In 1793, the prime minister, William Pitt the Younger, 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] 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.[2]
Second Boer War
On 13 December 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 24 December 1899. This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each, equipped as Mounted infantry. In addition to this, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new force.[3]
The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men with 20 battalions and 4 companies,[4] which arrived in South Africa between February and April, 1900.[5]
The Queen's Own Glasgow Yeomanry provided troops for the 6th (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
The mounted infantry experiment was considered a success and the existing yeomanry regiments were converted to IY, the regiment becoming the Lanarkshire Imperial Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow and Lower Ward of Lanarkshire). The 'Imperial' part of the title was dropped in 1908 when the yeoamnery became part of the Territorial Force (TF). The regiment had its headquarters at the Yorkhill Parade drill hall at this time.[7]
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.[9]
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.[10]
B Squadron joined 9th (Scottish) Division in France in May 1915, leaving them a year later in May 1916 for V Corps Cavalry Regiment.[10]
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.[10] 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.[10][b] The battalion was still in 106th Brigade, 35th Division at the end of the war, west of Grammont, Belgium.[14]
When the Territorial Force reformed as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1920, the 14 senior Yeomanry regiments remained as horsed cavalry regiments (6 forming the 5th and 6th Cavalry Brigades) the remaining Yeomanry regiments were re-roled as Royal Artillery (RA). In 1922 the regiment became 101st (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, with 401 and 402 Field Batteries at Glasgow. It was an 'Army' field brigade in the 52nd (Lowland) Division area.[15][16][17][18]
In 1938 the regiment re-roled again, becoming 54th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA, with 213 (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry), 214 (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) and 215 (City of Glasgow) Anti-Tank Batteries at Glasgow, and 216 (Clyde) Anti-Tank Battery at Kirkintilloch.[16][19][20] The Territorial Army was doubled in size after the Munich Crisis, and the regiment formed a duplicate regiment, 64th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA based at Milngavie in Dunbartonshire.[19][21]
Second World War
54th (Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA
Mobilised in 1939 as part of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, the regiment moved to France as a part of the 'Second B.E.F' in June 1940. After being evacuated from France during Operation Aerial together with the rest of the division the regiment trained in mountain warfare at Inveraray in Scotland.[22] Two batteries of the 54th were sent to Normandy about a week after D day.[22] They embarked at Tilbury Docks and landed in France using Mulberry harbours.[22] The regiment saw action during Operation Goodwood and in engagements to the east of Caen.[22] It joined up with the 52 Lowland Division again at Antwerp at the end of September 1944.[22] In August 1944 the regiment 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).[22]
The lineage of the regiment was revived with the formation of B (Lanarkshire and Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Squadron, the Scottish Yeomanry at East Kilbride in November 1992 but that regiment was disbanded a result of the Strategic Defence Review in July 1999.[29]
Battle honours
The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was awarded the following battle honours:[2]
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.[30]
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.[31] 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.[32]
In 1943, the 64th (QORGY) Anti-Tank Regiment wore a regimental flash on the right arm beneath the divisional sign that consisted of the letters GY embroidered in on a diamond divided vertically in the RA colours of red and blue.[21]
Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN1-85753-080-2.
Harris, R.G. (1972). 50 Years of Yeomanry Uniforms. Vol. 1. Muller. ISBN0-584-10937-7.
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. ISBN978-0-74780-739-1.
Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN978-1-84342-474-1.
Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN0-9508205-2-0.
Lt-Gen H.G. Martin, The History of the Fifteenth Scottish Division 1939–1945, Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1948/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2014, ISBN978-1-78331-085-2.
Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN1-898410-36-4.
Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army, London: War Office, 7 November 1927 (RA sections also summarised in Litchfield, Appendix IV).