Misplaced Pages

Yorkshire Hussars

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#749250

152-779: Second World War 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

304-659: A Neutrality Pact in April 1941, and Japan adopted the doctrine of Nanshin-ron , promoted by the Navy, which took its focus southward and eventually led to war with the United States and the Western Allies. In Europe, Germany and Italy were becoming more aggressive. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria , again provoking little response from other European powers. Encouraged, Hitler began pressing German claims on

456-578: A cautious French probe into the Saarland . The Western Allies also began a naval blockade of Germany , which aimed to damage the country's economy and war effort. Germany responded by ordering U-boat warfare against Allied merchant and warships, which would later escalate into the Battle of the Atlantic . On 8 September, German troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw . The Polish counter-offensive to

608-576: A ministry fell, the Lord Lieutenant was usually replaced by a supporter of the new ministry. Until the 16th century, Anglo-Irish noblemen such as the 8th Earl of Kildare and the 9th Earl of Kildare traditionally held the post of Justiciar or Lord Deputy. From the Tudor reconquest of Ireland the post was increasingly given to Englishmen, whose loyalty to the Crown was not doubted. Although it

760-703: A change in living arrangements. As the location of the Viceregal Court, the Privy Council and of various governmental offices, Dublin Castle became a less than desirable full-time residence for the viceroy, vicereine and their family. In 1781 the British government bought the former ranger's house in Phoenix Park to act as a personal residence for the Lord Lieutenant. The building was rebuilt and named

912-645: A corrupt means of controlling parliament. On one day in July 1777, Lord Buckinghamshire as Lord Lieutenant promoted 5 viscounts to earls , 7 barons to viscounts, and created 18 new barons. The power of patronage was used to bribe MPs and peers into supporting the Act of Union 1800 , with many of those who changed sides and supported the Union in Parliament awarded peerages and honours for doing so. The Lord Lieutenant

1064-404: A factory, the brigade had captured its objective, the village of Épinoy , by 18.15 and established a line beyond it. The brigade attacked again on 1 October but got held up by barbed wire , leaving a gap in the division's line. After the main battle had ended, a company of 9th (YHY) Bn participated in a successful midnight attack behind a barrage on 2/3 October to fill this gap. A full-scale attack

1216-471: A five-hour fight to force its way past 3000 Boers led by Christiaan de Wet . Most of the force in Lindley had already surrendered, but Younghusband was able to free a number of the prisoners. Methuen then pushed on to relieve 9th Division, which was besieged at Heilbron , completing a march of 267 miles (430 km) in under a month. Methuen's Column now took part in the pursuit of de Wet's force south down

1368-613: A further 44 missing. It lost another 43 casualties the following day when the Germans shelled Roison. 11th Division attacked again at 05.30 on 6 November, 32nd Bde leading, but artillery ammunition was short because of the extended supply lines and little progress was made. The following morning the advance behind a heavy barrage was rapid and the troops crossed the Grande Honnelle along the whole front. 32nd Brigade continued its advance against slight opposition on 8 November, and at

1520-479: A green ground, sergeants wore three similar chevrons. When the Northern troops continued in 1802 they wore the light cavalry helmet with a plain blue unlaced jacket with three rows of buttons down the front, blue breeches with leather at the bottom and inside the legs, black leather sword and pouch belts. However, when the Northern regiment was re-established in 1803 it reverted to a red jacket for full dress (except

1672-434: A large silver plate. Officers wore plain black leather sabretaches, those of senior officers being scarlet, laced round the edge in silver with a silver White Rose of York in the centre. Blue folding 'watering' or 'fatigue' caps piped in white were issued for undress; these were replaced in 1811 by blue 'Woollen Scotch Bonnets' with white ball tufts and bands. In 1807 it was proposed to alter the uniform to blue to conform with

SECTION 10

#1732786648750

1824-512: A measure of popularity in a personal capacity among nationalists. From the early 19th century, calls were made frequently for the abolition of the office and its replacement by a " Secretary of State for Ireland". A bill to effect this change was introduced in Parliament in 1850 by the government of Lord John Russell but was subsequently withdrawn when it became clear that it would receive insufficient support to pass. The office survived until

1976-524: A pretext to initiate the invasion. The first German attack of the war came against the Polish defences at Westerplatte . The United Kingdom responded with an ultimatum for Germany to cease military operations, and on 3 September, after the ultimatum was ignored, Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the Phoney War period, the alliance provided no direct military support to Poland, outside of

2128-726: A pretext to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig , and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the German demands, and on the night of 30–31 August in a confrontational meeting with the British ambassador Nevile Henderson , Ribbentrop declared that Germany considered its claims rejected. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland after having staged several false flag border incidents as

2280-475: A secret protocol that defined German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (western Poland and Lithuania for Germany; eastern Poland , Finland, Estonia , Latvia and Bessarabia for the Soviet Union), and raised the question of continuing Polish independence. The pact neutralised the possibility of Soviet opposition to a campaign against Poland and assured that Germany would not have to face the prospect of

2432-774: A similar pact and rejected ceding part of its territory to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, and was subsequently expelled from the League of Nations for this crime of aggression. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, Soviet military success during the Winter War was modest, and the Finno-Soviet war ended in March 1940 with some Finnish concessions of territory . In June 1940,

2584-478: A success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, with an establishment of HQ and four squadrons with a machine gun section. This included the Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) Imperial Yeomanry , as the regiment was retitled on 23 March 1903. The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under

2736-531: A two-front war, as it had in World War   I. Immediately afterwards, Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that the United Kingdom had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it. In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, Germany made demands on Poland, which served as

