The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh

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 ...

regiment 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 in 1794. It saw service 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 ...

before being converted into a unit of 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 ...

. The lineage has been continued by 398 (Flint & Denbighshire Yeomanry) Squadron,

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

After Britain was drawn into the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

, the government of Prime Minister

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should form Corps of

Yeomanry Cavalry The Yeomanry Cavalry was the mounted component of the British Volunteer Corps, a military auxiliary established in the late 18th century amid fears of invasion and insurrection during the French Revolutionary Wars. A yeoman was a person of r ...

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. A Troop of Gentlemen and Yeoman of Wrexham was formed on 23 May 1795 at

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, a rapidly growing industrial town in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

. Another Troop was raised at Denbigh in 1799. In 1803, when the short-lived Peace of Amiens broke down and the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

began, two more Troops were raised and the force became a regiment as the Wrexham Yeomanry Cavalry.Mileham, pp. 80–1.

19th Century

By 26 January 1820, when the regiment became the Denbighshire Yeomanry Cavalry, there were five Troops. When Government support of the Yeomanry was withdrawn in 1828 the regiment carried on without pay until 1831 when pay for drills and periods of service was restored. Although the Yeomanry generally declined in importance and numbers after the end of the French wars, the Denbigh regiment was sometimes called out to suppress riots. It was used to quell a disturbance by colliery workers in Rhosllannerchrugog in 1830: the colliery workers were angered by the truck shop system that forced them to spend their wages in shops owned by their employers and planned to destroy a truck shop owned by the British Ironworks Company. The Regiment was ordered out on patrol to 'terrify the mob.' At an incident in Rhosllannerchrugog, known as the Battle of Cinder Hill, overzealous troops had to be brought under control after a demonstrator threw a firework at the soldiers. In the 1860s, most of the regiment's officers were former officers in the 1st or

2nd Life Guards The 2nd Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

, led by the commanding officer (CO),

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Charles John Tottenham of Plas Berwyn, Denbighshire, (late of the 2nd LG and

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and shrievalty of Clwyd was create ...

) who was appointed to the command on 12 June 1857. He was simultaneously CO of the Royal Merioneth Militia. He held the Yeomanry command until he retired and became the regiment's Honorary Colonel on 30 May 1874.''Army List'', various dates. He was succeeded as CO by Lt-Col Tom Naylor-Leyland of

Nantclwyd Hall Nantclwyd Hall is a 17th-century Grade II* listed mansion near the village of Llanelidan, Denbighshire, Wales,Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Bea ...

, moving to

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...

in the 1870s. The Regiment became the Denbighshire (Hussars) Yeomanry Cavalry in 1876.

Imperial Yeomanry

The_Second_Anglo_-_Boer_War,_South_Africa_1899_-_1902_Q72318

The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but following a string of defeats during

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of 10–17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso. In total, 2,776 British s ...

in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just the regular army to fight the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, particularly mounted troops. On 13 December, the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the field, and a Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December that officially created the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

(IY). The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each. In addition to this, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new force.Dunlop, pp. 104–18.IY at Anglo-Boer War.
/ref> The Denbighshire Hussars raised the 29th (Denbighshire) Company for the IY, which arrived in South Africa on 5 March 1900 and served in 9th Battalion, IY. The company served until 1901, earning the regiment its first

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 ...

: South Africa 1900–01. DenbighshireHussars

The Imperial Yeomanry were trained and equipped as mounted infantry. The concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, with an establishment of HQ and four squadrons with a machine gun section. This included the Denbighshire Hussars, now the Denbighshire Imperial Yeomanry. In the early 1900s the regiment's C Squadron recruited in neighbouring Caernarvonshire and included a Troop from

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, while D Squadron recruited in neighbouring Cheshire. A.G. Edwards, Bishop of St Asaph, was appointed the regiment's Honorary Chaplain in 1902, attaining the rank of Chaplain 1st Class (TF) in 1906.

Territorial Force

The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new

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 ...

(TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908. and the regiment was officially titled the Denbighshire Yeomanry (Hussars) with the following organisation: * A Squadron at Wrexham, with detachments at Market Street, Llangollen,Denbighshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls.
/ref> Earl Street,

Mold, Flintshire Mold ( cy, Yr Wyddgrug) is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the county town and administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, as it was of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996. According to the 2011 UK Census, it had a ...

and Ruabon * B Squadron at Love Lane, Denbigh, with detachments at

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that ...

, John Street,

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd''). To the we ...

