Following a string of defeats during
Black Week in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just the regular army to fight the
Second Boer War. On 13 December, the decision to allow volunteer forces to serve in South Africa was made, and a
Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December. This officially created the
Imperial Yeomanry (IY). The force was organised as county service companies of approximately 115 men signed up for one year, and volunteers from the Yeomanry and civilians (usually middle and upper class) quickly filled the new force, which was equipped to operate as
Mounted infantry. Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship or marksmanship and had little time to train before arriving in South Africa. The first contingent of recruits contained 550
officers, 10,371 men in 20
battalions of 4
companies, which arrived in
South Africa between February and April, 1900. The Berkshire Yeomanry raised the 39th and 58th (Berkshire) Companies, which landed in South Africa on 28 February and 4 April 1900 and served in 10th and 15th Battalions, IY, respectively, alongside
Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire companies (10th Battalion was commanded by
Lord Chesham of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry). Upon arrival, the battalions were sent throughout the zone of operations. Chesham's 10th Battalion IY was attached to
1st Division under the command of
Lord Methuen and Chesham became
Brigadier-General of the division's mounted troops. On 5 April Methuen learned of the presence of a small
Boer Commando led by the French
Comte de Villebois-Mareuil and ordered Chesham's IY and other mounted troops to saddle up at once. The force caught the commando, pinned it with a few rounds of artillery fire, and then advanced by small rushes on both flanks, the IY taking the left flank. De Villebois-Mareuil was killed and his men surrendered. The
Battle of Boshof was the first action for the new IY, but with little field training, only a brief musketry course, and few officers, they 'acted like veteran troops'. Methuen was 'much struck by the intelligent manner in which they carried out the attack and made use of cover'. By May 1900 both the 10th and 15th Battalions IY were serving in Methuen's Column, which quickly became known as the 'Mobile Marvels'. On 14 May Methuen marched on
Hoopstad and then continued into
Orange Free State protecting the flank of
Lord Roberts' main army. Methuen's column reached
Bothaville on 24 May, but Roberts became concerned about his communications, so Methuen was switched to protecting the rear, and marched to
Kroonstad, where the column arrived on 28 May, having completed a march of in 15 days over poor roads. On 30 May, Metheun was informed that the 13th (Irish) Bn IY was cut off at
Lindley, and he rode with his own IY battalions to relieve them, covering in 24 hours. The mounted column had a five-hour fight to force its way past 3000 Boers led by
Christiaan de Wet. Most of the force in Lindley had already surrendered, but the 5th and 10th Battalions IY under Lt-Col
George Younghusband were able to free a number of the prisoners. Methuen then pushed on to relieve 9th Division, which was besieged at
Heilbron, completing a march of in under a month. Methuen's Column now took part in the pursuit of de Wet's force south down the railway towards Kroonstad, beginning with a sharp action at
Rhenoster River on 24 June. The 'Great de Wet Hunt' began in earnest in August. On 6 August Methuen set out with the 5th and 10th Battalions IY, some infantry and artillery to catch the Boer commander at Scandinavia Drift, switching to Schoeman's Drift when better intelligence arrived. De Wet and half his force had got across the drift before Methuen arrived, but the rearguard was cleared and the column pressed forward. Methuen sent Chesham and the IY towards
Frederikstad to cut off de Wet, but after their long march the day before the yeomanry could not keep up with the Boers. The Great de Wet Hunt by numerous British columns continued through August and September, with Methuen personally leading a column including the 1st Yeomanry Brigade under Chesham. Methuen drove his force on with little rest, to Welverdiend Pass and Taaibosch Spruit, then to Frederikstad. On 12 August the column engaged the Boers at Mooi River Bridge for four hours, capturing guns and wagons and freeing British prisoners. Methuen's column had covered in six days, driving de Wet towards the Olifant's Nek pass, which Methuen believed was blocked by other columns. On the night of 13/14 August his troops set out to catch the Boers, engaging them at Buffelshoek about from the pass. However, the Boers escaped through the pass, which had not been blocked. With his troops exhausted, Methuen had to call off the pursuit. Drives to catch the remaining commandos went on for almost another two years. The First Contingent of the Imperial Yeomanry completed their year's term of service in 1901 and were replaced by a Second Contingent. The two Berkshire companies, in which 600 men of all ranks of the Berkshire Yeomanry had served by the end of the war, earned the regiment its first
Battle honour:
South Africa 1900–01. The Imperial Yeomanry were trained and equipped as mounted infantry. The concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, with an establishment of HQ and four squadrons with a machine gun section. This included the
Berkshire (Hungerford) Imperial Yeomanry (Dragoons), renamed on 17 April 1901. ==Territorial Force==