2888-523: The 11th (Northern) Division . It had seen heavy action at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, where it had just come out of the bloodbath of the Third Battle of Ypres . The depleted battalion absorbed all 400 men of 1/1st Yorkshire Hussars and was redesignated 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry) Bn. They retained their Yeomanry cap badges but wore West Yorks collar badges. The combined battalion

3040-452: The 13th Hussars arrived as CO, succeeded in November when Maj Eley was promoted to the command. 1/1st Yorkshire Hussars left XVII Corps on 26 August 1917. It was dismounted and sent to No 1 Training Camp at Étaples to re-train as infantry. On 13 November 1917 the regiment was drafted into 9th Battalion Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) . The 9th West Yorks was a ' Kitchener's Army ' battalion recruited from York and serving in

3192-522: The 21st (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (Yeoman Rifles) . He was killed in action leading it at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916. The three squadrons were reunited between 5 and 10 May 1916 when the regiment became Corps Cavalry to XVII Corps at Gouy-en-Ternois in the Arras sector, during the final stages of the Arras Offensive . On 1 June Lt-Col W. Pepys of

SECTION 20

#1732786648750

3344-423: The 2nd West York Yeomanry , were brought together as the 13th Yeomanry Brigade, with its HQ at York. In 1898 the regiment officially became the Yorkshire Hussars (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) . The Yeomanry was not intended to serve outside the United Kingdom, but following a string of defeats during Black Week in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just

3496-639: The 8th Earl of Kildare and the 9th Earl of Kildare , being native Irish, both lived in, among other locations, their castle in Maynooth , County Kildare . Lord Essex owned Durhamstown Castle near Navan in County Meath , a short distance from the residence of the Lord Bishop of Meath at Ardbraccan House . The decision to require the Lord Lieutenant to live full-time in Ireland necessitated

3648-604: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression . The situation became a crisis in late August as German troops continued to mobilise against the Polish border. On 23 August the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, after tripartite negotiations for a military alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Soviet Union had stalled. This pact had

3800-588: The Canal du Nord (27 September–1 October). 32nd Brigade , including 9th (YHY) Bn, now commanded by Maj R.E.M. Cherry, MC , launched the division's attack on the opening day of the Canal du Nord battle. It cleared the enemy from the canal banks behind a barrage fired at 08.40, and crossed the canal between 12.00 and 13.15. The division then fanned out, led by 32nd Bde, to reach a line almost at right angles to its original front. In spite of opposition from machine guns in

3952-581: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 , and a democratic government, later known as the Weimar Republic , was created. The interwar period saw strife between supporters of the new republic and hardline opponents on both the political right and left. Italy, as an Entente ally, had made some post-war territorial gains; however, Italian nationalists were angered that the promises made by the United Kingdom and France to secure Italian entrance into

4104-742: The Haldane Reforms of 1908. The regiment became the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) with the following organisation: The regiment formed part of the TF's Yorkshire Mounted Brigade , along with the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons and the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry . After war was declared on 4 August 1914 the regiment mobilised under the command of Lt-Col Stanyforth at Tower Road and at

4256-530: The Irish Free State with its own Governor-General . The Irish Free State (Consequential Provisions) Act 1922 provided that, once the Parliament of Northern Ireland opted out of the Free State, the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland would be abolished and its residual powers transferred to the new position of Governor of Northern Ireland . This duly happened on 8 December 1922, two days after

4408-710: The Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War   II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939. Others view the Spanish Civil War as the start or prelude to World War II. The exact date of the war's end also is not universally agreed upon. It

4560-568: The Jenlain - Curgies railway line. An attack was launched the following morning once the artillery had come up, but the enemy slipped off before the barrage, and the battalion crossed the Aunelle and met no opposition until it pushed on to Roisin. With its flank in the air it was forced to retire to a sunken road, but suffered heavily under shellfire. Roisin cost the battalion five officers and 12 other ranks killed, two officers and 57 ORs wounded and

4712-695: The League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Both Italy and Ethiopia were member nations, but the League did little when the former clearly violated Article X of the League's Covenant . The United Kingdom and France supported imposing sanctions on Italy for the invasion, but the sanctions were not fully enforced and failed to end the Italian invasion. Italy subsequently dropped its objections to Germany's goal of absorbing Austria . When civil war broke out in Spain, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to

Yorkshire Hussars - Misplaced Pages Continue

4864-731: The Nationalist rebels , led by General Francisco Franco . Italy supported the Nationalists to a greater extent than the Nazis: Mussolini sent more than 70,000 ground troops, 6,000 aviation personnel, and 720 aircraft to Spain. The Soviet Union supported the existing government of the Spanish Republic . More than 30,000 foreign volunteers, known as the International Brigades , also fought against

5016-589: The Paris Peace Conference . The organisation's primary goals were to prevent armed conflict through collective security, military, and naval disarmament , as well as settling international disputes through peaceful negotiations and arbitration. Despite strong pacifist sentiment after World War   I , irredentist and revanchist nationalism had emerged in several European states. These sentiments were especially marked in Germany because of

5168-619: 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

5320-690: The Rome–Berlin Axis . A month later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact , which Italy joined the following year. The Kuomintang (KMT) party in China launched a unification campaign against regional warlords and nominally unified China in the mid-1920s, but was soon embroiled in a civil war against its former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allies and new regional warlords . In 1931, an increasingly militaristic Empire of Japan , which had long sought influence in China as

5472-736: The Royal Armoured Corps , with the following distribution: Together with the Yorkshire Dragoons, the East Riding Yeomanry and 45th/51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment , it constituted the 8th (Yorkshire) Armoured Brigade in 49th (West Riding and North Midland) Armoured Division . On 1 November 1956, the Yorkshire Hussars, Yorkshire Dragoons and East Riding Yeomanry were amalgamated into The Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry . On 1 April 1967,

