West Somerset Yeomanry The West Somerset Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army . First raised in 1794 , it participated in the Second Boer War and World War I before being converted to an artillery regiment . It served in World War II ( as two field artillery regiments ) . Post - war it was gradually reduced in strength until the yeomanry lineage of the successor unit was discontinued on 9 November 1988 . History . Under threat of invasion by the French Revolutionary government from 1793 , and with insufficient military forces to repulse such an attack , the British government under William Pitt the Younger decided in 1794 to increase the Militia and to form corps of volunteers for the defence of the country . The mounted arm of the volunteers became known as the " Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry " . The West Somerset Yeomanry was first raised in June 1794 as an independent troop at Bridgwater . Three more troops followed in 1794 before being regimented in 1798 as the West Somersetshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry . Despite the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 , the Yeomanry was retained by the government " for Military Service in aid of the Civil Power " in the absence of organised police forces . The establishment of police forces ( in London in 1829 and in the counties in 1855 ) reduced the need for Yeomanry to be called out . The last occasion was during the food riots in Devon in 1867 when 112 members of the 1st Devonshire Yeomanry Cavalry mustered in Exeter . The unwilliingness of the government to pay for the Yeomanry led to many corps being disbanded in 1827 – 28 . Twenty two corps were authorised to continue officially , and another sixteen were allowed to continue to serve without pay . Serving without pay from 1828 to 1831 , the Regiment was never disbanded . Some time in the 19th Century , the regiment was renamed as the West Somerset Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry with Headquarters at Taunton . On 1 April 1893 , the troops were reorganised in squadrons . Boer War . On 13 December 1899 , the decision was made to allow volunteer forces to serve in the Second Boer War . Due to the string of defeats during Black Week in December 1899 , the British government realized it wa going to need more troops than just the regular army , thus issuing a Royal Warrant on 24 December 1899 . This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry . The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each . In addition to this , many British citizens ( usually mid - upper class ) volunteered to join the new regiment . Although there were strict requirements , many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship / marksmanship , however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport . The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officer s , 10 , 371 men with 20 battalion s and 4 companies , which arrived in South Africa between February and April 1900 . Upon arrival , the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations . < br > The inscription " South Africa " on the Regimental crest commemorates service in the Boer War . The regiment provided troops for the 25th ( West Somerset ) Company , 7th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry , and sailed for the Cape in March 1900 . On 17 April 1901 , the regiment was renamed as the West Somerset Imperial Yeomanry and reorganised in four squadrons and a machine gun section . On 1 April 1908 , the regiment was renamed for the final time as the West Somerset Yeomanry and transferred to the Territorial Force , trained and equipped as hussars . Its organisation was : It was ranked as 33rd ( of 55 ) in the order of precedence of the Yeomanry Regiments in the Army List of 1914 . When the order of precedence was being established , inaccuracies in tracing its history led to a loss of precedence despite apparently serving continuously from 1794 . World War I . 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 West Somerset Yeomanry . At the outbreak of the First World War , the regiment was part of the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade . It mobilised on 4 August 1914 and moved to Winchester . On 15 August it moved with its brigade to the Colchester area . In September 1915 it was at Thorpe - le - Soken where it was dismounted . Gallipoli 1915 . Still with the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade , in September 1915 the regiment left Thorpe - le - Soken for Liverpool . On 24 September it boarded RMS Olympic and sailed the next day . It arrived at Mudros on 1 October and on to Suvla Bay . The regiment landed in Gallipoli on 9 October and was attached to the 11th ( Northern ) Division ( digging trenches ) . In November it was in the firing line , attached to the 2nd Mounted Division and 53rd ( Welsh ) Infantry Division . On 19 December it was evacuated to Imbros . Egypt 1916 - 17 . In December 1915 the regiment landed in Alexandria to help defend Egypt . In February 1916 , 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade was absorbed into the 2nd Dismounted Brigade ( along with elements of the Highland and Lowland Mounted Brigades ) . It served on Suez Canal defences and part of the Western Frontier Force . On 4 January 1917 , the regiment was comverted at Ismaïlia , Egypt to form the 12th ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) Battalion , Somerset Light Infantry and 2nd Dismounted Brigade became 229th Brigade in the 74th ( Yeomanry ) Division . Palestine 1917 - 18 . With the 74th Division , it took part in the invasion of Palestine in 1917 and 1918 . It fought in the Second and Third Battles of Gaza ( including the capture of Beersheba and the Sheria Position ) . At the end of 1917 , it took part in the capture and defence of Jerusalem and in March 1918 in the Battle of Tell ' Asur . On 3 April 1918 , the Division was warned that it would move to France and by 30 April 1918 had completed embarkation at Alexandria . France and Flanders 1918 . On 7 May 1918 , 12th ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) Battalion , Somerset Light Infantry landed at Marseilles , France with 74th ( Yeomanry ) Division . It served in France and Flanders with the division for the rest of the war . From September 1918 , as part of III Corps of Fourth Army , it took part in the Hundred Days Offensive including the Second Battle of the Somme ( Second Battle of Bapaume ) and the Battles of the Hindenburg Line ( Battle of Épehy ) . In October and November 1918 it took part in the Final Advance in Artois and Flanders . By the Armistice it was still with 229th Brigade , 74th ( Yeomanry ) Division , moving from Havinnes to Escalette , east of Tournai . 