Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry

The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army that can trace their formation back to the late 18th century, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its king and possessed a revolutionary army numbering half a million men. The prime minister proposed that the English Counties form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry 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 country.^[1]

History

Formation and early history

The regiment was first raised in 1796 as " The Glasgow Light Horse". It was subsequently disbanded in 1822 but re-raised as "The Glasgow and Lower Ward of Lanarkshire Yeomanry Cavalry" in 1848. The additional title of "Queen's Own Royal" was conferred by Queen Victoria the following year.

Boer War

On December 13, 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces serve in the Second Boer War was made. 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, thus issuing a Royal Warrant on December 24, 1899. This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry.

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 regiment.^[2] Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport.

The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men with 20 battalions and 4 companies,^[3] which arrived in South Africa between February and April, 1900.^[4] Upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations.
The Queen's Own Glasgow Yeomanry provided troops for the 9th (Scottish) Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry; the companies were:

17th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Company, raised 1900; co-sponsored by Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry, and Lanarkshire Yeomanry Cavalry

18th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow and Lower Ward of Lanark) Company, raised 1900

19th (Lothians and Berwickshire) Company, raised 1900

20th (Fife and Forfar Light Horse) Company, raised 1900; co-sponsored by 1st Fifeshire Light Horse Volunteers, and 1st Forfarshire Light Horse Volunteers

107th (Lanarkshire) Company, raised 1901

108th (Royal Glasgow) Company, raised 1901 ^[5]

World War I

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.^[6]

1/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry

On mobilisation in August 1914 the 1/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was attached to the Lowland Mounted Brigade and moved with it to Cupar, Fife on coastal defence duties. In May 1915, it left the brigade and was split up as divisional cavalry.^[7]

• RHQ and C Squadron moved to Egypt in June 1915, landing at Port Said on 22 June. In October they joined the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division at Gallipoli as dismounted troops and participated in the Gallipoli Campaign. In January 1916 they returned to Egypt with the division. In May 1916, RHQ moved to France and joined V Corps Cavalry Regiment. C Squadron remained with the division until August 1917 when it joined XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment, along with A Squadron, Hertfordshire Yeomanry^[8] and A Squadron, Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry.^[9] In May 1918 it joined Palestine LoC for the rest of the war.^{[7][lower-alpha 1]}
• A Squadron initially joined the 11th (Northern) Division at Aldershot on 2 June 1915 but moved to 24th Division by the end of the month. On 1 September 1915 it landed at Le Havre. The squadron was attached to 2nd Cavalry Division from 30 April to 14 May 1916 and joined V Corps Cavalry Regiment on 21 May.^[7]
• B Squadron joined the 9th (Scottish) Division in France in May 1915, leaving them a year later in May 1916 for V Corps Cavalry Regiment.^[7]

V Corps Cavalry Regiment was assembled in France in May 1916 with the RHQ, A and B Squadrons along with B Squadron, Lothians and Border Horse.^[7]

In July 1917 the regiment was dismounted and the squadrons were sent to No. 21 Infantry Base Depot at Étaples for infantry training on 23 August. On 29 September, 4 Officers and 146 Other Ranks joined 18th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in 106th Brigade, 35th Division at Aizecourt-le-Bas which was redesignated as 18th (Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.^{[7][lower-alpha 2]} The battalion was still in 106th Brigade, 35th Division at the end of the war, west of Grammont, Belgium.^[11]

2/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry

The 2nd Line regiment was formed in Glasgow in 1914. It remained there until May 1915 when it moved to Hawick. In March 1916, the regimental HQ, A and B Squadrons joined the 65th (2nd Lowland) Division in Essex. They were later reduced to a single squadron. In January 1917, they moved to Ireland with 65th Division and in February 1918 were absorbed into the 1st Reserve Cavalry Regiment at The Curragh. In the meantime, C Squadron joined the 64th (2nd Highland) Division in Norfolk in 1916 and was disbanded in 1917.^[7]

3/1st Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Aldershot. In June 1916 it was affiliated to the 1st Reserve Cavalry Regiment, also at Aldershot. Early in 1917 it was absorbed in the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment, still at Aldershot. As the 1st Line had been converted to infantry, it is probable that some of the men joined the 5th (Reserve) Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry at Catterick.^[7]

Between the Wars

On the reforming of the TA, the 14 senior Yeomanry Regiments remained as horsed cavalry regiments (6 forming the 5th and 6th Cavalry Brigades) the remaining Yeomanry Regiments would be re roled as Artillery. The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was one of the regiments now re-designated and formed part of the Royal Artillery.