5624-535: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941. By contrast, the Germans were steadily making preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union, massing forces on the Soviet border. Hitler believed that the United Kingdom's refusal to end the war was based on the hope that the United States and the Soviet Union would enter the war against Germany sooner or later. On 31 July 1940, Hitler decided that

5776-543: The Stresa Front in April 1935 in order to contain Germany, a key step towards military globalisation ; however, that June, the United Kingdom made an independent naval agreement with Germany, easing prior restrictions. The Soviet Union, concerned by Germany's goals of capturing vast areas of Eastern Europe , drafted a treaty of mutual assistance with France. Before taking effect, though, the Franco-Soviet pact

5928-709: The Sudetenland , an area of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. Soon the United Kingdom and France followed the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and conceded this territory to Germany in the Munich Agreement , which was made against the wishes of the Czechoslovak government, in exchange for a promise of no further territorial demands. Soon afterwards, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede additional territory to Hungary, and Poland annexed

6080-707: The Tanggu Truce was signed in 1933. Thereafter, Chinese volunteer forces continued the resistance to Japanese aggression in Manchuria , and Chahar and Suiyuan . After the 1936 Xi'an Incident , the Kuomintang and CCP forces agreed on a ceasefire to present a united front to oppose Japan. The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a brief colonial war that began in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war began with

6232-466: The Trans-Olza region of Czechoslovakia. Although all of Germany's stated demands had been satisfied by the agreement, privately Hitler was furious that British interference had prevented him from seizing all of Czechoslovakia in one operation. In subsequent speeches Hitler attacked British and Jewish "war-mongers" and in January 1939 secretly ordered a major build-up of the German navy to challenge British naval supremacy. In March 1939, Germany invaded

Yorkshire Hussars - Misplaced Pages Continue

6384-506: The Treaty of Craiova . The loss of one-third of Romania's 1939 territory caused a coup against King Carol II, turning Romania into a fascist dictatorship under Marshal Ion Antonescu , with a course set towards the Axis in the hopes of a German guarantee. Meanwhile, German-Soviet political relations and economic co-operation gradually stalled, and both states began preparations for war. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway to protect shipments of iron ore from Sweden , which

6536-438: The United Kingdom , Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland . Two institutions were meant to join the two; a Council of Ireland (which was hoped would evolve into a working all-Ireland parliament) and the Lord Lieutenant who would be the nominal chief executive of both regimes, appointing both prime ministers and dissolving both parliaments. In fact only Northern Ireland functioned, with Southern Ireland being quickly replaced by

6688-417: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922). The office, under its various names, was often more generally known as the Viceroy , and his wife was known as the vicereine . The government of Ireland in practice was usually in the hands of the Lord Deputy up to the 17th century, and later of the Chief Secretary for Ireland . The Lord Lieutenant possessed a number of overlapping roles. He

6840-426: The Wehrmacht rapidly advanced to the Channel and cut off the Allied forces in Belgium, trapping the bulk of the Allied armies in a cauldron on the Franco-Belgian border near Lille. The United Kingdom was able to evacuate a significant number of Allied troops from the continent by early June, although they had to abandon almost all their equipment. On 10 June, Italy invaded France , declaring war on both France and

6992-435: 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

7144-401: The 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The Yorkshire Hussars were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 1st Division of VII Corps based at York , alongside Regular units of infantry, artillery and engineers. This scheme was short-lived, but from 1893 the Yorkshire Hussars, Yorkshire Dragoons, and (until its disbandment in 1894)

7296-421: The 'Armoured Striking Force' under the fictional ' 7th Division '. It was variously under Middle East Forces (MEF) and Ninth Army It was shipped back to Egypt in March 1943, training on Crusader and Sherman tanks, familiarising themselves with the 75 mm gun and tactics for the North African Campaign . However, the campaign ended with the fall of Tunis in May 1943 and the regiment remained under MEF for

7448-406: The 109th (Yorkshire Hussars) Company, which joined the 3rd Bn, while others stayed on during the gruelling last year of the war. The war ended on 31 May 1902 with the Treaty of Vereeniging . The service of its IY companies earned the Yorkshire Hussars its first Battle honour : South Africa 1900–02 . The Imperial Yeomanry had been trained and equipped as mounted infantry. The concept was considered

7600-419: The 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , which led to the founding of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the victorious Allies of World War I , such as France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Greece, gained territory, and new nation-states were created out of the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. To prevent a future world war, the League of Nations was established in 1920 by

7752-434: The 1st Line of the Yorkshire Hussars with 1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigade, spending the winter of 1914–15 around Harlow in Essex . However, the brigade never operated as such; instead it was broken up in early 1915 to provide divisional cavalry squadrons for the TF and New Army infantry divisions preparing to go overseas. After the regiment was split up, Lt-Col Lord Feversham returned to Northern England to raise and command

SECTION 50

#1732786648750

7904-409: The Allies were attempting to cut off . Denmark capitulated after six hours , and despite Allied support , Norway was conquered within two months. British discontent over the Norwegian campaign led to the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who was replaced by Winston Churchill on 10   May 1940. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France . To circumvent

8056-410: The Asia-Pacific , and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China . In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific , including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and the European Axis declaring war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia , but its advances in

8208-400: The Axis war against the Soviet Union, in Romania's case partially to recapture territory ceded to the Soviet Union . In early June 1940, the Italian Regia Aeronautica attacked and besieged Malta , a British possession. From late summer to early autumn, Italy conquered British Somaliland and made an incursion into British-held Egypt . In October, Italy attacked Greece , but the attack

