The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was a Regiment of the British

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. History Origins In the 1790s, following the ...

and is now an armoured Squadron of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry (SNIY), part of the British Army Reserve. It is the Lowlands of Scotland's only

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

Unit and has an unbroken history stretching back to the 1790s. The squadron is part of 51st (Scottish) Brigade within the Army's Support Command. On mobilisation, it provides squadrons to reinforce the regular Light Cavalry regiments. It has provided personnel to both Operation HERRICK in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and Operation TELIC in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, who have served with their regular counterparts in the

and other arms and services. The Ayrshire Yeomanry has won numerous battle honours and one

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

History

Formation and early history

The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was formed as an independent troop of Fencible

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

by The Earl of Cassillis sometime around 1794. It was formally adopted into the Army List in 1798 as The Ayrshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry. The Yeomanry were established and recruited at this time to provide Britain with a defence against any invasion by French forces under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. The regiment spent its formative years as an aid to the civil powers, reacting to and controlling riots across Ayrshire and beyond, most notably in Paisley. Following the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attentio ...

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 Ayrshire Yeomanry were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 1st Division of VIII Corps based at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, alongside

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

and

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

units of infantry, artillery and engineers. This was never more than a paper organisation, but from April 1893 the ''Army List'' showed the Yeomanry regiments grouped into brigades for collective training. They were commanded by the senior regimental commanding officer but they did have a Regular Army Brigade major. The Ayrshire Yeomanry together with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry formed the 11th Yeomanry Brigade. The Yeomanry brigades disappeared from the ''Army List'' after the

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

.''Army List'' various dates. In 1897, the regiment was granted permission to use the title Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry (Earl of Carrick's Own) in honour of the future King Edward VII, as

Earl of Carrick Earl of Carrick (or Mormaer of Carrick) is the title applied to the ruler of Carrick, Scotland, Carrick (now South Ayrshire), subsequently part of the Peerage of Scotland. The position came to be strongly associated with the Scottish crown when ...

is a subsidiary title of the Princes of Wales deriving from the

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

district of Carrick.

Second Boer War

The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899, the British government realized 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

. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s to provide service

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

of approximately 115 men each for 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 ...

. With the Lanarkshire Yeomanry, the regiment co-sponsored the 17th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Company for the 6th (Scottish) Battalion in 1900. On their return in 1901, the regiment was reorganized as

mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. Unlike cavalry, mounted infantry dismounted to fight on foot. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Editio ...

and titled the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908, it was transferred 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 in ...

, returning to the cavalry role as the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry. The regiment was based at

Wellington Square Wellington Square may refer to: * Wellington Square, North Adelaide, South Australia * Wellington Square, Perth, in Western Australia * A neighbourhood in Burlington, Ontario, Canada * A square in Kolkata, India, renamed Subodh Chandra Mallik Squar ...

in Ayr at this time.

First World War

In accordance with the

Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ( 7 Edw. 7. c. 9) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new Territor ...

('' 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 Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry

On the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the regiment was one of the fastest to react to the mobilisation order and received congratulations from Scottish Command, even though there was an initial delay in that the orders came in a code that had not been issued to the regiment! Following mobilisation, the regiment joined the Lowland Mounted Brigade and remained 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, on home defence duties, until 1915. The regiment finally deployed overseas in September of that year, where it took part in the Gallipoli landings, serving as dismounted

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. The regiment was attached to the 52nd (Lowland) Division in October; it was withdrawn in January 1916 and moved to Egypt. In early 1917, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry to form the 12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers in

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 Corp ...

(The Broken Spurs), seeing service in the

Palestine campaign The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revolt ...

before moving to the Western Front in May 1918. In June it was transferred to 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade in 31st Division and fought with this through the final

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

.Ayrshire Yeomanry at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> A member of this regiment, Thomas Caldwell, won the

on 31 October 1918 at

Oudenaarde Oudenaarde (; ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgium, Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders. The municipality ...

in Belgium.

2/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry

The 2nd line regiment was formed in 1914. In 1915, it was under the command of the 2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade in Scotland (along with the 2/1st Lanarkshire YeomanryLanarkshire Yeomanry at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> and the 2/1st Lothians and Border HorseLothians and Border Horse at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>) and by March 1916 was at

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became 20th Mounted Brigade, still at Dunbar under Scottish Command. 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 and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to 13th Cyclist Brigade. Further reorganization in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as 9th Cyclist Brigade in November, still at Dunbar. About May 1918, the brigade moved to Ireland and the regiment was stationed at

Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

. There were no further changes before the end of the war.

3/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry

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

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

. In June 1916, it left the Reserve Cavalry Regiment and went to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. The regiment was disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line regiment or to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers at Catterick.

