The Warwickshire Yeomanry was a volunteer Cavalry Regiment raised in 1794 to defend the United Kingdom against invasion by the French in the Napoleonic Wars. Two Squadrons of the Regiment volunteered for service during the Boer War 1900-02 as Imperial Yeomanry.
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In 1908 the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act came into being and the Regiment formed part of the 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade with headquarters in 12 Northgate Street, Warwick.
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The Warwickshire Yeomanry served with distinction during WW1 in Egypt as Cavalry from April 1915, at Gallipoli as Infantry in August 1915, returning to the Cavalry role in Egypt and Palestine from January 1916. 3/16

In May 1918 the Regiment served as Machine Gunners on the Western Front; many did not return home until they were demobilised in 1919.
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In 1920 the Warwickshire Yeomanry returned to the Cavalry role. When War was declared in September 1939 the Regiment quickly mobilised and in January 1940 it was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division in Palestine.
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In March1941 the Regiment lost its horses and was converted to Motorised Infantry seeing service in Iraq and Syria. In October 1941 the Regiment moved back to Palestine and was ordered to convert to a Tank Regiment.
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The Regiment fought with distinction during the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 and again during the second Battle of Alamein on 2nd November 1942 as part of the 9th Armoured Brigade when they lost nearly all their tanks.
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The next 15 months was spent refitting and training in Egypt and Palestine before the Regiment was ordered in May 1944 to join the Italian Campaign where it saw considerable action as part of the 9th Armoured Brigade before returning home on 13th October 1944 to
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Livermere, near Bury-St-Edmunds as a Tank Training Regiment.
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The Regiment now settled down to soldiering in England as a Holding Regiment equipped with Churchill Tanks for training personnel. Two more moves were made as part of the 35th Tank Brigade and finally to Chippenham Camp North.
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A life of training and gunnery practice exercises made many think of those early pre- war camps with horses.
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COMMENT
The pictures show the three phases of the Warwickshire Yeomanry during WW2:
‘B Squadron, Warwickshire Yeomanry at Rosh Pina, Palestine in early 1940.
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As Motorised Infantry.
‘B’ Squadron Warwickshire Yeomanry Tanks at Miteiriya Ridge, 1st Battle of El Alamein, October 1942
And a Warwickshire Yeomanry Sherman Tank moving up in Italy in 1944
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'B' Squadron, Warwickshire Yeomanry Rosh Pinna 1940. The shadow in front of the horses at 3 o'clock is the Colonel's dog. 14/16

Motorised Infantry
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'B' Squadron, Warwickshire Yeomanry at Miteiriya Ridge 1st Battle of Alamein October 1942. This picture can be seen in 'Yeoman Yeoman The Warwickshire Yeomanry 1920-1956' by Paul BAKER. It also features in our WW2 Display at the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum, Warwick.
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