanry, The British Army in the Great War