Yorkshire Mounted Brigade

The Yorkshire Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. By 1915 its regiments had been posted away so it was broken up. It never saw active service.

Formation
Under the terms of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9), the brigade was formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It consisted of three yeomanry regiments, a horse artillery battery and ammunition column, a transport and supply column and a field ambulance. The Northumberland Hussars were attached for training in peacetime.

As the name suggests, the units were drawn from Yorkshire.

World War I
The brigade was embodied on 4 August 1914 and apparently remained in Yorkshire. The regiments left the brigade for other formations in 1915 and it ceased to exist.
 * The Yorkshire Hussars was split up as divisional cavalry in April 1915:
 * Regimental HQ and A Squadron joined 50th (Northumbrian) Division in Northumberland on 4 April. Landed at Le Havre on 18 April 1915
 * B Squadron joined 46th (North Midland) Division in Luton area. Landed at Le Havre on 28 February 1915
 * C Squadron joined 49th (West Riding) Division in Yorkshire. Landed at Le Havre on 16 April 1915
 * D Squadron was dissolved and men dispersed to other squadrons
 * In May 1916, the regiment reformed and became XVII Corps Cavalry Regiment. In August 1917 it was converted to infantry and absorbed into the 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment.


 * The Yorkshire Dragoons was split up as divisional cavalry in June 1915:
 * Regimental HQ and B Squadron joined 37th Division on Salisbury Plain by June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 1 August 1915
 * A Squadron joined 17th (Northern) Division in Winchester area in June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 16 July 1915
 * C Squadron joined 19th (Western) Division at Bulford on 26 June 1915. Landed at Le Havre on 20 July 1915
 * D Squadron was dissolved and men dispersed to other squadrons
 * In May 1916, the regiment reformed and became II Corps Cavalry Regiment. In October 1917 it became part of the Cavalry Corps Troops, before joining the 8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade in 4th Cavalry Division in December. In February 1918, the division broken up so the regiment was dismounted and converted to a cyclist battalion, re-joining II Corps on 16 March 1918.


 * In early 1915, the East Riding Yeomanry left the brigade in 1915 and was attached to 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division near Newcastle. In May 1915 it joined the North Midland Mounted Brigade of 1st Mounted Division in Norfolk replacing Welsh Horse.  On 27 October 1915, it embarked at Southampton for Salonika but was re-routed to Egypt.  It took part in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign up to April 1918 when it amalgamated with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry to form 'D' Battalion Machine Gun Corps and left for the Western Front in France.  It ended the war as 102nd (Lincolnshire and East Riding Yeomanry) Battalion, MGC.
 * The Northumberland Hussars joined the 7th Division in September 1914 and proceeded to the Western Front. It served as divisional cavalry (April 1915 to May 1916) before reforming as XIII Corps Cavalry Regiment. Thereafter, it acted as VIII (or XIV), III and XII Corps Cavalry Regiment to the end of the war.
 * West Riding Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (HQ: Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham) served in the Middle East from 1916 to 1918 as part of the 263rd Brigade, RFA.

By 1915, with its regiments having been posted away, the brigade was dissolved.