Norfolk Yeomanry
| Norfolk Yeomanry (The King's Own Royal Regiment) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 24 May 1901 – present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 British Army Territorial Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Peacetime HQ | Norwich, Norfolk |
| Engagements |
First World War Second World War |
The Norfolk Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was raised in 1901 at the express wish of the new King Edward VII, and titled the Norfolk (King′s Own) Imperial Yeomanry, with the royal cypher as its badge.[1] It was later renamed King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry)
History
First World War
| Eastern Mounted Brigade |
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Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
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Assigned units
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Training attachments
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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]
1/1st Norfolk Yeomanry
- Gallipoli
In September 1915, the regiment embarked on RMS Olympic with 25 officers & 504 men for the journey to Gallipoli, landing on the peninsula on 10 October. Units of the Norfolk Yeomanry were among the last to be evacuated from the Suvla beachhead on 20 December.
- Egypt and Palestine
The Yeomanry was re-equipped and sent to the Suez Canal defences and then joined the Western Frontier Force in July 1916, defending Egypt against the Senussi. On 7 Feb 1917 the regiment formed the 12th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Battalion, The Norfolk Regiment and served in Palestine (including the Third Battle of Gaza) from April 1917 to April 1918 in the 230th Brigade of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division.[3]
- France and Flanders
In May 1918 the battalion was sent to France.
2/1st Norfolk Yeomanry
The 2nd Line regiment was formed in 1914 and by January 1915 it was in the 2/1st Eastern Mounted Brigade in the Huntingdon area.[4] On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence;[5] the brigade was numbered as 13th Mounted Brigade and joined 4th Mounted Division in the Wivenhoe area.[4]
In July 1916, the regiment was converted to a cyclist unit in 5th Cyclist Brigade, 2nd Cyclist Division, still in the Wivenhoe area. In November 1916, the division was broken up and regiment was merged with the 2/1st Suffolk Yeomanry to form 7th (Suffolk and Norfolk) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment in 3rd Cyclist Brigade, in the Ipswich area. In March 1917 it resumed its identity as 2/1st Norfolk Yeomanry, still at Ipswich in 3rd Cyclist Brigade. By July 1917 the regiment had moved to Woodbridge. In May 1918 the regiment moved to Ireland and was stationed at Castlereagh and Gort, still in 3rd Cyclist Brigade, until the end of the war.[4]
3/1st Norfolk Yeomanry
The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment in Eastern Command. In the summer of 1916 it was attached to the 3rd Line Groups of the East Anglian Division. Early in 1917 the regiment was disbanded and its personnel were transferred to the 2nd Line regiment and the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment at Halton Park, Tring.[4]
Between the wars
Prior to the Second World War, the Norfolk Yeomanry was amalgamated with the Suffolk Yeomanry and converted into 55th (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery.[6][7]
By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out and, as a direct result of the German invasion of Czechoslovakia on 15 March,[8] the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate.[9] Consequently, the 65th (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed as a duplicate.[6][7]
In 1942, the Norfolk batteries of each regiment were concentrated in the 65th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery.[6]
Second World War
The 65th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment served with the 7th Armoured Division on the Second Front, fighting in the Battle of Normandy.
Later history
Several units have subsequently borne Norfolk Yeomanry as part of their title. In 1961 they amalgamated with the Suffolk Yeomanry to form the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry. In 2006, 202 (The Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers) re-roled to become No. 677 (Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Squadron AAC (Volunteers) and is part of 6 Regiment Army Air Corps (Volunteers).[10]
As part of the unit changes under Army 2020, the detachment at Swaffham closed in January 2014, and from 1 April 2014, the (Volunteers) suffix was removed from all Territorial Army titles, as the Territorial Army became the Army Reserve.
No. 677 (Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Squadron AAC is part of 6 Regiment Army Air Corps. Squadron Headquarters and A Flight are at Bury St Edmunds, B Flight at Norwich and C Flight at Ipswich.
Memorial
The regimental war memorial in Norwich Cathedral bears the names of 196 officers and men of the Norfolk Yeomanry who died during the First World War. The Muckleburgh Collection at Weybourne in Norfolk, has displays of Norfolk Yeomanry memorabilia.[11]
Battle honours
The Norfolk Yeomanry has been awarded the following battle honours:[12]
- First World War
Ypres 1918, France and Flanders 1918, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915–17, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917–18
- Second World War
None awarded to artillery. The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments. In 1833, William IV awarded the motto Ubique (meaning "everywhere") in place of all battle honours.[13]
Notable members
Among those who served in the K.O.R.R. were:
- Viscount Coke
- W.E. Johns author of the Biggles books
- Frederick Duleep Singh (1868–1926), second son of Maharaja Duleep Singh (last ruler of the Sikhs)
Honorary Colonels and Commanding Officers
| List of Honorary Colonels |
List of Commanding Officers/ Officer Commanding | |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk (King′s Own) Imperial Yeomanry (1901-1908) |
Major H.A. Barclay (1901-1913)[14] | |
| King′s Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry) 1908-1961 |
King Haakon VII of Norway | |
See also
- Imperial Yeomanry
- List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
- Yeomanry
- Yeomanry order of precedence
- British yeomanry during the First World War
- Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army
- List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27317. p. 3562. 24 May 1901.
- ↑ Rinaldi 2008, p. 35
- ↑ Baker, Chris. "Norfolk Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 James 1978, p. 25
- ↑ James 1978, p. 36
- 1 2 3 Mileham 1994, p. 101
- 1 2 Mileham 1994, p. 112
- ↑ Mileham 1994, p. 51
- ↑ "History of the Army Reserve". MOD. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ↑ http://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/25372.aspx
- ↑ http://www.muckleburgh.co.uk/the-collection.htm
- ↑ Norfolk Yeomanry (The King's Own Royal Regiment) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 19 April 2007)
- ↑ Royal Regiment of Artillery at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27320. p. 3775. 4 June 1901.
Bibliography
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN 1-898410-36-4.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0.
External links
- Baker, Chris. "The Norfolk Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- Norfolk Yeomanry (The King's Own Royal Regiment) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)