Second World War
In March 1940, after training at Tidworth, the 1st Regiment joined the BEF in France as part of 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade, initially the Corps Cavalry to 3 Corps. However, in May the Regiment passed under the command of 48th (South Midland) Division, 44th (Home Counties) Division, Macforce, and finally back to 48th (South Midland) Division. The Regiment was first involved in fighting near Ath, south of Brussels, and then over the next fortnight fought seven rearguard actions before being finally surrounded at Cassel on the night of 29/30 May in the company of 145th Brigade. As rearguard to the Brigade’s breakout, the F echelon was fatally exposed. The remnants of 1ERY (7 officers and 230 men) returned to Tidworth, where the Regiment was brought up to strength by drafts from the 2nd Regiment, before moving onto Bovington to rejoin 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade. What was left of 2ERY formed 10th (East Riding Yeomanry) Bn Green Howards, which later converted to become the 12th (Yorkshire) Parachute Battalion.
They next deployed to Essex for anti-invasion duties, where it was equipped with Beavettes. When new material became available in Spring 1942, the Regiment reequipped with Covenanter tanks and Honeys, and formed 27th Armoured Brigade, together with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards (replaced by the Staffordshire Yeomanry, in January 1944) and the 13th/18th Royal Hussars. In April 1943, the Regiment again reequipped, this time with Sherman Duplex Drive tanks.
The training all came to fruition on 6 June 1944, when the Regiment landed on D Day supporting 9th Infantry Brigade in 3rd Division, and for the following fifty days they took part in the bridgehead battles. During this period they also supported 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division.
Because of casualties, 27th Armoured Brigade was broken up on 29 July, and on 16 August the Regiment joined 33rd Armoured Brigade, taking over the petrol MK1 & II Shermans of 148 Regt RAC. The Regiment was now attached to 51st (Highland) Division, for the final Falaise Pocket Battles, the advance to the River Seine, its crossing and the taking of St Valery-en-Caux; after which the Regiment transferred to 49th (West Riding) Division for the Battle of Le Havre.
In October, the Regiment supported 53rd (Welsh) Division, in the Netherlands fighting around 's-Hertogenbosch and the later crossing of the Maas. However, during the winter of 1944, it was hurried away to reinforce the pressure being put on the German "Bulge", and then in January returned to 79th Armoured Division, and re-equipped with Buffalo, to carry the troops of 15th (Scottish) Division, on the assault crossing of the Rhine 15 March. For the last weeks of the war, the Regiment reconverted to Shermans, coming under the command of the Canadian Army clearing the Netherlands. After the war the Regiment was stationed at Laboe (Kiel Estuary) until being placed in ‘suspended animation’ on 7 March 1946.
Brigadier Carver (later Field Marshal Lord Carver) considered The East Riding Yeomanry to be one of the best, if not the best, armoured regiment that he had come across.
Read more about this topic: East Riding Of Yorkshire Yeomanry
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