The Kent Yeomanry was an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the Territorial Army (TA) formed in 1920 by the amalgamation of the Royal East Kent (The Duke of Connaught's Own) Yeomanry (Mounted Rifles) and

West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own) The Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry was a British Army regiment formed in 1794. It served in the Second Boer War and the World War I, First World War. It amalgamated with the Royal East Kent Yeomanry, Royal East Kent (The Duke of Connaught's Own) ...

. For the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

it was expanded to form two field artillery regiments – 97 (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and 143 (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – which saw active service in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and North-West Europe, both with the BEF in

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

and on the

Second Front The Western Front was a military theatre of World War II encompassing Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The Italian front is considered a separate but related theater. The Wester ...

in 1944–45. Post war it was reconstituted as 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery before being amalgamated in 1961 with the 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) to form the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry.

History

Formation

Following the experience of 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 ...

, it was decided that only the fourteen most senior

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 ...

s would be retained as horsed cavalry, with the rest being transferred to other roles. As a result, on 20 August 1920, the Royal East Kent (The Duke of Connaught's Own) Yeomanry (Mounted Rifles) was amalgamated with the

to form the Kent Yeomanry and simultaneously re-roled as field artillery to form 6th (Kent) Army Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.Frederick, pp. 34–5.Litchfield, pp. 111–2; Appendix VII. In 1921 the regiment regained its yeomanry title and was renumbered as the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. Within the brigade, two batteries were subtitled "Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry", 385th at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

and 386th at Ashfordand two were subtitled "Queen's Own Yeomanry"387 at

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

and 388 at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

. The brigade's HQ was also at Maidstone. Another title change came in June 1924 as the Royal Field Artillery was subsumed back into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and the regiment became 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Brigade, RA, and the batteries became 'Field Batteries'. The final change came in 1938 as artillery brigades became regiments, and the unit became 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Army Field Regiment, RA in November.Frederick, pp. 492–4, 525, 533. By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit forming a duplicate. 97 (Kent Yeomanry) Army Field Regiment, RA formed 143 Field Regiment, RA. The new regiment continued the tradition of including batteries from both East and West Kent.

Second World War

97 (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

97 (Kent Yeomanry) Army Field Regiment mobilized on 3 September 1939 at Maidstone under Eastern Command with 385 (Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry) and 387 (Queen's Own Yeomanry) Batteries. The regiment joined the BEF in May 1940, initially with III Corps then attached to 5th Infantry Division.Joslen, pp. 47–8. During the Battle of France, the regiment saw action at

Saint-Valery-en-Caux Saint-Valery-en-Caux (, literally ''Saint-Valery in Caux'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. The addition of an acute accent on the "e" (Valéry) is incorrect. Geography The town is locat ...

in June 1940; after the German advance the regiment destroyed its guns and equipment and headed to Dunkirk for evacuation in

Operation Dynamo Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. Field regiments had been organised in 1938 into two 12-gun batteries. The experience of the BEF in 1940 showed the problem with this organisation: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment. As a result, field regiments were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries. The third battery (470) was formed in the regiment at

Great Baddow Great Baddow is an urban village and civil parish in the Chelmsford borough of Essex, England. It is close to the city of Chelmsford, and, with a population of over 13,000,Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

on 20 October 1941 and was initially under command of Tenth Army before being assigned to 10th Indian Infantry Division on 19 November. On 25 April 1942, 470 Field Bty left to form part of X (later 164th) Field Regt, RA. The rest of the regiment arrived in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

with the division on 31 May. On 5 July it came under command of

British Troops in Egypt British Troops in Egypt was a command of the British Army. History A British Army commander was appointed in the late 19th century after the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882. The British Army remained in Egypt throughout the First World War and, after t ...

.Joslen, p. 505. The regiment dropped the "Army" designation on 13 September and on the same date joined the 7th Armoured Division.Joslen, p. 19. Armed with sixteen

25 pounder The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War. Its calibre is 3.45-inch (87.6 mm). It was introduced into service just before the war started, comb ...

s, the regiment served with 7th Armoured in the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

.Joslen, p. 21. On 20 December it was placed under command of GHQ, Middle East ForcesJoslen, p. 483. and 470 Field Bty was reformed for the regiment. In October 1943 it rejoined the 10th Indian Division, serving in North Africa, Palestine and

, where it ended the war on the Adriatic coast near

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

. The Regimental HQ with 385, 387 and 470 Batteries were placed in suspended animation on 15 December 1945.