8360-421: The Blitz , but largely ended in May 1941 after failing to significantly disrupt the British war effort. Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy , using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British Home Fleet scored a significant victory on 27   May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . In November 1939,

8512-447: The Brigade moved to Ireland and the regiment was stationed at Fermoy , County Cork and Fethard, County Tipperary . There were no further changes before the end of the war. The regiment was finally disbanded on 12 December 1919 at Fermoy, with the remaining personnel being transferred to 6th Division . A 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer it was affiliated to 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at York . Early in 1917 it

8664-410: The French possessions of Syria and Lebanon , assisted by the Free French . With the situation in Europe and Asia relatively stable, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union made preparations for war. With the Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany, and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War by seizing resource-rich European possessions in Southeast Asia , the two powers signed

8816-426: The Germans, and the last large operational unit of the Polish Army surrendered on 6   October . Despite the military defeat, Poland never surrendered; instead, it formed the Polish government-in-exile and a clandestine state apparatus remained in occupied Poland. A significant part of Polish military personnel evacuated to Romania and Latvia; many of them later fought against the Axis in other theatres of

8968-445: The Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany , Austria , Japan , and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders . The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in the aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan . Key events leading up to

9120-410: The Imperial Yeomanry completed their year's term of service in 1901. Between 24 March 1900 and 4 April 1901 the 3rd Battalion marched 3,171 miles (5,103 km) and was in action 39 times, suffering 109 casualties out of a strength of 500 men. The 66th Company in 16th Bn was in 16 major actions. Many of the Yeomanry went home after their year's service and were replaced by a Second Contingent, including

9272-516: The Lord Lieutenant to keep a full-time eye on public affairs in Ireland. The post ebbed and flowed in importance, being used on occasion as a form of exile for prominent British politicians who had fallen afoul of the Court of St. James's or Westminster . On other occasions it was a stepping stone to a future career. Two Lords Lieutenant, Lord Hartington and the Duke of Portland , went from Dublin Castle to 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister of Great Britain , in 1756 and 1783 respectively. By

SECTION 60

#1732786648750

9424-450: The Nationalists. Both Germany and the Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The Nationalists won the civil war in April 1939; Franco, now dictator, remained officially neutral during World War   II but generally favoured the Axis . His greatest collaboration with Germany was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front . In July 1937, Japan captured

9576-578: 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

9728-459: The Olifant's Nek pass, which Methuen believed was blocked by other columns. On the night of 13/14 August his troops set out to catch the Boers, engaging them at Buffelshoek about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the pass. However, the Boers escaped through the pass, which had not been blocked. With his troops exhausted, Methuen had to call off the pursuit. Drives to catch the remaining commandos went on for almost another two years. The First Contingent of

9880-444: The Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway ; Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Key setbacks in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland , and Allied offensives in the Pacific—cost the Axis powers their initiative and forced them into strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944,

10032-542: The Regular light dragoons, but this was not carried out. Second World War Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers . Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers —participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war , blurring

10184-452: The Royal Navy putting three Italian battleships out of commission after a carrier attack at Taranto , and neutralising several more warships at the Battle of Cape Matapan . Italian defeats prompted Germany to deploy an expeditionary force to North Africa; at the end of March 1941, Rommel 's Afrika Korps launched an offensive which drove back Commonwealth forces. In less than a month, Axis forces advanced to western Egypt and besieged

10336-423: The Soviet Union occupied the entire territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region . In August 1940, Hitler imposed the Second Vienna Award on Romania which led to the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In September 1940, Bulgaria demanded Southern Dobruja from Romania with German and Italian support, leading to

10488-418: The Soviet Union and Mongolia . The Japanese doctrine of Hokushin-ron , which emphasised Japan's expansion northward, was favoured by the Imperial Army during this time. This policy would prove difficult to maintain in light of the Japanese defeat at Khalkin Gol in 1939, the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War and ally Nazi Germany pursuing neutrality with the Soviets. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed

10640-575: The Soviet Union should be eliminated and aimed for the conquest of Ukraine , the Baltic states and Byelorussia . However, other senior German officials like Ribbentrop saw an opportunity to create a Euro-Asian bloc against the British Empire by inviting the Soviet Union into the Tripartite Pact. In November 1940, negotiations took place to determine if the Soviet Union would join the pact. The Soviets showed some interest but asked for concessions from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan that Germany considered unacceptable. On 18 December 1940, Hitler issued

10792-400: The Soviet Union was ever signed, although the state of war between the two countries was terminated by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 , which also restored full diplomatic relations between them. World War I had radically altered the political European map with the defeat of the Central Powers —including Austria-Hungary , Germany , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire —and

10944-661: The Territorial Force ( Territorial Army from 1 October 1921). The experience of the First World War made it clear that there was a surfeit of cavalry. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior Yeomanry regiments were to be retained as cavalry; the others would be converted to armoured cars, artillery or signals. As the 3rd most senior regiment in the Yeomanry order of precedence , the Yorkshire Hussars retained its horses as mounted cavalry. The regiment

11096-581: The United Kingdom and France guaranteed their support for Polish independence ; when Italy conquered Albania in April 1939, the same guarantee was extended to the Kingdoms of Romania and Greece . Shortly after the Franco - British pledge to Poland, Germany and Italy formalised their own alliance with the Pact of Steel . Hitler accused the United Kingdom and Poland of trying to "encircle" Germany and renounced

11248-542: The United Kingdom attacked on 3   July in an attempt to prevent its seizure by Germany. The air Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . The German campaign for air superiority started in August but its failure to defeat RAF Fighter Command forced the indefinite postponement of the proposed German invasion of Britain . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified with night attacks on London and other cities in

11400-461: The United Kingdom. The Germans turned south against the weakened French army, and Paris fell to them on 14   June. Eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany ; it was divided into German and Italian occupation zones , and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime , which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany. France kept its fleet, which