, and Denbigh Road, Ruthin * C Squadron at Glynne Road, Bangor,Caernarvonshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls.
/ref> with detachments at Caernarvon, Argyll Road, Llandudno and

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from th ...

* D Squadron at 24 Clifon Road, Tranmere,

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, Cheshire In 1911 the Regiment had the honour of being the escort to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

to his

Investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...

at Caernarfon Castle. In 1913 the regiment moved its headquarters to Hightown Barracks in

where it remained throughout the

First World War

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ('' 7 Edw. 7, c.9'') which brought the

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.

1/1st Denbighshire Hussars

The 1/1st Denbighshire Hussars was mobilised with the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the

. It moved to East Anglia where it joined the

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. In November 1915, the brigade was dismounted. The regiment was posted with the brigade to Egypt in March 1916. On 20 March, Welsh Border Mounted Brigade was absorbed into the 4th Dismounted Brigade (along with the

South Wales Mounted Brigade The South Wales Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. After home defence service, it was posted to Egypt, where it was absorbed into the 4th Dismounted Brigade in March 1916. History F ...

). The brigade was with the Suez Canal Defences when, on 14 January 1917,

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 ...

(EEF) Order No. 26 instructed that the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

, 3rd and 4th Dismounted Brigades be reorganized as the 229th, 230th and 231st Brigades. Between January and March 1917 the small Yeomanry regiments were amalgamated and numbered as battalions of infantry regiments recruiting from the same districts. As a result, the 1/1st Denbighshire Hussars was converted to 24th (Denbighshire Yeomanry) Battalion,

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

(24th RWF) in February 1917. On 23 February, the General Officer Commanding the EEF, Lieutenant-General Sir A.J. Murray, sought permission from the

to form the 229th, 230th and 231st Brigades into a new division. On 25 February, the War Office granted permission and the new

74th (Yeomanry) Division The 74th (Yeomanry) Division was a Territorial Force infantry division formed in Palestine in early 1917 from three dismounted yeomanry brigades. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War, mostly as part of XX Corps. ...

started to form. The 231st Brigade joined the division at

el Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ar, العريش ' , ''Hrinokorura'') is the capital and largest city (with 164,830 inhabitants ) of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the entire Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Medite ...

by 9 March. It took part in the invasion of Palestine in 1917 and 1918, including the Second (17–19 April 1917) and Third Battles of Gaza (27 October–7 November)including the capture of

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

on 31 October and the Sheria Position on 6 November. At the end of 1917, it took part in the capture and defence of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and in March 1918 in the Battle of Tell 'Asur. On 3 April 1918, the division was warned that it would move to France and by 30 April 1918 had completed embarkation at Alexandria. In May 1918, the battalion landed at Marseilles,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

with 74th (Yeomanry) Division. Due to a lack of replacements, British infantry divisions on the Western Front had been reduced from 12 to nine battalions in January and February 1918. To conform with this new structure, on 21 June, 12th ( Ayrshire and

Lanarkshire Yeomanry The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being am ...

) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (of 229th Brigade), 12th ( Norfolk Yeomanry) Battalion,

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

(of 230th Brigade) and 24th RWF left the 74th (Yeomanry) Division. They were used to reconstitute 94th Brigade of 31st Division which was renamed the 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade on that date. It remained with the 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade, 31st Division for the rest of the war, taking part in the latter part of the Battle of the Lys (Le Becque, 28 June), the Capture of Vieux-Berquin (13 August) and the Final Advance in Flanders (

Fifth Battle of Ypres The Fifth Battle of Ypres, also called the Advance in Flanders and the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders (french: Bataille des Crêtes de Flandres) is an informal name used to identify a series of World War I battles in northern France and southe ...

, 28 September2 October). By the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the battalion was in Belgium, moving from Avelghem to Renaix.

2/1st Denbighshire Hussars

The 2nd Line regiment was formed in 1914 and joined the 2/1st Welsh Border Mounted Brigade in the

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

area of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

in January 1915 (along with the 2/1st Shropshire Yeomanry and the 2/1st Cheshire Yeomanry). The brigade was placed under the command of the

63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division The 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division of the British Army was a second-line Territorial Force division, formed in 1914, which served on home defence duties during the First World War. The division was formed as a duplicate of the 50th (Northumbri ...

. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became 17th Mounted Brigade, still in Northumberland under Northern Command. In April 1916, it moved with its brigade to East Anglia where it joined the

; it replaced its 1st Line which had departed (dismounted) for Egypt. By July it had left with its brigade for the Morpeth, Northumberland area. In July 1916 there was a major reorganization of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the United Kingdom. All but 12 regiments were converted to

cyclists Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of Bicycle, cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", ...

and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to 10th Cyclist Brigade. Further reorganization in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as

6th Cyclist Brigade The 17th Mounted Brigade previously known as the 2/1st Welsh Border Mounted Brigade was a 2nd Line yeomanry brigade of the British Army during the First World War. In July 1916 it was converted to a Bicycle infantry, cyclist formation as 10th Cy ...

in November, still in the Morpeth area. At this time the regiment departed for the 1st Cyclist Brigade at

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 and A12 roads, north-east of London as the crow fl ...

in Suffolk where it was amalgamated with the 2/1st Montgomeryshire Yeomanry as the 3rd (Denbigh and Montgomery) Yeomanry Cyclist Battalion.{{efn, James also names the combined unit as ''3rd (Denbigh and Montgomery) Yeomanry Cyclist Battalion''{{harvnb, James, 1978, pp=24–25 which seems more plausible than ''3rd (Montgomery and Denbigh Yeomanry) Cyclist Battalion'' given that the Denbighshire Hussars were ranked 16th in the Yeomanry order of precedence whereas the

Montgomeryshire Yeomanry The Montgomeryshire Yeomanry was a Welsh auxiliary unit of the British Army first formed in 1803. It served in home defence and for internal security, including deployments to deal with Chartist disturbances in the 1830s. It provided volunteers ...

were ranked 35th.{{harvnb, Mileham, 1994, p=73 The regiment resumed its separate identity as 2/1st Denbighshire Hussars in March 1917. It moved to

Worlingham Worlingham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is about east of Beccles, with the two places effectively joined to form one urban area. At the 2011 census it had a population of 3, ...

(near Beccles) in July, to

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Alde ...

in January 1918 and back to Worlingham in April. It was still in 1st Cyclist Brigade at the end of the war.

{{anchor, 3rd Line 3/1st Denbighshire Hussars

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

. In the summer of 1916 it was dismounted and attached to the 3rd Line Groups of the

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...

as its 1st Line was serving as infantry. The regiment was disbanded early in 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line regiment or to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Oswestry.

Between the wars

Postwar, a commission was set up to consider the shape of the Territorial Force ( Territorial Army from 1 October 1921). The experience of the First World War made it clear that there were too many mounted units. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior regiments were to be retained as cavalry (though the

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...

and the

Scottish Horse The Scottish Horse was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army's Territorial Army raised in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War. It saw heavy fighting in both the First World War, as the 13th Battalion, Black Watch, and in the Second World Wa ...

were also to remain mounted as "scouts"). Eight regiments were converted to Armoured Car Companies of the

Royal Tank Corps The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as t ...

(RTC), one was reduced to a battery in another regiment, one was absorbed into a local infantry battalion, one became a signals regiment and two were disbanded. The remaining 25 regiments were converted to brigades{{efn, name=Brigade, The basic organic unit of the

was, and is, the Battery.{{cite web, url=http://www.army.mod.uk/artillery/23445.aspx , title=The Royal Artillery , publisher=

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is the department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by His Majesty's Government, and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The MOD states that its principal objectives are to ...

, access-date=18 November 2013 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023001138/http://www.army.mod.uk/artillery/23445.aspx , archive-date=23 October 2013 When grouped together they formed brigades, in the same way that infantry battalions or cavalry regiments were grouped together in brigades. At the outbreak of the

, a field artillery brigade of headquarters (4 officers, 37 other ranks), three batteries (5 and 193 each), and a brigade ammunition column (4 and 154){{cite web , url=http://www.1914-1918.net/whatartbrig.htm , title=What was an artillery brigade? , publisher=The Long, Long Trail , first=Chris , last=Baker , access-date=18 November 2013 , archive-date=27 July 2013 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727042352/http://www.1914-1918.net/whatartbrig.htm , url-status=dead had a total strength just under 800 so was broadly comparable to an infantry battalion (just over 1,000) or a cavalry regiment (about 550). Like an infantry battalion, an artillery brigade was usually commanded by a

. Artillery brigades were redesignated as regiments in 1938. of the Royal Field Artillery between 1920 and 1922.{{harvnb, Mileham, 1994, pp=48–51 The Denbighshire Yeomanry was one of the regiments converted to artillery; it was re-roled as a medium artillery formation, and amalgamated with the 61st Medium Brigade

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

(the former

1st Carnarvonshire Artillery Volunteers The 1st Carnarvonshire Artillery Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army in North Wales from 1862 to 1922. It fought on the Western Front in World War I. Postwar it was amalgamated with the Denbighshire Hussars as a medium artillery ...

