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1st Mounted Division

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1st Mounted Division
1st Cyclist Division
Active5 August 1914 – 16 November 1916
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
TypeYeomanry
Bicycle infantry
SizeDivision
ServiceWorld War I
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Edwin Alderson
Robert George Broadwood

The1st Mounted Divisionwas aYeomanryDivisionof theBritish Armyactive duringWorld War I.It was formed in August 1914 for the home defence of the United Kingdom from four existing mounted brigades of theTerritorial Force,each of three regiments ofYeomanry.[1]The divisional order of battle changed often, as the 1st Line[a]brigades left for service overseas and were replaced by 2nd Line formations. It was converted to the1st Cyclist Divisionin July 1916, and was broken up in November 1916 without being involved in active service.[1]It remained inEast Angliathroughout its existence.

An unrelated 1st Mounted Division was formed in July 1916, from the3rd Mounted Division,lasting until September 1917. Another incarnation of 1st Mounted Division was created in April 1918 from theYeomanry Mounted Division,lasting until July 1918.

History

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1st Mounted Division

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TheMounted Divisionwas formed on 5 August 1914, immediately after the outbreak ofWorld War I,from four existing mounted brigades of theTerritorial Force–Eastern,1st South Midland,2nd South Midland,andNotts. and Derby.It was assembled inEast AngliawithHeadquartersatBury St Edmundsand the brigades atIpswich,Dissand two at Bury. The division was to spend its entire existence in East Anglia.[5]

Later in the month, a decision was made to concentrate mounted troops in theChurnarea ofBerkshireand at the end of August 1914 these were formed into a new2nd Mounted Division.The original division was designated as1st Mounted Divisionand gained three more 1st Line[a]mounted brigades –South Wales,Welsh Border,andNorth Midland– to replace the 1st South Midland, 2nd South Midland, and Notts. and Derby brigades.[5]

As the 1st Line mounted brigades left for overseas service, they were replaced by 2nd Line formations. As with other 2nd Line divisions – which the 1st Mounted Division was in all but name – the division experienced considerable problems with regard to equipment and personnel. Even as late as July 1915, someRoyal Horse Artillerybatteries were without guns, wagons or harnesses, machine guns were lacking and few of the men had fired a recruits' course of musketry.[5]

By the beginning of March 1916, the last 1st Line brigades had left and the division was now composed entirely of 2nd Line formations.[5]On 31 March 1916, the remaining mounted brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence and the division now commanded the1st,2nd,3rdand4th Mounted Brigades.[4]

1st Cyclist Division

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In July 1916 there was a major reorganization of 2nd Lineyeomanryunits in the United Kingdom. All but 12regimentswere converted tocyclists:[4]the rest were dismounted, handed over their horses to the remount depots and were issued with bicycles. The 1st Mounted Division was reorganized as the1st Cyclist Division,now commanding the1st,2nd,3rdand4th Cyclist Brigades.[5]On reorganisation,2nd Mounted Brigade– with2/1st Royal 1st Devon,2/1st Montgomeryshireand2/1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry– was posted to the new 1st Mounted Division (3rd Mounted Divisionredesignated) and remained mounted.[6]In exchange, the12th Mounted Brigade(2/1st London) joined as the 4th Cyclist Brigade.[7]

A further reorganization in November 1916 saw the 1st Cyclist Division broken up. The cyclist brigades were dispersed and the yeomanry regiments were amalgamated in pairs to formYeomanry Cyclist Regimentsin new cyclist brigades.[5]

Other formations

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Two otherdivisionsof theBritish Armywere named1st Mounted Divisionduring World War I.[8]

When the original division was converted to a cyclist division in July 1916, the3rd Mounted Divisionwas renumbered as the 1st Mounted Division as it was the only remaining mounted division.[b]It, too, was converted to cyclists asThe Cyclist Divisionon 4 September 1917.[11]

In March 1918, the1st Indian Cavalry Divisionwas broken up in France. The British units remained on theWestern Frontand the Indian elements were sent to Egypt.[12]By anEgyptian Expeditionary ForceGHQ Order of 12 April 1918, the mounted troops of the EEF were reorganised when the Indian Army units arrived intheatre.On 24 April 1918, theYeomanry Mounted Divisionwasindianized[c]and its title was changed to1st Mounted Division.[13]On 22 July 1918, it was renumbered as the4th Cavalry Division.[14]

