Lancashire Hussars

The Lancashire Hussars were originally formed in 1798 as independent troops, before becoming the Lancashire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1828 and then being disbanded in 1832. In 1848, the regiment was reformed as the Lancashire Hussars, becoming the Lancashire Hussars Imperial Yeomanry in 1901 for service in South Africa and the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry in 1908.^[2]

History

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.^[3]

1/1st Lancashire Hussars

The 1/1st was formed in Liverpool in August 1914 and attached to the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade.^[4] In 1915, the Regiment was split up, the Regimental Headquarters and B Squadron joining the 31st Division and, after moving to France, being briefly attached to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. The rest of the Regiment was attached to 35th Division, (C Squadron) and 30th Division, (D Squadron).^[4]

The Regiment was reformed in May 1916 to form the VIII Corps Cavalry Regiment.^[4] In July 1917, the Regiment was dismounted and dispatched for ^[4] training as infantry. This was completed in September 1917,when the men joined a battalion of the King's, which was redesignated as the 18th (Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry) Battalion, the King's (Liverpool) Regiment.

2/1st Lancashire Hussars

The 2nd line regiment was formed in September 1914. By July 1915, it was under the command of the 2/1st Western Mounted Brigade (along with 2/1st Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry,^[5] and the 2/1st Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry^[6]) and in March 1916 was at Cupar, Fife.^[7] On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became 21st Mounted Brigade, still at Cupar under Scottish Command.^[8]

In July 1916 there was a major reorganization of 2nd line yeomanry units in the UK. All but 12 regiments were converted to cyclists^[8] and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to 14th Cyclist Brigade. Further reorganization in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as 10th Cyclist Brigade in October 1916, still at Cupar.^[9] The regiment moved to St Andrews in July 1917.^[7]

By January 1918, 10th Cyclist Brigade had moved to Lincolnshire with the regiment at Skegness.^[7] About May 1918 the Brigade moved to Ireland^[9] and the regiment was stationed at Bandon and Buttevant, County Cork. There were no further changes before the end of the war.^[7]

3/1st Lancashire Hussars

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at The Curragh. In the summer of 1916 it was affiliated to the 10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment, also at The Curragh. It was absorbed by the 2nd Reserve Cavalry Regiment, still at The Curragh, in early 1917. By 1918 it had left the 2nd Reserve Cavalry Regiment when the 1st Line regiment was converted to infantry and joined 5th (Reserve) Battalion of the King's (Liverpool Regiment) at Oswestry.^[10]

Inter-War Years

In 1920, it converted to a Royal Artillery role and was redesignated as the 2nd (Lancashire) Army Brigade, R.F.A. In 1921, it was redesignated as the 106th (Lancashire Yeomanry) Brigade, R.F.A. and then, in 1924, as the 106th (Lancashire Yeomanry) Field Brigade, R.A. In 1938 it was retitled as the 106th (Lancashire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, R.A.^[2]

Second World War

106th (Lancashire Hussars) Regiment, RHA

At the start of the Second World War, the hussars comprised 423rd and 424th Batteries, based in Liverpool.^[2] By November 1939, it was part of the UK-based 1st Cavalry Division and was equipped with 4.5 inch Howitzers (424 Bty) and 18 pdr Field Guns (423 Bty). In January 1940, the regiment moved to Palestine. Later that year, it was renamed the 106th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.^[2]

It moved to North Africa in August 1940, after serving in Crete, by which time 424 Bty had become No. 1 and No. 2 Batteries (Anti-tank) and 423 Bty had become No. 3 and No. 4 Batteries (Anti-aircraft), known as 1/106 Bty, 1/102, Bty, etc. The former two were equipped with Bofors 37 mm anti-tank guns on Portees, and the latter two with captured Italian 20mm Breda Model 35 AA/AT guns. Each new battery consisted of only two troops, A and B (No. 1 Bty), C and D (No. 2 Bty), E and F (No. 3 Bty) and G and H (No.4 Bty). It served with the 7th Armoured Division during many of the early battles in North Africa.^[2]

At the end of February 1941, the regiment was advised that it was to become a Light Anti Aircraft (L.A.A) regiment of just three batteries (comprising 36 x 20mm Breda guns^[11]) and was then later known as 106th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (Lancashire Hussars). In March 1941, the regiment deployed to Greece via Operation Lustre as part of W Force. Upon disembarking at Piraeus, the regiment deployed to Glyfada for 2 weeks training.^[12] Thereafter, the regiment was sent to defend the airstrip at Larissa.^[13] The German advance forced the British to retreat to the town of Nauplion, where the 106th were the only AA defence.^[14] After destroying their Breda guns, the regiment was evacuated to Crete on board HMS Calcutta.^[15] Most of the regiment ended the campaign in the defence of Suda Bay in the Battle of Crete, becoming prisoners of war in the process. It was placed in suspended animation in July the same year, with many of its men going to reinforce the 102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Regiment RA, which were being strengthened and re-equipped after being evacuated from Greece and Crete.^[2]

Post war

After the war in 1947, it was renamed the 306th (Lancashire Hussars) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, before being amalgamated with the 390th (King's Own) LAA Regiment, RA in 1950.^[2]

Later, in 1956, it became 'P' (Lancashire Hussars) Battery of 287th (1st West Lancashire) Medium Regiment, RA and, by 1967, it was just 'A' Troop (Lancashire Hussars), P (1st West Lancashire) Battery, The West Lancashire Regiment, RA (Territorial).^[2]

In 1969, the regiment reduced to a cadre and the Yeomanry lineage discontinued. However, in April 1999, 106th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Grove Park, London, re-adopted the Yeomanry status of the old 106th Regiment RHA.^[2]

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

References

Bibliography

• Arthur, Douglas (2000). Desert Watch: A Story of the Battle of Beda Fomm. Bedale: Blaisdon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-902838-01-4. 
• Arthur, Douglas (2003). Forty men - Eight horses. Cambridge: Vanguard Press. ISBN 978-1-84386-070-9. 
• 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 978-0-9776072-8-0. 

External links

• Baker, Chris. "The Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 6 April 2015. 
• Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)
• Desert Rat escaped PoW camp three times
• The 106th (Lancashire Hussars) of Shaw Street remembered
• Resources for 106th RHA