Between the wars

Post war, 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 was a surplus of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior regiments were to be retained as cavalry. As the 7th most senior regiment in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

, the regiment was retained as horsed cavalry.

Second World War

Between the First and Second World Wars, the regiment returned to its horsed cavalry training in Scotland. However, at the beginning of Second World War, the Ayrshire Yeomanry was not required as a cavalry or as an armoured regiment. In 1940, the regiment was transferred 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 duly formed two Regiments of

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

; 151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA, formed in February, and 152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA, formed in April as a second-line duplicate.

151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA

British gunners load propaganda leaflets into shells Holland 24-01-1945 IWM B 14123

Initially, the new regiment's activities were focused on conversion training for the new role. Then in September 1940, the Regiment became officially operational and was assigned home defence duties in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

. In November it came briefly under the command of the 1st Polish Army, which had responsibility for the coastal defence of the area between the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

and Montrose. Equipment at this time was a mixture of 4.5" howitzers, 18 pdr guns and US 75mm M1916 guns. At the end of 1940, the Regiment formally became part of 46th Infantry Division and moved initially to Norfolk, again in the home defence role, while continuing its artillery training. Home defence duties took elements to Kent and other vulnerable parts of the English coastline, while artillery training involved frequent moves to training areas on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

and in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. By late 1941, the regiment was re-equipped with the 25-pounder gun. In May 1942 the Regiment was transferred to the 11th Armoured Division. In September 1942 the regiment was mobilised to reinforce the

Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a ...

, but after the rapid failure of the raid, was not called upon. In February 1943 the Regiment (with the rest of 11 Div) delivered its equipment to the docks and prepared to embark as part of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

(the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa) but at the last minute the sailing order was cancelled and additional infantry were sent. Instead, the Regiment remained in the United Kingdom, and trained for the now anticipated invasion of Europe. Sailing from

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...

on 11th June 1944, the Regiment landed in France at

Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders t ...

beach and was fully disembarked by 14th June as 11 Div gathered strength in the bridgehead. The Regiment's first action was in support of the 3rd Canadian Division, at Lantheuil on 14th June, and was then involved throughout Operation Epsom before rejoining 11 Div at the end of the month. The Regiment subsequently participated in Operations Goodwood and Bluecoat which laid the ground for the rapid Allied advance across northern France and into Belgium, in August and September. The Regiment crossed the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

on 29th August, reached

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

on 1st September and

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

on 4th September. The speed of the Allied advance then slowed, but the Regiment was kept steadily in action, with the emphasis on the removal of the remaining German forces west of the

river Maas The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

. In February 1945 the Battle of the Reichswald or

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...

began, with the intention of forcing the enemy to retreat across the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. This saw a period of intense activity for the Regiment with almost constant calls for fire support. 11th Armoured Division was pulled back from the operation in early March, to prepare for the crossing of the Rhine. The bombardment of enemy positions across the Rhine began on 23rd March and continued for three days, with the Regiment firing approximately 1,000 rounds per gun. The Regiment crossed the Rhine into Germany on 28th March, and reached the Dortmund-Ems canal on 1st April. The advance continued, with at one point the Regiment spread out over a distance of forty miles. On 5th April, the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

was reached at Stolzenau. The Regiment passed through Lunenburg on 18th April and the following day was in a position to engage targets beyond the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

. After supporting the assault across the Elbe on the night of 28th April, the Regiment crossed the river the following day. The Regiment's final rounds of the war were fired on 1st May. With enemy resistance now visibly collapsing, the advance towards the Baltic coast continued, with the Regiment north of Bad Oldesloe on

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

. Following the capitulation, the Regiment was stationed in and around the small Baltic port of Eckernforde, where its duties revolved around the re-establishment of civic order and the setting up of the

military government A military government is any government that is administered by a military, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue or by an occupying power. It is usually administered by military personnel. Types of m ...

. Thousands of Soviet and other prisoners of war required assistance and did large numbers of

displaced persons Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...

. Additionally, the large numbers of prisoners had to be screened for suspected war criminals. While many members of the Regiment were being posted to other units and equipment was being withdrawn, these responsibilities continued during the remainder of 1945 and until February 1946, when 151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery was formally disbanded. During the campaign in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, the Regiment lost 40 men killed and 109 were wounded.