), to form 61 Medium Regiment, RA, (Caernarvon and Denbigh Yeomanry), with the following organisation:Litchfield, pp. 27–8.Carnarvonshire and Anglesey Artillery Vols at Regiments.org
/ref> * HQ at

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...

* 241 (Carnarvon) Battery at Bangor, from 61st Medium Bde * 242 (Carnarvon) Battery at Llandudno, from Denbighshire Yeomanry * 243 (Denbigh) Battery at Colwyn Bay, from Denbighshire Yeomanry * 244 (Denbigh) Battery at Wrexham, from Denbighshire Yeomanry The Royal Garrison Artillery was subsumed into the

(RA) in 1924, and the RA adopted the term 'regiment' in place of 'brigade' in 1938.

Second World War

{{anchor, 61st Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery61st (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA

61st Medium Regiment saw service in

during the

phoney war The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...

(1939–1940); after the Dunkirk evacuation, it would remain in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

until returning to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

in June 1944 with 21st Army Group. It fought through the campaign in North West Europe as part of

8th Army Group Royal Artillery 8th Army Group Royal Artillery (8 AGRA) was a brigade-sized formation organised by Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II to command medium and heavy guns. It served in the campaign in North West Europe, participating in the battles ...

{{anchor, 69th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery69th (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA

In 1939, 61st Medium Regiment formed a duplicate unit, 69th Medium Regiment, RA which in February 1942 was designated as 69th (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA.{{harvnb, Frederick, 1984, p=737 It also saw service with the BEF in 1940, before being sent to

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 ...

in 1942, where it took part in the

Battle of El Alamein There were two battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The Battles occurred in North Africa, in Egypt, in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein. * First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 July 1942 * Secon ...

. It joined the 2nd Army Group Royal Artillery and took part in the Italian Campaign from 1943 to 1945. It ended the war in North-West Europe with the 2nd Army.

Postwar

In 1947 the regiment reformed as an artillery formation as 361st (Carnarvonshire and Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment. The CO was Lt-Col Owen Williams-Wynn, son of the regiment's Honorary Colonel and himself the former adjutant of the regiment 1936–39.Williams-Wynn Baronets, ''Burke's''. In 1956 the regiment merged with the 384th (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Light Regiment, Royal Artillery to become the 372nd (Flintshire and Denbighshire Yeomanry) Regiment. The Regiment effectively ceased to exist in 1968, although it continued in name as a cadre until it was amalgamated in 1971 with the Welsh Volunteers to become the 3rd (V) Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, in which form its lineage was continued until 1999 as a unit of the Territorial Army. In 1969, Cadre members formed part of the military route-lining party for the Investiture of the

at Caernarfon. On 1 April 2014, the unit became 398 (Flint & Denbighshire Yeomanry) Squadron,

(RLC) and took on a new primary role as Drivers within 157 (Welsh) Regiment RLC. They have other secondary duties and can be trained as ammunition technicians, logistic specialists, logistic communications specialists and chefs among other trades open to all with the RLC.

Uniforms & Insignia

The Denbighshire Hussars wore a dark blue Hussar tunic with scarlet

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusb ...

and six rows of white cord, and dark blue overalls or pantaloons with red stripes. The Busby had a white-braided scarlet bag and white plume.Maj Roy Wilson, 'The Yeomanry cavalry', ''Military Modelling'' Vol 16, No 2, February 1986. When the regiment became Imperial Yeomanry in 1901 it adopted a drab uniform with scarlet facings and white plume, but later reverted to the blue hussar uniform in full dress. In 1949 the 361st Med Rgt replaced the Royal Artillery 'gun' badge with one of their own design. It comprised the

Prince of Wales's feathers The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales, during the use of the title by the English and later British monarchy. It consists of three white ostrich feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the corone ...

, coronet, and motto ''Ich Dien'', above a scroll inscribed 'CAERNARVON & DENBIGH YEO'. The feathers and motto were in white metal and the coronet and scroll in gilt. RA 'bomb' collar badges' continued to be worn.

Honorary Colonels

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: * Charles John Tottenham, former CO, appointed 30 May 1874 * Arthur Mesham, former CO, appointed 20 February 1892 *

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 9th Baronet Colonel Sir Robert William Herbert Watkin Williams-Wynn, 9th Baronet, KCB, DSO (3 June 1862 – 23 November 1951) was a Welsh soldier and landowner. He was Master of the Flint and Denbigh Foxhounds for 58 years and also Lord Lieutenant o ...