2 / 1st West Somerset Yeomanry . The 2 / 1st West Somerset Yeomanry was formed at Taunton in 1914 . In January 1915 it joined 2 / 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade at Woodbury . In September 1915 it moved to Essex , taking over the horses of the newly dismounted 1st Line regiment . In May 1916 it went to Norfolk with its brigade ( by now renamed as 2nd Mounted Brigade ) and joined 1st Mounted Division . In July 1916 it became a cylist unit in the 1st Cyclist Brigade of the 1st Cyclist Division in the Beccles , Suffolk area . In November 1916 , the 1st Cyclist Division was broken up and the regiment was amalgamated with the 2 / 1st City of London Yeomanry to form the 5th ( West Somerset and City of London ) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment in the 2nd Cyclist Brigade , in Norfolk . In March 1917 it resumed its identity , still with the 2nd Cyclist Brigade , at Elmham near East Dereham . It remained in Norfolk until May 1918 when it went to Ireland with the 2nd Cyclist Brigade and was stationed at Athlone until the end of the war . 3 / 1st West Somerset Yeomanry . The 3 / 1st West Somerset Yeomanry was formed in 1915 . In the summer it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth . In July 1916 it was dismounted and attached to the 3rd Line Groups of the Wessex Division at Winchester as its 1st Line was serving as infantry . Disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line regiment or to the 4th ( Reserve ) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry at Bournemouth . Between the wars . On 7 February 1920 , the Regiment was reconstituted in the Territorial Army with HQ still at Taunton . Following the experience of the war , it was decided that only the fourteen most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry , with the rest being transferred to other roles . As a result , on 1 June 1920 , the Regiment was transferred to the Royal Artillery to form 1st ( Somerset ) Army Brigade , RFA . In 1921 this became 94th ( Somerset Yeomanry ) Brigade , RFA with just two batteries : 373 ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) Battery at Taunton and 374 ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) Battery at Glastonbury . On 25 January 1922 , the Brigade incorporated two Batteries ( 375 and 376 ) of the Queen ' s Own Dorset Yeomanry to form 94th ( Somerset and Dorset Yeomanry ) Brigade , RFA , soon being renamed as 94th ( Dorset and Somerset Yeomanry ) Brigade , RFA . This was a short - lived marriage , the Somerset Yeomanry batteries being moved to 55th ( Wessex ) Army Field Brigade , RA in July 1929 . They joined two Wiltshire batteries ( 217 and 220 ) based in Swindon . Some time in the 1930s , 374 Battery moved to Shepton Mallet . The final change in title came on 1 November 1938 as artillery brigades became regiments , hence 55th ( Wessex ) Field Regiment , RA . In 1939 , the Territorial Army was " duplicated " - existing units formed a second unit . On 22 July 1939 , 217 and 220 Batteries transferred to the duplicate 112th Field Regiment , RA . 55th Field Regiment was now purely " West Somerset Yeomanry " . World War II . Field regiments were organised in 1938 into two 12 - gun batteries . The experience of the BEF in 1940 showed the problem with this organisation : field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions . This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment . As a result , field regiments were reorganised into three 8 - gun batteries . 55th ( Wessex ) Field Regiment , RA . 55th ( Wessex ) Field Regiment served in the Home Forces for most of the war , taking part in the North West Europe Campaign from June 1944 . At the outbreak of the war , 55th Field Regiment was part of 45th Division . Initially commanding two batteries - 373 ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) from Taunton and 374 ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) from Shepton Mallet - the third battery ( 439 ) was formed in the regiment at Barnsley on 15 November 1940 . In June 1942 , it transferred to the Guards Armoured Division , landing with the division in Normandy on D - Day plus 21 . It fought throughout the North West Europe Campaign with the division until the end of the war . 112th ( Wessex ) Field Regiment , RA . 112th ( Wessex ) Field Regiment served in the Home Forces for most of the war , also moving to North West Europe in June 1944 . At the outbreak of the war , 112th Field Regiment was part of 43rd ( Wessex ) Infantry Division . Initially commanding two batteries - 217 ( Wiltshire ) and 220 ( Wiltshire ) , both from Swindon - the third battery ( 477 ) was formed in the regiment at Sarre on 25 March 1941 . It was authorised to use the " Wessex " designation from 17 February 1942 . It remained in the United Kingdom until June 1944 when it was deployed to France , still with the 43rd ( Wessex ) Infantry Division . It remained with 43rd Division until the end of the war . Post - war . In 1947 , the Regiment was reformed as the 255th ( Wessex ) Medium Regiment , RA with headquarters now in Yeovil . On 1 July 1950 it amalgamed with the 633rd ( Surrey ) Super Heavy Regiment , RA . On 31 Octoeber 1956 it amalgamated with 421st ( Dorset ) Coast Regiment , RA to become 255th ( West Somerset Yeomanry and Dorset Garrison ) Medium Regiment , RA . In May 1961 it was reduced to battery strength in 250th ( Queen ' s Own Dorset and West Somerset Yeomanry ) Medium Regt , RA as it amalgamed with 294th ( Queen ' s Own Dorset Yeomanry ) Field Regiment . In April 1967 , this battery became B Company ( West Somerset Yeomanry ) , The Somerset Yeomanry and Light Infantry ( Territorials ) , an infantry unit . In April 1969 , the company was reduced to cadre at Keynsham . In April 1971 , two companies were reconstituted from the cadre as A ( Somerset Yeomanry Light Infantry ) Company , 6th ( V ) Battalion , The Light Infantry at Bath ( with a detachment at Midsomer Norton ) and B ( Somerset Yeomanry Light Infantry ) Company , 6th ( V ) Battalion , The Light Infantry at Yeovil ( with a detachment at Taunton ) . Finally , on 9 November 1988 , company subtitles were omitted and the yeomanry lineage was discontinued .