World War II

54th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA

Mobilised in 1939 and attached to the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, they moved to France as a part of the 'Second B.E.F' in June 1940. After being evacuated from France during Operation Ariel together with the rest of the division they trained in mountain warfare.In August 1944, it became part of the First Allied Airborne Army. (As a mountain formation, it had little heavy equipment and transport, and could therefore operate as an air-transportable formation).

They returned to France in October 1944, and were assigned to the First Canadian Army to help open the vital port of Antwerp and were involved in the Scheldt Estuary of Belgium and the Netherlands. Operation Vitality, Operation Infatuate and the capture of the island of Walcheren to open the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. In January 1945 they participated in Operation Blackcock, the clearing of the Roer Triangle between the rivers Meuse and Roer.^[12]

64th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA

Mobilised in September 1939 the regiment remained in the United Kingdom as part of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division until July 1942 when the regiment became an integral part of the newly-created 78th "Battleaxe" Infantry Division. The 78th was formed specifically for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, from regular British Army units, landing at Algiers in November 1942. Thereafter it continued to fight in the Tunisia Campaign, then in the Allied invasion of Sicily, up the length of Italy during the Italian Campaign, before finally arriving in Austria for the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Units also saw action in Greece, Palestine, and Egypt. Notable engagements include in Tunisia Longstop Hill, in Sicily the Battle of Centuripe and, while fighting in the Italian Campaign, the assaults on the Viktor Line (Battle of Termoli), the Barbara Line and the River Sangro (Gustav Line) as well as the Battle of Monte Cassino, the Gothic Line and the Battle of the Argenta Gap, part of the final Spring 1945 offensive in Italy.^[13]

A 17-pdr anti-tank gun of the 64th Anti-Tank Regiment (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry), Tunisia, 20 February 1943.

The 64th (QORGY) A-T Regt, R.A. was the first unit in the Italian campaign to be issued with the powerful 17 Pounder anti-tank guns, though some troops in the Regiment were later moved to M10 Self-Propelled 3in Anti-Tank Guns.

Post war

After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army as a yeomanry regiment, under its old title of the Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry, and transferred into the Royal Armoured Corps. In 1956 it amalgamated with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and the 1st/2nd Lothians and Border Horse to form The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry.^[14] In November 1992 they formed the Scottish Yeomanry, with the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Yeomanry and elements 153 (Highland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport (Volunteers) and 154 (Lowland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport (Volunteers). The Squadrons were;

HQ (Lothians and Border Horse) Squadron at Edinburgh.

A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron at Ayr.

B (Lanarkshire and Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Squadron at East Kilbride.

C (Fife and Forfar/Scottish Horse) Squadron at Cupar.

On July 1, 1999 the Regiment was disbanded as a result of the Strategic Defence Review. ^[15]

Battle honours

Honorary Distinction awarded to the Shropshire Yeomanry for service as a Royal Artillery regiment. The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry Honorary Distinction would be similar.

The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was awarded the following battle honours:^[14]

Second Boer War

South Africa 1900–01

World War I

Loos, Ypres 1917 '18, Passchendaele, Somme 1918, Bapaume 1918, Ancre 1918, Coutrai, France and Flanders 1915–18

World War II

The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments. In 1833, William IV awarded the motto Ubique (meaning "everywhere") in place of all battle honours.^[16]

Honorary Distinction: Badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery with year-dates "1940 '42–45" and four scrolls: "North-West Europe", "North Africa", "Sicily" and "Italy"

Uniform

Prior to 1902 the Regiment wore a dragoon style uniform of dark blue with red facings, which had not altered a great deal since its establishment in 1848. A silver spiked helmet with black plumes was worn by all ranks in full dress.^[17] Following the Boer War khaki was introduced for home service but the full dress uniform described above was retained for wear by officers in review order, with the addition of a gold lace covered shoulder and waist belt, gold cord shoulder knots and gold trouser stripes. Other ranks wore a simpler dark bue uniform with peaked cap, chain shoulder-straps, red collar and trouser stripes for walking out dress.^[18]

After World War I khaki service dress was the normal uniform for the Regiment, although by the 1930s officers attending the King's Levee at St James' or Buckingham Palace wore the former blue, red and gold full dress. Mess uniforms and blue "patrol" uniforms were also reintroduced between the Wars for officers only.

See also

• Imperial Yeomanry
• List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
• Yeomanry
• Yeomanry order of precedence
• British yeomanry during the First World War
• Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army
• List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Harris, R.G. (1972). 50 Years of Yeomanry Uniforms. 1. Muller. ISBN 0-584-10937-7. 
• Haswell Miller, A.E. (2009). Vanished Armies: A Record of Military Uniform Observed and Drawn in Various European Countries During the Years 1907 to 1914. Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-74780-739-1. 
• James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2. 
• Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN 1-898410-36-4. 
• Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0. 

External links

• Baker, Chris. "The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 6 April 2015. 
• Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)