Orders of battle

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Commanders

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The 1st Mounted Division / 1st Cyclist Division had the following commanders:[31]

From Rank Name
5 August 1914 Major-General E.A.H. Alderson
29 September 1914 Lieutenant General R.G. Broadwood

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^abIn accordance with theTerritorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907(7 Edw. 7,c.9) which brought theTerritorial Forceinto 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 forImperial Service.Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units.[2]2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although most of these were also posted abroad in due course.[3]Likewise, existing pre-war formations (brigadesanddivisions) formed duplicate 2nd Lines with the same structure as their 1st Line parents.[4]
  2. ^The2nd Mounted Divisionwas broken up in Egypt on 21 January 1916[9]and the4th Mounted Divisionwas reformed as the2nd Cyclist Divisionat the same time that the 1st Mounted Division became the 1st Cyclist Division.[10]
  3. ^British divisions were converted to theBritish Indian Armystandard whereby brigades only retained one British regiment or battalion and most support units were Indian (artillery excepted).
  4. ^1/1st Essex Yeomanryleft theEastern Mounted Brigadeon 1 December 1914 and joined the8th Cavalry Brigadein France.[16][17]It was replaced by2nd King Edward's Horse.[18]
  5. ^ab2nd King Edward's Horsereplaced1/1st Essex YeomanryinEastern Mounted Brigadein December 1914; it left on 1 February 1915 for theCanadian Cavalry Brigade.[18]In turn, it was replaced by theWelsh Horse Yeomanryin February 1915.[19][20]
  6. ^ab1/1st Welsh Horse Yeomanryreplaced1/1st Leicestershire YeomanryinNorth Midland Mounted Brigadein early 1915. It transferred to theEastern Mounted Brigadein February 1915, replacing2nd King Edward's Horse.[19][20]
  7. ^1/1st Leicestershire Yeomanryleft theNorth Midland Mounted Brigadeon 3 November 1914 and joined the7th Cavalry Brigadein France.[23][24]They were replaced by1/1st Welsh Horse Yeomanryin early 1915.[19][20]
  8. ^1/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanryreplaced1/1st Welsh Horse Yeomanryin theNorth Midland Mounted Brigadein May 1915.[25][26]
  9. ^abBecke[7]does not show the cyclist battalions as being attached to the division in May or July 1916, but shows them assigned to the cyclist brigades in September 1916. It is reasonable to assume that they remained attached to the division in the interim.

References

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  1. ^abBaker, Chris,"The 1st Mounted Division, TF 1914–1918",The Long, Long Trail,archived fromthe originalon 22 April 2008
  2. ^Rinaldi 2008,p. 35
  3. ^Baker, Chris."Was my soldier in the Territorial Force (TF)?".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved19 February2015.
  4. ^abcdefgJames 1978,p. 36
  5. ^abcdefBecke 1936,p. 7
  6. ^abBecke 1936,p. 22
  7. ^abBecke 1936,p. 5
  8. ^Becke 1936,p. 35
  9. ^Becke 1936,p. 17
  10. ^Becke 1936,p. 27
  11. ^Becke 1936,p. 19
  12. ^Perry 1993,p. 16
  13. ^Becke 1936,p. 34
  14. ^Perry 1993,p. 22
  15. ^abcdeBecke 1936,p. 4
  16. ^James 1978,p. 18
  17. ^Baker, Chris."The Essex Yeomanry".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved9 April2015.
  18. ^abJames 1978,p. 16
  19. ^abcdJames 1978,p. 30
  20. ^abcBaker, Chris."The Welsh Horse Yeomanry".The Long, Long Trail. Archived fromthe originalon 12 April 2015.Retrieved9 April2015.
  21. ^abcdefghijklmnoBecke 1936,p. 6
  22. ^Westlake 1996,pp. 271, 277, 278, 282
  23. ^James 1978,p. 22
  24. ^Baker, Chris."The Leicestershire Yeomanry".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved9 April2015.
  25. ^James 1978,pp. 31–32
  26. ^Baker, Chris."The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved9 April2015.
  27. ^Becke 1936,p. 28
  28. ^James 1978,pp. 17, 27
  29. ^abcdefgBecke 1936,p. 3
  30. ^abBecke 1936,p. 20
  31. ^Becke 1936,p. 1

Bibliography

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