Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons


The Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1794 to 1956. It was formed as a volunteer cavalry force in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Its volunteer companies played an active role with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War, but opportunities for mounted action were much more restricted during the First World War and it was temporarily converted into a cycle unit. It remained a cavalry regiment throughout the interwar years, and was the last horsed unit of the British Army to see action, in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign of 1941, finally mechanising the following year. It served as motorised infantry in the North African and Italian campaigns of the Second World War. In 1956, it merged with the Yorkshire Hussars and the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry to form the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry. Its lineage is continued today by A Squadron, 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 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. As Lord Lieutenant the Duke of Norfolk presided over a meeting at Pontefract that agreed to raise such a force in the West Riding of Yorkshire and at a second meeting at Doncaster in May 1794 the borough corporation subscribed £525 towards the costs. Two regiments were formed on 13 August: the 1st or Southern Corps of West Riding Yeomanry Cavalry at Pontefract and the 2nd or Northern Regiment on 13 August: 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 and Bryan Cooke of Owston Hall was lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Corps. Each regiment initially consisted of five Troops of 50 men each, those of the 1st Corps being at Doncaster, Pontefract, Barnsley, and two at Rotherham. The first parade of the Doncaster Troop in uniform took place on 29 August and on 8 November all five troops were paraded at Doncaster for the presentation of standards. Subsequently, further troops were added to the Southern regiment, one at Sheffield and three at Strafforth and Tickhill.
Each troop assembled monthly, and annual training between 1795 and 1801 normally took place at Doncaster. The Rotherham and Barnsley Troops were thanked by the magistrates in January 1795 for their assistance to the civil power at Wath upon Dearne. The Peace of Amiens saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, including the Southern West Riding regiment in April 1802. However, the peace quickly broke down and a meeting convened by Earl Fitzwilliam on 16 July 1803 resolved to re-raise it under the command of Lt-Col Francis Ferrand Foljambe of Aldwark, MP. It was again based at Doncaster, but now consisted of 12 troops, at Barnsley, Tickhill, Doncaster, Hatfield, Rotherham, Kiveton Park, Pontefract, Wath Wood, Wakefield and Sheffield. The Southern Regiment was now the largest in Yorkshire, but the threat of invasion brought more regiments and independent troops into existence, so that the West Yorkshire Yeomanry became a force of 1600 men in 33 troops. When an invasion beacon was mistakenly lit and the Yeomanry and Volunteers were called out on 15 August 1805, the Southern Regiment immediately mustered with the local infantry volunteers. James Stuart-Wortley, a politician and former colonel in the 1st Foot Guards, assumed command of the Southern Regiment in 1810 and held it for 35 years.

19th century

The Yeomanry declined in importance and strength after the end of the French wars, but the South West York Yeomanry was one of the few regiments that maintained a continuous existence. In 1840–2 it saw considerable service in suppressing the Chartist riots and new troops were raised at Morley and Agbrigg on 2 June 1842. On 16 June 1844 the regiment was reorganised as the 1st West York Yeomanry Cavalry, with the Morley and Agbrigg Troops being detached to form the 2nd West York Yeomanry Cavalry at Halifax.
The 1st WYYC was commanded by Lord Wharncliffe until his death in 1845. William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, Viscount Milton became Colonel on 4 May 1846 and remained in command for 40 years, with several of his brothers and sons serving as officers in the regiment, as well as members of the Stuart-Wortley family. In the 1850s the regiment used the Doncaster Mansion House as its officers' mess, and carried out training and drill on Doncaster Racecourse.
The 1st WYCC was reorganised into eight troops in 1871:
  • A Troop at Sheffield
  • B Troop at Kiveton Park
  • C Troop at Doncaster
  • D Troop at Barnsdale
  • E Troop at Wentworth Park
  • F Troop at Pontefract
  • G Troop at Barnsley
  • H Troop at Wakefield
Earl Fitzwilliam became honorary colonel of the regiment on 25 December 1886 when his younger son the Hon Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam took command as Lt-Col.
Having been Hussars, the regiment progressively adopted Dragoon style, and was officially renamed the Yorkshire Dragoons in 1889. It was affiliated to the 6th Dragoon Guards and adopted that regiment's uniform with minor alterations. In 1893 it reorganised into three squadrons:
  • A Squadron, with A & B Troops at Sheffield, C Troop at Rotherham
  • B Squadron, with A Troop at Pontefract, B & C Troops at Wakefield
  • C Squadron, with A & B Troops at Doncaster, C at Barnsley
A fourth squadron was added in 1894 when the 2nd WYYC was disbanded:
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 1st West Yorkshire Yeomanry were part of the Cavalry Brigade of VII Corps based at Doncaster, alongside three Regular cavalry regiments and a Royal Horse Artillery battery, while the 2nd West Yorkshire Yeomanry were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 3rd Division of VIII Corps based at Northampton, alongside Regular and Militia units of infantry, artillery and engineers. In 1894 the 2nd West Yorkshire Yeomanry was disbanded, but some of the personnel formed a fourth squadron for the Yorkshire Dragoons. From 1893 the Yorkshire Dragoons, Yorkshire Hussars and the 2nd West York Yeomanry, were brought together as the 13th Yeomanry Brigade, with its HQ at York.
The Earl of Scarbrough, formerly of the 7th Hussars, took over as Lt-Col on 25 December 1891, having commanded the Doncaster Troop since 1885.
Finally, in 1897, after the Sheffield squadron had the honour of escorting Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, at Sheffield and being represented at the Royal celebration of that year, the regiment became known as the Queens Own Yorkshire Dragoons.

Imperial Yeomanry

The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899, the British government realised they were going to need more troops than just the regular army. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899 to allow volunteer forces to serve in the Second Boer War. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each for the Imperial Yeomanry, which was equipped to operate as Mounted infantry. The regiment provided:
The Yorkshire Dragoons sponsored the 11th Company and the Yorkshire Hussars the 9th Company. An equipment and emergency fund was set up and by 2 January 1900 13th Yeomanry Brigade had enrolled 330 volunteers at Leeds. Selection and mobilisation began at Sheffield Cavalry Barracks on 6 January and the two companies were completed by 17 January. 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. The Earl of Scarbrough was appointed second-in-command as a Temporary Major.
3rd Battalion with its horses embarked on at Liverpool on 29 January and was the first IY battalion to arrive in South Africa, disembarking at Cape Town on 20 February 1900.
The Yorkshire Dragoons and Hussars also co-sponsored the 66th Company, formed in March 1900. The 66th Company arrived in South Africa on 10 April and joined in the 16th Battalion, IY, transferring to the 3rd when the 16th was broken up in 1902. The Yorkshire Dragoons later raised the 111th Company for the Second Contingent of the IY in 1902.

Boshof

The 3rd Bn IY 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 Earl of Scarbrough led the Yorkshire contingent 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'.
Boshof had been a dismounted action, but at Rooidam on 5 May the Yorkshire Dragoons seized a kraal at a gallop, which allowed them to secure a kopje from which they could enfilade the Boers' main position. 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 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.