143 (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

143rd Field Regiment mobilised on 3 September 1939 at Ashford under Eastern Command with 386 (Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry) and 388 (Queen's Own Yeomanry) Batteries. It spent the early part of the war in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. While there, it was reorganised from two 12-gun batteries to three 8-gun batteries when the third battery (507) was formed in the regiment in May 1941. It was authorised to use the "Kent Yeomanry" designation from 17 February 1942. Arriving back in the UK, the regiment was assigned to the

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divis ...

, ''the Polar Bears'', on 26 April 1942; it was to remain with the division for the rest of the war.Joslen, pp. 79–80. The division began landing in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

on 12 June 1944 ( D-Day + 6) and participated in the

North-West Europe Campaign The North West Europe campaign was a campaign by the British Commonwealth armed forces in North West Europe, including its skies and adjoining waters during World War II. The term Western Front has also sometimes been used informally. The United S ...

. Equipped with Sexton self-propelled 25-pounder guns, the regiment gave support to the British and Canadian forces attacking Caen (

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 Battle of the Odon The Second Battle of the Odon comprised operations fought by the British Second Army during the Second World War. Attacks took place in mid-July 1944 against Panzergruppe West, as part of the Battle of Normandy. Operations Greenline and Pomegran ...

). During

Operation Martlet Operation Martlet (also known as Operation Dauntless) was part of a series of British attacks to capture the French town of Caen and its environs from German forces during the Battle of Normandy of World War II begun by the Allies. It was a preli ...

its Sextons supported 147th Brigdae and C Squadron of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry in their attack on St Nicholas Farm. Later they were also in action around

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

(

Operation Astonia Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Fought from ...

) as part of the First Canadian Army, at the Turnhout Canal and in the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...

. The winter of 1944-1945 was spent on the Dutch–German border along the River Maas. Their final action was at the

Second Battle of Arnhem Operation Anger (sometimes known as Operation Quick Anger), was a military operation to seize the city of Arnhem in April 1945, during the closing stages of the Second World War. It is also known as the Second Battle of Arnhem or the Liberation of ...

in April 1945. The Regiment was placed in suspended animation after the war on 18 April 1946.

Post war

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947 143rd Fd Rgt was formally disbanded and 97th Fd Rgt reformed at Maidstone as 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA. RHQ remained at Maidstone, and the regiment formed part of the TA's 44th (Home Counties) Division.Frederick, p. 1003.Watson, ''TA 1947''.
/ref> On 1 May 1961, the regiment was amalgamated with 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) to form

Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry was a unit of the Territorial Army ('TA') that was formed in 1961 as the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) by the amalgamation of 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and 3rd/4th Cou ...

Insignia

Upon conversion to artillery the regiment opted to wear the Royal Artillery cap and collar badges rather than their original yeomanry badges, although shoulder chains were authorised for wear on walking out dress for all ranks. During World War II special regimental pattern buttons for service dress were adopted by officers of 97 Field Regiment. These were flat, gilt, and engraved with the white horse of Kent over a scroll inscribed 'INVICTA' over the letters KY. Brass KY shoulder titles were worn on

battledress A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress ...

by all ranks, and while in the Middle East officers wore a khaki drill slip-on shoulder strap below the rank badges with KY embroidered in white. An embroidered regimental arm badge consisting of the white horse on a black diamond was worn on the right arm by all ranks. The buttons, shoulder titles and arm badge continued to be worn after the war by 297 LAA Rgt until conversion to RAC in 1961.

Battle Honours

The Kent Yeomanry was the custodian of the

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s of The Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles (The Duke of Connaught's Own) and The West Kent Yeomanry (Queen's Own). ;Second World War 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 William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

awarded the motto ''Ubique'' (meaning "everywhere") in place of all battle honours.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X. * James Holland, ''Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day'', London: Bantam, 2021, ISBN 978-1-78763394-0. * Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, ''Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/ Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6. * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * * War Office, ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927 (RA sections also summarised in Litchfield, Appendix IV).

External links

Derek Barton, ''Royal Artillery 1939–45''

* ttp://www.orbat.info/history/historical/uk/ta47.html Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''* * {{refend Yeomanry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations in Kent Military units and formations in Maidstone Military units and formations established in 1920 Military units and formations disestablished in 1961 Regiments of the British Army in World War II 1920 establishments in the United Kingdom