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Yorkshire Hussars AI simulator
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Yorkshire Hussars AI simulator
(@Yorkshire Hussars_simulator)
Yorkshire Hussars
The Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed in 1794. The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry (Yeomanry) in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars and served in the Second Boer War and the First World War. It was converted to an armoured role during the Second World War. In 1956, it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry. Its lineage is continued today by the Queen's Own Yeomanry.
After Britain was drawn into the French Revolutionary Wars, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry (Yeomanry) 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. On 12 June a meeting at Northallerton in the North Riding of Yorkshire resolved to raise Troops of yeomanry. The Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, the Duke of Norfolk, proceeded to raise two regiments of West Riding Yeomanry Cavalry on 13 August: the 1st or Southern Corps at Pontefract and the 2nd or Northern Regiment, which included the North Riding Troops. These later became the Yorkshire Dragoons and the Yorkshire Hussars respectively. A local landowner, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse, was Colonel-Commandant of both corps. Each regiment initially consisted of five Troops of 50 men each, those of the 2nd Corps being the 1st and 2nd Craven (Skipton), Agbrigg and Morley, Barkston Ash and Clare (Knaresborough).
The short-lived Peace of Amiens signed in March 1802 saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, but on 25 July three troops of the Northern Regiment (at Knaresborough under Captain Robert Harvey, Tadcaster under Lord Hawke, and Aberford under Lieutenant Bainbridge) offered to renew their service. They were joined by four more troops (one of them from Ripon) on 9 October, another (under the command of Lord Grantham) on 18 May 1803, and a ninth (under Capt W.C. Fenton) in December. Robert Harvey became Colonel of the Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry and held the position until 1819.
Although the French invasion threat had dwindled, there was civil unrest and on 5 May 1812 the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to counter the Luddite industrial riots. In 1814 the troops were reorganised to equalise the numbers at 50 men each, with a Sergeant-Major and two trumpeters to each troop. They were now based at: Harewood (2 Trps), Otley, Tadcaster, Selby, Ripon and Knaresborough (2 Trps). Two further troops were raised from Leeds in September 1817 under the command of Capt William Beckett, later MP for Leeds.
The Yeomanry declined in importance and strength after the end of the French wars, but the regiments continued in industrial Yorkshire. The Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry was redesignated the Yorkshire Hussar Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry on 11 January 1819. Later that year Lord Grantham (who succeeded as the 2nd Earl de Grey in 1833) took over as Commanding Officer (CO) following the death of Col Harvey and held the position for 40 years, apart from 1841 to 1843 when he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lt-Col Beckett exercised the command. The regiment was called out in support of the civil power on several occasions, particularly during the riots of 1826 when various troops of the regiment were 'almost incessantly under arms', and the Chartist disturbances of 1842, when they were on duty from 3 June to 31 August around Leeds and Bradford, and Capt York's Troop had to charge the mob at Cleckheaton.
By 1855 the regiment was distributed as follows:
On 30 August 1859 Earl De Grey handed over to Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood as Lt-Col Commandant and Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock as Lt-Col, who himself took over as Lt-Col Commandant on 23 September 1870. The title Princess of Wales's Own was conferred on the regiment on 1 February 1864.
In 1871 the number of troops was reduced to eight, each with a sergeant-major as permanent staff instructor (PSI), distributed as follows:
Yorkshire Hussars
The Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed in 1794. The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry (Yeomanry) in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars and served in the Second Boer War and the First World War. It was converted to an armoured role during the Second World War. In 1956, it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry. Its lineage is continued today by the Queen's Own Yeomanry.
After Britain was drawn into the French Revolutionary Wars, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry (Yeomanry) 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. On 12 June a meeting at Northallerton in the North Riding of Yorkshire resolved to raise Troops of yeomanry. The Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, the Duke of Norfolk, proceeded to raise two regiments of West Riding Yeomanry Cavalry on 13 August: the 1st or Southern Corps at Pontefract and the 2nd or Northern Regiment, which included the North Riding Troops. These later became the Yorkshire Dragoons and the Yorkshire Hussars respectively. A local landowner, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse, was Colonel-Commandant of both corps. Each regiment initially consisted of five Troops of 50 men each, those of the 2nd Corps being the 1st and 2nd Craven (Skipton), Agbrigg and Morley, Barkston Ash and Clare (Knaresborough).
The short-lived Peace of Amiens signed in March 1802 saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, but on 25 July three troops of the Northern Regiment (at Knaresborough under Captain Robert Harvey, Tadcaster under Lord Hawke, and Aberford under Lieutenant Bainbridge) offered to renew their service. They were joined by four more troops (one of them from Ripon) on 9 October, another (under the command of Lord Grantham) on 18 May 1803, and a ninth (under Capt W.C. Fenton) in December. Robert Harvey became Colonel of the Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry and held the position until 1819.
Although the French invasion threat had dwindled, there was civil unrest and on 5 May 1812 the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to counter the Luddite industrial riots. In 1814 the troops were reorganised to equalise the numbers at 50 men each, with a Sergeant-Major and two trumpeters to each troop. They were now based at: Harewood (2 Trps), Otley, Tadcaster, Selby, Ripon and Knaresborough (2 Trps). Two further troops were raised from Leeds in September 1817 under the command of Capt William Beckett, later MP for Leeds.
The Yeomanry declined in importance and strength after the end of the French wars, but the regiments continued in industrial Yorkshire. The Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry was redesignated the Yorkshire Hussar Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry on 11 January 1819. Later that year Lord Grantham (who succeeded as the 2nd Earl de Grey in 1833) took over as Commanding Officer (CO) following the death of Col Harvey and held the position for 40 years, apart from 1841 to 1843 when he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lt-Col Beckett exercised the command. The regiment was called out in support of the civil power on several occasions, particularly during the riots of 1826 when various troops of the regiment were 'almost incessantly under arms', and the Chartist disturbances of 1842, when they were on duty from 3 June to 31 August around Leeds and Bradford, and Capt York's Troop had to charge the mob at Cleckheaton.
By 1855 the regiment was distributed as follows:
On 30 August 1859 Earl De Grey handed over to Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood as Lt-Col Commandant and Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock as Lt-Col, who himself took over as Lt-Col Commandant on 23 September 1870. The title Princess of Wales's Own was conferred on the regiment on 1 February 1864.
In 1871 the number of troops was reduced to eight, each with a sergeant-major as permanent staff instructor (PSI), distributed as follows:
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