East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry was a unit of the British Army from 1794 – 1956 . The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars . It was converted to an armoured role in 1920 . In 1956 it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the Queen ' s Own Yorkshire Yeomanry . Its lineage is continued today by the Queen ' s Own Yeomanry . First World War . During the First World War a second and third regiment were raised and designated 2 / 1st and 3 / 1st East Riding Yeomanry . The 2 / 1st converted to a cyclist battalion in 1916 , remaining in the East Riding until May 1918 , when it transferred to Ireland . It was disbanded at the end of the war . The 3 / 1st was raised in 1915 , remaining in the East Riding until 1917 when it was absorbed by the 1st Cavalry Reserve Regiment at the Curragh , in Ireland . The 1 / 1st moved north in November 1914 as Divisional Cavalry for the 2nd Northumbrian Division . On 20 May , the regiment formed part of a parade of some 40 , 000 men before H . M . The King and Lord Kitchener . The regiment was then ordered south to Filey and then to East Anglia , to form part of the 1 / 1st North Midland Mounted Brigade . In October 1915 they set sail for Alexandria . In 1916 , the regiment was part of the Western Frontier Force , a dreary job , causing a number of NCOs and men to join the newly formed Imperial Camel Corps and 120 officers and men to be detached for service under T . E . Lawrence . In December 1916 , the 22nd Mounted Brigade moved to the Suez Canal Zone to form part of the ANZAC Mounted Division . The regiment first saw action during the First Battle of Gaza , a hard engagement for both the men and the horses , and in the Second Battle of Gaza it was posted to the far right flank . In General Allenby ' s reorganisation 22nd Mounted Brigade transferred to the Yeomanry Mounted Division . In October 1917 , the regiment took part in the Third Battle of Gaza , and on 13 November at El Mughar , supported a charge by 6th Mounted Brigade . ' A ' Squadron , commanded by Maj . J . F . M . Robinson M . C . , led 22nd Mounted Brigade , having captured their objective they pressed on to Akir and established a position on the far side of the village square , however they had to withdraw as they were unsupported by the rest of the brigade . Sadly it transpired that the village was the location of a Turkish Corps Headquarters , and had the success of the attack been exploited then a major dislocation of the enemy lines could have resulted . El Mughar was the last great cavalry charge of the British Army . In December 1917 , with the exception of the machine gun section , the regiment was dismounted and sent to France . Together with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry , it formed 102 Bn , Machine Gun Corps ( Mobile ) . The battalion saw action several times in the closing months of the war in the area around Cambrai supporting attacks by the 49th ( West Riding ) Division , 51st ( Highland ) Division and 56th ( London ) Infantry Division s . Between the Wars . The East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry was one of the first cavalry regiments to be mechanised . It was one of the eight Yeomanry Regiments that chose to reduce to squadron strength to form Armoured Car Companies in the Royal Tank Corps . The 26th ( ER Yorks Yeomanry ) Armoured Car Company Royal Tank Corps was initially equipped with Peerless Armoured Car s later to be followed by a mixture of Crossleys and Rolls Royces . In 1938 , another reorganisation resulted in further change , the Regiment was reconstituted as The East Riding Yeomanry a Divisional Cavalry Regiment ( Mechanised ) equipped with 28 light tanks , 44 carriers and 41 motorcycles , and in 1939 a duplicate 2nd line regiment was raised . 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 . Post war . In 1956 the East Riding Yeomanry was merged with two other yeomanry regiments ( Yorkshire Hussars and the Yorkshire Dragoons ) as the Queen ' s Own Yorkshire Yeomanry , which was formed on 1 April 1967 , as a TAVR III unit with the RHQ and ' A ' Squadron at York , ' B ' Squadron at Doncaster and ' C Squadron at Hull , then on 1 April 1969 , they were reduced to cadre and finally reformed on 1 April 1971 , as ' A ' Squadron The Queen ' s Own Yeomanry .