Formation and early history The units which would become the regiment were first raised in 1819, as independent
troops of
yeomanry around Lanarkshire. The five existing troops were regimented in 1848 as the
Upper Ward and Airdrie Corps of Lanarkshire Yeomanry Cavalry, later retitled as the
Lanarkshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry.
Second Boer War The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats during
Black Week in December 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899 to allow volunteer forces to serve in the
Second Boer War. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry
regiments to provide service
companies of approximately 115 men each for the
Imperial Yeomanry. With the
Ayrshire Yeomanry, the regiment co-sponsored the 17th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Company for the 6th (Scottish) Battalion in 1900; in 1901 it provided the 107th (Lanarkshire) Company. In 1901, the regiment was reorganized as
mounted infantry as the
Lanarkshire Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908 it was transferred into the
Territorial Force, returning to a cavalry role and equipping as
lancers, under the new title of the
Lanarkshire Yeomanry. The regiment was based at
Broomgate in
Lanark during the first half of the 20th century.
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 Lanarkshire Yeomanry The regiment mobilised into the
Lowland Mounted Brigade in August 1914, but remained in England until 1915. They landed at Gallipoli in September 1915, serving as dismounted infantry, and were attached to
52nd (Lowland) Division in October; they were withdrawn in January 1916 and moved to Egypt. In early 1917 the regiment was amalgamated with
The Ayrshire Yeomanry to form the
12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers in
74th (Yeomanry) Division, seeing service in the
Palestine campaign before moving to the
Western Front in May 1918. Whilst on the Western Front, Sergeant
Thomas Caldwell of the regiment was awarded a
Victoria Cross.
2/1st Lanarkshire Yeomanry The 2nd Line regiment was formed in 1914. In 1915 it was under the command of the
2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade in Scotland (along with the
2/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry and the
2/1st Lothians and Border Horse) and by March 1916 was at
Dunbar,
East Lothian. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became
20th Mounted Brigade, still at Dunbar under
Scottish Command. In July 1916 there was a major reorganization of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the United Kingdom. All but 12 regiments were converted to
cyclists About May 1918 the Brigade moved to Ireland As the 13th most senior regiment in the
order of precedence, the regiment was retained as horsed cavalry. Future Prime Minister
Alec Douglas-Home, then Lord Dunglass, served in the regiment from commission as a
Lieutenant in 1924, rising to
Major in 1933.
Second World War The regiment apparently did not mechanise before the outbreak of the
Second World War; after mobilisation, it was converted to the artillery role. It transferred into the
Royal Artillery in February 1940 as
155th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA; in April 1940,
156th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA was formed as a second-line duplicate. Both served as
field artillery regiments.
156th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA The 156th moved to North Africa in July 1942, and was attached to
5th Infantry Division in August; it remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in the
Invasion of Sicily, the
Italian Campaign and in
North-Western Europe.
Post war After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the
Territorial Army as a yeomanry regiment, under its old title of The Lanarkshire Yeomanry, and transferred into the
Royal Armoured Corps. In 1956 it amalgamated with the
Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry and the 1st/2nd
Lothians and Border Horse to form The
Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry. ==Battle honours==