11552-538: The United Kingdom. However, after the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be

11704-713: The United States was assisting China and the Western Allies, and had amended the Neutrality Act to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention in

11856-512: The Viceregal Court was based. Other summer or alternative residences used by Lord Lieutenant or Lords Deputy included Abbeville in Kinsealy , Chapelizod House , in which the Lord Lieutenant lived while Dublin Castle was being rebuilt following a fire but which he left due to the building being supposedly haunted, Leixlip Castle and St. Wolstan's in Celbridge . The Geraldine Lords Deputy,

12008-687: The Viceregal Lodge. It was not however until major renovations in the 1820s that the Lodge came to be used regularly by viceroys. It is now known as Áras an Uachtaráin and is the residence of the President of Ireland . By the mid-19th century, Lords Lieutenant lived in the Castle only during the Social Season (early January to St. Patrick's Day , 17 March), during which time they held social events; balls, drawing rooms, etc. By tradition

12160-638: The Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide ; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 . Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration , the US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago ,

12312-528: The Western Allies invaded German-occupied France at Normandy , while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies westward. At the same time, Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy and captured key islands . The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories ; the invasion of Germany by

12464-606: The Yellow River ; this manoeuvre bought time for the Chinese to prepare their defences at Wuhan , but the city was taken by October. Japanese military victories did not bring about the collapse of Chinese resistance that Japan had hoped to achieve; instead, the Chinese government relocated inland to Chongqing and continued the war. In the mid-to-late 1930s, Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with

12616-700: 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

12768-515: The Yorkshire Hussars did not transfer with it, instead joining 9th Armoured Brigade on 10 October 1941 when that formation arrived in Palestine from Iraq. It remained with this brigade in 10th Armoured Division (formerly 1st Cavalry Division) until 13 March 1942, training on M3 Stuart tanks. In March 1942, the regiment was in Cyprus , armed with Valentine tanks and old Cruiser A13 tanks as

12920-680: The aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz , and naval Battle of the Atlantic . Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy , Japan , and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of the Soviet Union , opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains. Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and

13072-640: The beginning of the Pacific War include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or the earlier Japanese invasion of Manchuria , on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor , who stated that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously, and the two wars became World War II in 1941. Other proposed starting dates for World War II include

13224-655: The brigade concentrated at Malton, moving to Market Rasen in Lincolnshire when 1st Cavalry Division was formed on 31 October. It left the UK on 18 January 1940 and travelled through France to embark at Marseille for Palestine . The regiment became mechanised cavalry in October 1940 and transferred to the 6th Cavalry Bde on 2 March 1941. It transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) on 12 April 1941 in preparation for becoming an armoured regiment. The 6th Cavalry Brigade converted into 8th Armoured Bde on 1 August 1941 but

13376-405: The capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese . In March 1938, Nationalist Chinese forces won their first major victory at Taierzhuang , but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by the Japanese in May. In June 1938, Chinese forces stalled the Japanese advance by flooding

13528-566: The coat of arms of each Lord Lieutenant was displayed somewhere in the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle; some were incorporated into stained glass windows, some carved into seating, etc. The office of Lord Lieutenant, like the British government in Ireland, was greatly resented by some Irish nationalists , though it was supported with varying degrees of enthusiasm by the minority Irish unionist community. Some Lords Lieutenant did earn

13680-589: 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

13832-403: The conflict well into 1941. In December 1940, Roosevelt accused Hitler of planning world conquest and ruled out any negotiations as useless, calling for the United States to become an " arsenal of democracy " and promoting Lend-Lease programmes of military and humanitarian aid to support the British war effort; Lend-Lease was later extended to the other Allies, including the Soviet Union after it

13984-673: 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

14136-526: The creation of a " New Roman Empire ". Adolf Hitler , after an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government in 1923, eventually became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichstag appointed him. Following Hindenburg's death in 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer of Germany and abolished democracy, espousing a radical, racially motivated revision of

14288-571: 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

14440-607: The directive to prepare for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ( UK : / l ɛ f ˈ t ɛ n ə n t / ), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland , was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800) and

14592-402: The distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles , with the latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths , more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides , including

14744-712: The drill stations. It then went to its war stations with the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade, guarding the East Yorkshire coast. D Squadron was split up among the other three squadrons. 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

14896-712: The end of May completed the German conquest of the Balkans. Partisan warfare subsequently broke out against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia , which continued until the end of the war. In the Middle East in May, Commonwealth forces quashed an uprising in Iraq which had been supported by German aircraft from bases within Vichy-controlled Syria . Between June and July, British-led forces invaded and occupied

15048-575: The end of a day's march, the troops received food supplies dropped by aircraft. The advance halted in front of a strongly-held belt of woods. By 11.00 on 11 November, when the Armistice with Germany came into force, the 11th (Northern) Division had been relieved and established itself on the high ground. In late November 1918 the division pulled back across the Scheldt and the battalion went into billets at Wallers , near Valenciennes , where it spent

15200-569: The end of the war in Europe, the Yorkshire Hussars reverted to an armoured role with Churchill tanks in 35th Tank Brigade (which was in the process of converting into a new 35th Armoured Brigade ), which was a training formation supplying reinforcements to 21st Army Group in North West Europe. It was placed in 'suspended animation' in March 1946. When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, the Yorkshire Hussars reformed as an armoured regiment in

15352-546: The establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Irish nationalists throughout the 19th century and early 20th century campaigned for a form of Irish self-government. Daniel O'Connell sought repeal of the Act of Union, while later nationalists such as Charles Stewart Parnell sought a lesser measure, known as home rule . All four Home Rule bills provided for the continuation of the office. The Government of Ireland Act 1920 divided Ireland into two devolved entities inside