152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA

The 152nd was attached to the 6th Armoured Division in mid-1942, and moved with the division to North Africa that November. It remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in the

Tunisia Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

, and the Italian Campaign, ending the war in Austria. Both Regiments fought with great courage and between them they won four

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

s, twenty one

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

es and twenty four

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

s."The Proud Trooper" W.S. Brownlie, Collins, London 1964

Post war

After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army as a Yeomanry Regiment, under its old title of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry, and transferred into the

. The regiment was made part of 30 (Lowland) Independent Armoured Brigade. During this time, the regiment were issued with a wide variety of equipment, including at one stage flamethrower tanks. The regiment consisted of Sabre Squadrons at Ayr, Dalry and

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

with Regimental Headquarters and Carrick Troop (HQ Squadron) in Ayr. In 1961, the Ayrshire Yeomanry paraded at Culzean Castle and were presented with their First Guidon bearing the Honours which had been hard won. The Ayrshire Yeomanry continued as an independent Regiment until 1969 when, in common with most of the Yeomanry Regiments, it was reduced to a Cadre of just a few men. On 1 April 1971, this cadre gave rise to two new units; B Squadron of the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment, later renamed the Queen's Own Yeomanry, at the former Regimental Headquarters in Ayr and 251 Squadron of 154th (Lowland) Transport Regiment in Irvine with no affiliation to the Ayrshire Yeomanry lineage. In 1992, the squadron was transferred to the newly formed Scottish Yeomanry. In 1999, following the Government's " Strategic Defence Review", the Scottish Yeomanry amalgamated with the Queen's Own Yeomanry. Two of the Scottish Yeomanry's four Squadrons – The Ayrshire Yeomanry in Ayr, and The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse in

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

continued to operate under command of The Queen's Own Yeomanry. On 1 July 2014, the squadron left The Queens Own Yeomanry to form the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry. Following the latest defence review, the squadron became 'light cavalry' and uses the Land Rover ''RWMIK''.

Organisation

A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron is based at Yeomanry House on Chalmers Road in Ayr.

Battle honours

The Ayrshire 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 Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...

s (honours in bold are emblazoned on the regimental guidon):

Guidon

The guidon of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was presented by General Sir Horatius Murray KBE CB DSO at Culzean Castle,

on 24 June 1961. The battle honours of the regiment emblazoned on both sides of the Guidon are as follows:
Placed under the central tie of the Union wreath is the Honorary Distinction: the badge of the

Royal Regiment of 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 ...

within a laurel wreath bearing four scrolls inscribed as follows:

Victoria Cross

The only member of the regiment to be awarded the Victoria Cross was Thomas Caldwell for his actions on 31 October 1918 at

in Belgium.

Uniform

Prior to 1893, the Ayrshire Yeomanry wore black-leather helmets and black plumes with a dark blue uniform and scarlet facings. This was replaced by a hussar style uniform, including a fur busby with white plume and scarlet bag. Officers' tunics included a unique "figure-of-eight" front gold braiding, while other-ranks wore hip-length stable jackets of dark blue with scarlet collars and cuffs. This elaborate uniform was discarded after the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

and at the 1911 Coronation the Ayrshire Yeomanry was one of only two mounted regiments participating to wear plain

khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan (color), tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage rela ...

. The former facing-colours were commemorated by scarlet piping on the breeches.

Regimental music

The Ayrshire Yeomanry song, The Proud Trooper, was written as a poem following the regiment's actions in South Africa. The words are believed to have been written by David Mackie, who served with the Yeomanry in South Africa, and were published in his book "Songs of an Ayrshire Yeoman" in 1920. The tune used is similar, but not identical to the

Hawick Hawick ( ; ; ) is a town in the Scottish Borders council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east o ...

tune "Border Queen" by J Rutherford and James Thomson, and was arranged as a march by the then Bandmaster, WO1 H Brace with Sgt K McConnell and L/Cpl L Martin in 1958. The lyrics of the first verse of The Proud Trooper are as follows: ::''"I’ve Listed in The County Horse,'' ::''A Yeoman don’t you know,'' ::''With spurs of steel upon my heel,'' ::''full swagger now I go,'' ::''I’ve sworn an oath to serve the Queen,'' ::''And to defend Her Throne,'' ::''I’m proud to be a Trooper in,'' ::''The Earl of Carrick’s Own."''

The Ayrshire Yeomanry Locomotive

Of the 842

LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 4-6-0, commonly known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotives. It was introduced by William Stanier and built between 1934 and 1951. A total of 842 were built, initially ...

Locomotives, commonly known as "Black Fives", only four were named, and those were in honour of Scottish Regiments: Lanarkshire Yeomanry, The Queens Edinburgh, Ayrshire Yeomanry, Glasgow Highlander and Glasgow Yeomanry.

Alliances

* – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * . * * * * * * * *

External links

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''

* * ttp://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/28480.aspx Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry - Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrshire (Earl Of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry Yeomanry regiments of the British Army Yeomanry regiments of the British Army in World War I Scottish regiments Military units and formations in Ayrshire Military of Scotland Military units and formations established in 1794 Military units and formations established in 1798 Military units and formations established in 1971 Ayr Ayrshire Regiments of the British Army in World War II 1794 establishments in Great Britain