, KCB, DSO, TD, appointed 7 February 1923 *

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 10th Baronet Sir Owen Watkin Williams-Wynn, 10th Baronet, CBE, KStJ (30 November 1904 – 13 May 1988), was a Welsh soldier and landowner. He was Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire from 1966 to 1974, then Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd from 1976 to 1979. Backg ...

, former CO of 361 Medium Rgt 1947–52, appointed 1952

Memorials

There is a memorial to the 17 men of 29th (Denbighshire) Company Imperial Yeomanry who died on active service during the Second Boer War inside St Giles Parish Church in Wrexham.IWM War Memorial Register Ref 31127.
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Battle honours

The Denbighshire Yeomanry was awarded the following

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 (honours in bold are emblazoned on the guidon): {, class="wikitable" , - valign=top , Second Boer War , , South Africa 1900–01 , - valign=top , First World War , , Somme 1918, Bapaume 1918, Ypres 1918, France and Flanders 1918, Egypt 1916–17, Gaza,

, Jericho, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917–18 , - valign=top , {{nowrap, 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.{{cite web , url=http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/art-eng-sig/RA.htm , title=Royal Regiment of Artillery at regiments.org by T.F.Mills , access-date=2007-07-15 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140005/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/art-eng-sig/RA.htm , archive-date=15 July 2007

Notes

{{notelist

References

{{reflist, 3

Bibliography

* L.S. Amery (ed), ''The Times History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902'', London: Sampson Low, Marston, 6 Vols 1900–09; Appendix to Chapters I-XIV, pp. 503–14. * {{cite book , last = Becke , first = Major A.F. , year = 1936 , title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56) , publisher = His Majesty's Stationery Office , location = London , isbn = 1-871167-12-4 * {{cite book , last = Becke , first = Major A.F. , year = 1937 , title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2B. The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th) with The Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions , publisher = His Majesty's Stationery Office , location = London , isbn = 1-871167-00-0 * {{cite book , last = Becke , first = Major A.F. , year = 1945 , title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3B. New Army Divisions (30–41) & 63rd (RN) Division , publisher = His Majesty's Stationery Office , location = London , isbn = 1-871167-08-6 * ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * {{cite book , last = Frederick , first = J.B.M. , year = 1984 , title = Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978 , publisher = Microform Academic Publishers , location = Wakefield, Yorkshire , isbn = 1-85117-009-X * {{cite book , last = Haythornthwaite , first = Philip J. , year = 1996 , title = The World War One Source Book , publisher = Arms and Armour Press , location = London , isbn = 1-85409-351-7 * {{cite book , last = James , first = Brigadier E.A. , year = 1978 , title = British Regiments 1914–18 , publisher = Samson Books Limited , location = London , isbn = 0-906304-03-2 * N.B. Leslie, ''Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies 1695–1914'', London: Leo Cooper, 1970, {{ISBN, 0-85052-004-5. * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, {{ISBN, 0-9508205-2-0. * {{cite book , last = Mileham , first = Patrick , year = 1994 , title = The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition , publisher = Canongate Academic , location = Edinburgh , isbn = 1-898410-36-4 * {{cite book , last = Rinaldi , first = Richard A , year = 2008 , title = Order of Battle of the British Army 1914 , publisher = Ravi Rikhye , isbn = 978-0-9776072-8-0 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hzUZ-26KYQ4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780977607280 * Col H.C.B. Rogers, ''The Mounted Troops of the British Army 1066–1945'', London: Seeley Service, 1959. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, {{ISBN, 0-582-48565-7.

External links

Anglo Boer War

Clwyd Family History

Great War Centenary Drill Halls.

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register
* {{cite web , publisher=The Long, Long Trail , access-date=6 April 2015 , last=Baker , first=Chris , title=The Denbighshire Yeomanry , url=http://www.1914-1918.net/denbighs.htm , archive-date=4 March 2016 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204123/http://www.1914-1918.net/denbighs.htm , url-status=dead

* ttp://www.roll-of-honour.com/index.html Roll of Honour
Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum
{{British Cavalry Regiments World War I {{Authority control Denbighshire Yeomanry

Yeomanry regiments of the British Army in World War I Military units and formations in Wales Military units and formations in Denbighshire Military units and formations in Wrexham Military units and formations established in 1794 Military units and formations disestablished in 1921 Regiments of the British Army in World War II