15504-417: The farriers who wore blue), with yellow cuffs and collar, edged with white braid and with about 21 rows of braid across the front. Blue breeches continued for marching order until 1805 when they were replaced with white canvas ones. The cloak was blue, lined white. The full dress helmet had a white-over-red plume, blue turban and silver chainwork; the trumpeters and farriers wore tall bearskin caps with plume and

15656-575: The first step of what its government saw as the country's right to rule Asia , staged the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo . China appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being condemned for its incursion into Manchuria. The two nations then fought several battles, in Shanghai , Rehe and Hebei , until

15808-543: The flank of Lord Roberts' main army. Methuen's column reached Bothaville on 24 May, but Roberts became concerned about his communications, so Methuen was switched to protecting the rear, and marched to Kroonstad , where his force arrived on 28 May, having completed a march of 168 miles (270 km) in 15 days over poor roads. On 30 May, Methuen was informed that the 13th (Irish) Bn IY was cut off at Lindley , and he rode with his own IY battalions to relieve them, covering 44 miles (71 km) in 24 hours. The mounted column had

15960-864: The former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge incident , which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior cooperation with Germany . From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan , engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou , and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan . Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai , but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push Chinese forces back, capturing

16112-414: The front band and probably a buff 'turban' (but re-using the same bearskin crest) and the shorter red jackets were given buff silk cord trimmings and white metal shoulder-wings for the men, with silver fringes for the officers. A scarlet waistcoat trimmed in buff was added (from 1797 the trumpeters wore a plain buff waistcoat). Sergeant-Majors (one per Troop, all ex-Regular NCOs) wore four silver chevrons on

16264-512: The hill. De Villebois-Mareuil was killed and his men surrendered. The Battle of Boshof was the first action for the new IY, but with little field training, only a brief musketry course, and few officers, they 'acted like veteran troops'. Methuen was 'much struck by the intelligent manner in which they carried out the attack and made use of cover'. Methuen's Column quickly became known as the 'Mobile Marvels'. On 14 May Methuen marched on Hoopstad and then continued into Orange Free State protecting

16416-471: The invasion of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia ) by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy ( Regno d'Italia ), which was launched from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea . The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia and its annexation into the newly created colony of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , or AOI); in addition it exposed the weakness of

16568-697: The mid-to-late 19th century the post had declined from being a powerful political office to that of being a symbolic quasi-monarchical figure who reigned, not ruled, over the Irish administration. Instead it was the Chief Secretary for Ireland who became central, with him, not the Lord Lieutenant, sitting on occasion in the British cabinet. The official residence of the Lord Lieutenant was the Viceregal Apartments in Dublin Castle , where

16720-417: 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

16872-495: The new force, which was equipped to operate as Mounted infantry . An equipment and emergency fund was set up in the West Riding and by 2 January 1900 13th Yeomanry Brigade had enrolled 330 volunteers at Leeds. The Yorkshire Hussars sponsored the 9th (Yorkshire (Doncaster)) Company and the Yorkshire Dragoons the 11th (Yorkshire Dragoons) Company. Selection and mobilisation began at Sheffield Cavalry Barracks on 6 January and

17024-572: The next few months. In November 1943 the regiment embarked at Alexandria for the UK, arriving at Gourock on 12 December. The regiment was converted to the infantry reconnaissance role, equipped with Humber Armoured Cars , Humber Light Reconnaissance Cars , Universal Carriers , and riflemen in M3 half-tracks . It joined 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division as its reconnaissance unit, but on 24 January 1944 it changed places with 61st Reconnaissance Regiment and joined 61st Infantry Division . 61st Division

17176-462: The objective evacuated and occupied it that night. It cleared the Scheldt canal on 11 October. After a short rest the battalion, now led by Capt R.H. Waddy, joined the final advance. It went forward on 2 November, meeting no opposition, and it was not until the following evening that they re-established contact with the enemy lining the high ground beyond the Aunelle. The battalion dug in just beyond

17328-599: The port of Tobruk . By late March 1941, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact ; however, the Yugoslav government was overthrown two days later by pro-British nationalists. Germany and Italy responded with simultaneous invasions of both Yugoslavia and Greece , commencing on 6 April 1941; both nations were forced to surrender within the month. The airborne invasion of the Greek island of Crete at

17480-414: The possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria , Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 , marking the end of the war. World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for

17632-648: The presence of a small Boer Commando led by the French Comte de Villebois-Mareuil and ordered the IY and other mounted troops to saddle up at once. The force caught the commando, pinned it with a few rounds of artillery fire, and then advanced by short rushes. The Yorkshire contingent went round the left flank while the Kimberly Mounted Volunteers went round the right, taking advantage of the natural cover. The whole force then closed in and stormed

17784-611: The railway towards Kroonstad, beginning with a sharp action at Renoster River on 24 June. The 'Great de Wet Hunt' began in earnest in August, with Methuen personally leading a column including the 1st Yeomanry Brigade. Methuen drove his force on with little rest, to Welverdiend Pass and Taaibosch Spruit, then to Frederikstad . On 12 August the column engaged the Boers at Mooi River Bridge for four hours, capturing guns and wagons and freeing British prisoners. Methuen's column had covered 150 miles (240 km) in six days, driving de Wet towards

17936-537: The regiment was disbanded and concurrently reconstituted as a TAVR III infantry unit with the RHQ and 'A' Squadron at York , 'B' Squadron at Doncaster and 'C' Squadron at Hull . On 1 April 1969, the regiment was reduced to a cadre and then reformed on 1 April 1971, as 'Y' Squadron, (re-designated in 2014 as 'A' Squadron) The Queen's Own Yeomanry . The uniform of both the Southern and Northern West Riding Yeomanry in 1794

