The North Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 22nd Mounted Brigade) was a

yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, formed as part of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

in 1908. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In April 1918, it was merged with elements of the 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade to form 12th Cavalry Brigade. It remained in Palestine after the end of the war on occupation duties.

Formation

Under the terms of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9), the brigade was formed in 1908 as part of the

. It consisted of three

regiments, a horse artillery

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

and ammunition column, a transport and supply column and a field ambulance. As the name suggests, the units were drawn from the northern part of the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

, predominantly Leicestershire,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

and Staffordshire.

First World War

North Midland Mounted Brigade

The brigade was embodied on 4 August 1914 and assigned to Third Army of the Central Force. It moved to

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and joined

1st Mounted Division The 1st Mounted Division was a Yeomanry Division of the British Army active during World War I. It was formed in August 1914 for the home defence of the United Kingdom from four existing mounted brigades of the Territorial Force, each of three ...

in September 1914 replacing the

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Mounted Brigade Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

. It remained with 1st Mounted Division until October 1915 when it departed (as a mounted formation) for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. The

Leicestershire Yeomanry The Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert's Own) was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794 and again in 1803, which provided cavalry and mounted infantry in the Second Boer War and the First World War and provided two fie ...

left the brigade in late October 1914 and was posted to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), joining the 7th Cavalry Brigade. It was initially replaced by the

Welsh Horse Yeomanry The Welsh Horse Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army that served in the First World War. The regiment was raised shortly after the outbreak of the war. Initially it served in East Anglia on anti-invasion duties, before being dis ...

before it transferred to the Eastern Mounted Brigade in February 1915. In May 1915, the

East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry was a unit of the British Army formed in 1902. Units of Yeomanry Cavalry were raised in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the 18th and early 19th centuries at times of national emergency: the Jacobite Rising ...

joined to bring the brigade back up to a three regiment strength. The brigade was replaced in 1st Mounted Division by its 2nd Line. On 27 October 1915, the brigade departed

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on '' RMS Victorian'', ''Mercian'' and ''Nessian'' for

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. The destination was changed at sea, and the brigade disembarked at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

between 10 and 20 November 1915, then moved to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. On arrival in Egypt, the North Midland Mounted Brigade was assigned to the

Western Frontier Force The Western Frontier Force was raised from British Empire troops during the Senussi Campaign from November 1915 to February 1917, under the command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). Orders for the formation of the force were issued on ...

22nd Mounted Brigade

On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence. As a consequence, the North Midland Mounted Brigade was redesignated as 22nd Mounted Brigade. The 18th Machine Gun Squadron was formed on 8 January 1917. The brigade joined the ANZAC Mounted Division in February 1917 and took part in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second Battles of Gaza. The complete brigade was transferred to the newly formed Yeomanry Mounted Division on 6 July 1917, joining it at el Fuqari. From 31 October it took part in the

Third Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the ...

, including the Battle of Beersheba and the Capture of the Sheria Position. It took part in the

Battle of Mughar Ridge The Battle of Mughar Ridge, officially known by the British as the action of El Mughar, took place on 13 November 1917 during the Pursuit phase of the Southern Palestine Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. Figh ...

on 13 and 14 November and the

Battle of Nebi Samwil The Battle of Nebi Samwil, (17–24 November 1917), was fought during the decisive British Empire victory at the Battle of Jerusalem between the forces of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Empire's Yildirim Army Group during the S ...

from 17 to 24 November. From 27 to 29 November, it withstood the Turkish counter-attacks during the Capture of Jerusalem.

12th Cavalry Brigade

In March 1918, the

1st Indian Cavalry Division The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a division of the British Indian Army which was formed at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front, and was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the ...

was broken up in France. The British units (notably

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became the ...

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lance ...

, 1/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons and A, Q and U Batteries RHA) remained in France and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt. By an

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning ...

GHQ Order of 12 April 1918, the mounted troops of the EEF were reorganised when the Indian Army units arrived in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. On 24 April 1918, the Yeomanry Mounted Division was ''indianized'' and its title was changed to 1st Mounted Division, the third distinct division to bear this title. On 24 April 1918, the 22nd Mounted Brigade was merged with elements of the 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade: * the Staffordshire Yeomanry remained with the brigade * the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and the

left the brigade on 7 April and were merged to form D Battalion,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks ...

. It was posted to France, arriving on 1 June *

6th King Edward's Own Cavalry The 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1842 and in 1921 was amalgamated with the 7th Hariana Lancers to form the 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry. History The 6th King Edward's Own ...

joined from 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade * 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) joined from 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade * 18th Machine Gun Squadron remained with the brigade * 22nd Mounted Brigade Signal Troop remained with the brigade * on 24 April, 1/North Midland Cavalry Field Ambulance merged with Sialkot Cavalry Field Ambulance to form 22nd Combined Cavalry Field Ambulance * on 26 and 27 April, 3/1st North Midland Mobile Veterinary Section merged with Sialkot Mobile Veterinary Section to form 22nd Mobile Veterinary Section On 22 July 1918, the 1st Mounted Division was renumbered as the 4th Cavalry Division and the brigade as 12th Cavalry Brigade. The sub units (Signal Troop, Combined Cavalry Field Ambulance and Mobile Veterinary Section) were renumbered on the same date. The brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division for the rest of the war, taking part in the Battle of Megiddo and the

Capture of Damascus The Capture of Damascus occurred on 1 October 1918 after the capture of Haifa and the victory at the Battle of Samakh which opened the way for the pursuit north from the Sea of Galilee and the Third Transjordan attack which opened the way to D ...

. After the

Armistice of Mudros Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...

, the brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division in Palestine as part of the occupation forces. However, demobilization began immediately and by May 1919 most of the British units had been repatriated. The division was finally broken up in 1921.

Commanders

The North Midland Mounted Brigade / 22nd Mounted Brigade / 12th Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{cite book , last = Westlake , first = Ray , year = 1992 , title = British Territorial Units 1914-18 , publisher = Osprey Publishing , isbn = 978-1-85532-168-7 CB12 Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army Military units and formations established in 1908 Military units and formations disestablished in 1921 1908 establishments in India