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| Northamptonshire Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1794 - 1946 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Size | World War One Three Regiments World War Two One Regiment |
| Engagements | World War One First Battle of Ypres Battle of Neuve Chapelle Second Battle of Artois World War Two Operation Overlord Operation Charnwood Operation Totalize Operation Varsity |
The Northamptonshire Yeomanry were formed in 1794, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister of Great Britain, 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
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World War One
During World War One the Regiment formed second and third line formations which would be known as the 2/1st Northamptonshire Yeoamnry and the 3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry.2
1/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
On mobilisation in August 1914 the 1/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry was attached to the Eastern Mounted Brigade past of the 1st Mounted Division.2 In November 1914 they moved to France with the 8th Division they remained with the 8th Division until April 1915 , when the Regiment was split up with RHQ and B Squadron joining the 6th Division , A Squadron joining the 4th Division and C Squadron the 5th Division.2 This lasted until May 1916 when the Regiment reformed becoming the 6th Corps Cavalry Regiment.2 In November 1917 they were moved to Italy, becoming 14th Corps Cavalry.2
2/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
The 2/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry were formed in September 1914. In February 1915 they joined the 59th Division2. They were then also split up with the RHQ and A Squadron joining the 69th Division until June 1917. A Squadron was attached to the 67th Division between October 1916 and June 1917, all units remained in England and were disbanded in 1917.2
3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
The 3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry was formed in 1915. They remained in the United Kingdom until being drafted into the 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in early 1917.2
World War II
During World War Two the Regiment remained in the United Kingdom and from 1941 - 1942 were part of the Coats Mission , the plan to evacuate the Royal Family in the event of a German invasion. In 1944 now as a part of the 33rd Armoured Brigade they participated in the Normandy Landings on D Day June 6. The brigade's three regiments which included the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry and the 144 Regimant RAC, landed on Gold Beach in Normandy. Their role was to support any infantry who were in need of armour support, therefore the Brigade rarely fought as one entity. One of the occasions when the Brigade did undertake an operation on its own was at Le Mesnil-Patry , Rots on June 11, 1944. Further battles they were involved in was around Caen included Operation Charnwood 7th July, the battle to capture Caen. On the July 16, 1944 it was involved in Operation Pomegranate , where it come under the command of the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division. On August 8, 1944 it was involved in Operation Totalize , a planned breakout from the Caen Salient. It was during Operation Totalize that Joe Ekins a Sherman Tank gunner of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry gained recognition for killing the infamous German tank commander, Michael Wittmann, the 4th top scoring tank ace in history, on August 8, 1944 near St. Aignan de Cramesnil, France.34567 They were briefly attached to the 51st (Highland) Division for the actions around the Battle of the Bulge8 The Regiment was reformed and re-equipped with LVT 4 (Buffalo , amphibious armoured fighting vehicles) , for the Rhine crossing and was placed under the command of the 79th Armoured Division.
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