18088-573: The regular army to fight the Second Boer War , particularly mounted troops. On 13 December, the War Office decided to allow volunteer forces to serve in the field, and a Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December that officially created the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). This was organised as county service companies of approximately 115 men enlisted for one year. Existing yeomen and fresh volunteers (mainly middle and upper class) quickly filled

18240-722: The remainder of Czechoslovakia and subsequently split it into the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a pro-German client state , the Slovak Republic . Hitler also delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania on 20 March 1939, forcing the concession of the Klaipėda Region , formerly the German Memelland . Greatly alarmed and with Hitler making further demands on the Free City of Danzig ,

18392-408: The rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming the permanent members of its security council . The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers , setting the stage for the Cold War . In

18544-413: The same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas, and absorbing the flood of volunteers coming in to the recruiting stations. Eventually 3rd Line training units were also formed. Major Viscount Helmsley (Earl of Feversham from 1915), officer commanding B Sqn, took command of

18696-444: The second contingent, and this company also served with 3rd Bn. In 1902, 16th Bn was disbanded and 66th (Yorkshire) Company joined 3rd Bn. 3rd Battalion IY with its horses embarked on Winifredian at Liverpool on 29 January 1900 and was the first IY battalion to arrive in South Africa, disembarking at Cape Town on 20 February 1900. It was attached to 1st Division under the command of Lord Methuen . On 5 April Methuen learned of

18848-410: The significant territorial, colonial, and financial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles . Under the treaty, Germany lost around 13 percent of its home territory and all its overseas possessions , while German annexation of other states was prohibited, reparations were imposed, and limits were placed on the size and capability of the country's armed forces . The German Empire was dissolved in

19000-415: The strong Maginot Line fortifications on the Franco-German border, Germany directed its attack at the neutral nations of Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The Germans carried out a flanking manoeuvre through the Ardennes region, which was mistakenly perceived by the Allies as an impenetrable natural barrier against armoured vehicles. By successfully implementing new Blitzkrieg tactics,

19152-429: The two companies were complete by 17 January. Along with two companies from Nottinghamshire , the 9th and 11th served in the 3rd Battalion, IY, which was placed under the command of Temporary Lt-Col George Younghusband from the Indian Army . The Yorkshire Hussars, together with the Yorkshire Dragoons, also raised 66th (Yorkshire) Company in 16th Battalion, and in 1901 it raised 109th (Yorkshire Hussars) Company for

19304-433: The wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia . Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion . World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France 's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939. Dates for

19456-401: The war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria , the Spanish Civil War , the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland . World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany , under Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland , prompting the United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland

19608-407: The war were not fulfilled in the peace settlement. From 1922 to 1925, the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy with a nationalist, totalitarian , and class collaborationist agenda that abolished representative democracy, repressed socialist, left-wing, and liberal forces, and pursued an aggressive expansionist foreign policy aimed at making Italy a world power, promising

19760-475: The war. Germany annexed western Poland and occupied central Poland ; the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland ; small shares of Polish territory were transferred to Lithuania and Slovakia . On 6 October, Hitler made a public peace overture to the United Kingdom and France but said that the future of Poland was to be determined exclusively by Germany and the Soviet Union. The proposal was rejected and Hitler ordered an immediate offensive against France, which

19912-404: The west halted the German advance for several days, but it was outflanked and encircled by the Wehrmacht . Remnants of the Polish army broke through to besieged Warsaw . On 17 September 1939, two days after signing a cease-fire with Japan , the Soviet Union invaded Poland under the supposed pretext that the Polish state had ceased to exist. On 27 September, the Warsaw garrison surrendered to

20064-419: The winter. Demobilisation began in 1919 and the division dwindled until June, when the final cadres returned to England. The last cadre of 9th (YHY) Battalion was demobilised at home in 1920. Apart from the theatre honour France and Flanders 1915–1918 , 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry) Bn was responsible for all of the Yorkshire Hussars' battle honours awarded for the First World War. The 2nd Line regiment

20216-483: The world order , and soon began a massive rearmament campaign . France, seeking to secure its alliance with Italy, allowed Italy a free hand in Ethiopia , which Italy desired as a colonial possession. The situation was aggravated in early 1935 when the Territory of the Saar Basin was legally reunited with Germany, and Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, accelerated his rearmament programme, and introduced conscription. The United Kingdom, France and Italy formed

20368-435: Was Prior to the Act of Union 1800 which abolished the Irish parliament, the Lord Lieutenant formally delivered the Speech from the Throne outlining his Government's policies. His Government exercised effective control of parliament through the extensive exercise of the powers of patronage, namely the awarding of peerages , baronetcies and state honours. Critics accused successive viceroys of using their patronage power as

20520-554: Was invaded by Germany. The United States started strategic planning to prepare for a full-scale offensive against Germany. At the end of September 1940, the Tripartite Pact formally united Japan, Italy, and Germany as the Axis powers . The Tripartite Pact stipulated that any country—with the exception of the Soviet Union—that attacked any Axis Power would be forced to go to war against all three. The Axis expanded in November 1940 when Hungary , Slovakia , and Romania joined. Romania and Hungary later made major contributions to

20672-498: Was a long-skirted scarlet coat with green collar and cuffs, and silver fringed epaulettes for officers; white breeches and black boots; white belts and gloves. The trumpeters were mounted on grey horses from October 1794. The original headgear was a 'round hat' (a low top hat) with a fore-and-aft bearskin crest over the crown. The original uniforms were such poor quality that they were replaced the following year, when new pattern 'Tarleton' light cavalry helmets were issued with 'Y.W.R.C' on

