Formation and early history The regiment was formed as the
Nottinghamshire (South Nottinghamshire) Yeomanry Cavalry in 1794 as part of the response to the
French Revolutionary Wars. The mounted infantry experiment was considered a success, and the regiment was designated the
Nottinghamshire Imperial Yeomanry (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) from 1901 to 1908. The regiment formed the 12th (South Nottingham) Company of the 3rd Battalion in 1900. The regiment moved to a new drill hall at
Derby Road in
Nottingham in around 1910.
First World War 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 the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for
Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.
1/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars The 1st was formed in
Nottingham in April 1908 on the creation of the new
Territorial Force and became part of the
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Mounted Brigade, which was a component of the
1st Mounted Division. It became the 1/1st in 1914 when the TF created its second-line units. The Brigade was transferred to serve with the
2nd Mounted Division, and saw service in the
Gallipoli Campaign. In 1916, the Division was broken up and the Brigade was redesignated the
7th Mounted Brigade and moved to
Salonika in 1917. At the
Armistice, it was serving as Army Troops with the
Fourth Army.
2/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars The 2nd Line regiment began to form in Nottingham on 20 September 1914. It was based at
Colwick Racecourse for the winter of 1914/15. At the end of February 1915, it moved to
Ollerton and joined the
2/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Mounted Brigade. By June, the brigade was in the
2/2nd Mounted Division at
Narford Park near
Swaffham. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became the
9th Mounted Brigade (and the division
3rd Mounted Division). Many became brigades of the
Royal Field Artillery (RFA), including the South Notts Hussars, which became a two-battery brigade as the
107th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Army Brigade, RFA, in 1922. It served as 'Army Troops' in
46th (North Midland) Divisional Area. In 1924 the RFA was subsumed into the
Royal Artillery (RA) and in November 1938, the Royal Artillery renamed its brigades as regiments, when the regiment was designated as
Royal Horse Artillery (RHA). In April 1939, as part of the general doubling of the TA following the
Munich Crisis, the 107th (SNHY) formed
150th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Regiment, RHA, as a duplicate from a
cadre of 107th and 210 Battery of a local RA Unit, and a Searchlight battery of the Royal Engineers. In April 1942, the regiment was redesignated as the 107th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Field Regt RHA (by which time it had gained a third battery, the 520th). The remnants were reformed as the 107th (SNH Yeo) Medium Battery RA. The battery served with the 7th Medium Regiment RA, as part of the 8th Army, in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In March 1944, the regiment returned to the UK to join the 2nd Army. At this time, the 107th Battery was redesignated as the 425th Battery and left to join the newly formed 107th Medium Regiment RA - the recently disbanded 16th Medium Regiment RA provided the Regimental HQ and the 426th Battery.
Equipment The 107th was equipped with the following during the course of the war: :16 × 18-pdr Mk IV & Lorries :
Ordnance QF 18 pounderMk II :18-pdr Mk IIPA, 425 Bty :4.5-inch howitzer, 426 Bty :25-pdr & Quads, Bren Carrier OP In June 1940, it was redesignated as the 150th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA. A third battery, the 514th, was formed in January 1941. 150th (SNH Yeo) Regiment RA was disbanded in November 1944, owing to a lack of Infantry in the British Army, but an excess of gunners without guns.
Postwar The two regiments were reconstituted in the TA in 1947, the 107th as
307th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA, the 150th becoming
350th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment, RA. In 1950 the 350th merged into
350 (Robin Hood Foresters) Light Regiment, RA. The 307th regained its RHA distinction in 1955, first as
307th (RHA) (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA, then from 1967 as
The South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry (RHA). In 1969 it was reduced to cadre strength and placed under 101st (Northumbrian) Medium Regiment, then was restored to battery strength the following year (as
307th (South Notts Hussars) Battery). Latterly it formed part of
100th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery but was placed in suspended animation under
Army 2020. In January 2018, the Royal Artillery returned to Nottingham, as
C (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Troop,
210 (Staffordshire) Battery, of
103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment, RA. ==Regimental museum==