20824-506: Was a major reorganisation of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the UK. All but 12 regiments were converted to cyclists and, as a consequence, the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to 11th Cyclist Brigade . Further reorganisation in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as 7th Cyclist Brigade in November, now in the Bridlington area. In March 1917, the regiment moved to Driffield and in July to Barmston . It returned to Bridlington in January 1918. About May 1918,

20976-498: Was a reserve formation and remained in the UK for the whole of the war. Apart from A Sqn, which remained in an operational role, the regiment was split into squadrons from April to August 1944 to run embarkation camps in Sussex for the formations participating in the D Day landings and Normandy Campaign . In August the regiment was reunited and became a Reinforcement Holding Unit for refresher training and drafting of wounded Recce troops returning to North West Europe. On 16 June, after

21128-410: Was absorbed into the 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth . In 1918 it was removed from the 5th Reserve Cavalry Regiment, as its 1st Line was serving as infantry, and joined the 5th (Reserve) Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment at Rugeley , Cannock Chase . The regiment was reconstituted as horsed cavalry once more on 7 February 1920. Postwar, a commission was set up to consider the shape of

21280-423: Was advised in the governance by the Irish Privy Council , a body of appointed figures and hereditary title holders, which met in the Council Chamber in Dublin Castle and on occasion in other locations. The chief constitutional figures in the viceregal court were: Lords Lieutenant were appointed for no set term but served for "His/Her Majesty's pleasure" (in reality, as long as wished by the British government). When

21432-401: Was commanded by Lt-Col F.P. Worsley, DSO, of the West Yorks. The reconstituted battalion's first action was a successful 250-strong raid on the Norman Brickstacks near Lens on 10 November, led by Capt Roger Walker of the Hussars, with each 50-man party led by a Yeomanry officer. The battalion then settled down to a winter of trench-holding, gas shelling and raiding. The shattered 11th Division

21584-420: Was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , in which they had agreed on " spheres of influence " in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania . After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and the British Empire , with fighting in the Balkans , Mediterranean, and Middle East ,

21736-455: Was formed in 1914. In 1915 it was under the command of the 2/1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigade in Yorkshire (along with the 2/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons and the 2/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry ) and by March 1916 was in the Beverley area. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became 18th Mounted Brigade , still in Yorkshire under Northern Command . In July 1916 there

21888-485: Was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 15 August 1945 ( V-J Day ), rather than with the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, which officially ended the war in Asia . A peace treaty between Japan and the Allies was signed in 1951. A 1990 treaty regarding Germany's future allowed the reunification of East and West Germany to take place and resolved most post–World War   II issues. No formal peace treaty between Japan and

22040-399: Was not directly involved in the German spring offensive of 1918, and so was fairly recovered and fresh for the Allied Hundred Days Offensive that began in August. It took a peripheral part in the Second Battle of Arras (the Battles of the Scarpe on 30 August and of Drocourt-Quéant on 2–3 September). It then took a more active role in the battles of the Hindenburg Line , beginning with

22192-403: Was postponed until the spring of 1940 due to bad weather. After the outbreak of war in Poland, Stalin threatened Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania with military invasion, forcing the three Baltic countries to sign pacts allowing the creation of Soviet military bases in these countries; in October 1939, significant Soviet military contingents were moved there. Finland refused to sign

22344-493: Was reduced to eight, each with a sergeant-major as permanent staff instructor (PSI), distributed as follows: 1875 saw the first issue of Westley Richards breechloading carbines to the regiment, although there were still only enough to arm half the regiment by 1877. Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Yeomanry units places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for

22496-657: Was repulsed with heavy Italian casualties; the campaign ended within months with minor territorial changes. To assist Italy and prevent Britain from gaining a foothold, Germany prepared to invade the Balkans, which would threaten Romanian oil fields and strike against British dominance of the Mediterranean. In December 1940, British Empire forces began counter-offensives against Italian forces in Egypt and Italian East Africa . The offensives were successful; by early February 1941, Italy had lost control of eastern Libya, and large numbers of Italian troops had been taken prisoner. The Italian Navy also suffered significant defeats, with

22648-441: Was required to go through the bureaucracy of the League of Nations, which rendered it essentially toothless. The United States, concerned with events in Europe and Asia, passed the Neutrality Act in August of the same year. Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno Treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936, encountering little opposition due to the policy of appeasement . In October 1936, Germany and Italy formed

22800-437: Was still at 3 Tower Street, York, under the command of Lord Grimthorpe , when it was embodied for service in September 1939. It mobilised as part of 5th Cavalry Brigade with the Yorkshire Dragoons and Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry under the command of the Hussars' former CO, Brigadier T. Preston, but the squadrons initially remained at their HQ towns in case they were needed to keep order in the event of German bombing raids. Later

22952-482: Was the faith of the overwhelming majority on the island of Ireland, Roman Catholics were excluded being able to hold the office from Glorious Revolution in 1688 until the Government of Ireland Act 1920 . Until 1767 Lords Lieutenant did not live full-time in Ireland. Instead they resided in Ireland during meetings of the Irish Parliament (a number of months every two years). However the British cabinet decided in 1765 that full-time residency should be required to enable

23104-479: Was then planned to clear the enemy from the banks of the Sensée Canal , but the Germans evacuated their positions at Aubencheul-au-Bac and withdrew across the canal on the night of 6/7 October. During the subsequent Battle of Cambrai and pursuit to the River Selle , the division was warned to advance on the morning of 9 October, but 32nd Bde had been in reserve 10 miles (16 km) back and did not get into position until after dark. Nevertheless, its patrols found

#749250