5th Cavalry Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 5th Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Army . It served in the Napoleonic Wars , notably at the Battle of Waterloo , with the 2nd Cavalry Division during World War I and the 1st Cavalry Division during World War II . Napoleonic Wars . The 5th Cavalry Brigade was formed for the Waterloo Campaign in 1815 and consisted of It was commanded by Major General Sir Hussey Vivian . The 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons was attached to the brigade ( from 7th Cavalry Brigade ) in the absence of the 2nd Hussars , KGL . The brigade took part in the Battle of Waterloo . During the battle , the 7th Hussars suffered 155 casualties ( 56 killed , 99 wounded ) , the 15th Hussars 79 ( 23 killed , 51 wounded , 5 missing ) and the 13th Light Dragoons 108 ( 12 killed , 78 wounded , 18 missing ) . This represented a loss rate of about 27 % . World War I . Mobilization . 5th Cavalry Brigade was a peacetime formation of the British Army , based in Northern and Eastern Commands . At the outbreak of the war , it was headquartered at York and commanded the 2nd Dragoons ( York ) , 12th Lancers ( Norwich ) , 20th Hussars ( Colchester ) and 5th Signal Troop , Royal Engineers ( York ) . Ipswich - based V Brigade , RHA ( G and O Batteries ) was attached . On mobilization , the brigade took on a role independent of The Cavalry Division . It moved to France in August 1914 with its three cavalry regiments and signal troop , and with the addition of J Battery , RHA , 4th Field Troop , Royal Engineers , and 5th Cavalry Brigade Field Ambulance . Early Actions . In its independent role , the brigade took part in the Battle of Mons ( 23 – 24 August ) , Cerizy ( 28 August ) , the Retreat from Mons ( 23 August – 5 September ) and in the Battle of the Marne ( 6 – 9 September ) . On 6 September , it joined 3rd Cavalry Brigade in Gough ' s Command ( under 3rd Cavalry Brigade ' s Br - Gen Hubert Gough ) . As part of Gough ' s Command , it took part in the First Battle of the Aisne ( 12 – 15 September ) . On 13 September , Gough ' s Command was redesignated as 2nd Cavalry Division with the addition of divisional troops ( RHA , RE , etc . ) . It remained with 2nd Cavalry Division on the Western Front until the end of the war . 2nd Cavalry Division . In 1914 , the brigade , with the division , took part in First Battle of Ypres , notably the battle of Gheluvelt ( 29 – 31 October ) . In 1915 , the division was in action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle ( 10 – 12 March 1915 ) and the Second Battle of Ypres notable the Battle of St Julien ( 26 April – 3 May ) and the Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge ( 24 – 25 May ) . On 26 February 1916 , a Machine Gun Squadron was formed from the machine gun sections of the brigade ' s constituent regiments . 1916 saw no notable actions , but in 1917 the division saw action in the Battle of Arras ( First Battle of the Scarpe , 9 – 11 April ) . and the Battle of Cambrai ( the Tank Attack of 20 – 21 November , the Capture of Bourlon Wood of 24 – 28 November and the German Counter - Attack of 30 November – 3 December ) . At other times , the brigade formed a dismounted unit and served in the trenches as a regiment under the command of the brigadier . War of movement . 1918 saw the return of the war of movement and the division took part in the First Battle of the Somme notably the Battle of St Quentin ( 21 – 23 March ) , the Battle of the Lys ( Battle of Hazebrouck of 14 – 15 April ) , the Battle of Amiens ( 8 – 11 August ) and the Second Battle of the Somme ( Battle of Albert of 21 – 23 August and the Second Battle of Bapaume of 31 August – 3 September ) . The division was then split up with the 5th Cavalry Brigade serving with Fourth Army . It took part in the battles of the Hindenburg Line : the battles of St . Quentin Canal ( 29 September – 2 October ) , Beaurevoir Line ( 3 – 5 October ) and Cambrai ( 8 – 9 October ) ; and in the Pursuit to the Selle ( 9 – 12 October ) . Its final action was to take part in the Advance in Picardy ( 17 October – 11 November ) including the Battle of the Sambre ( 4 November ) . Armistice . At the Armistice , the brigade had reached Clairfayts with Fourth Army . On 15 November , the division was re - assembled near Maubeuge and ordered to advance into Germany as an advance screen for Fourth Army and form part of the Occupation Force . The move began on 17 November , Ciney and Rochefort were reached five days later and the 5th Cavalry Brigade crossed the German border south of St . Vith on 1 December . In late December , the division moved to winter quarters south and south - east of Liège . It remained here until 30 January 1919 when it exchanged regiments with 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions then gradually moved back to England . The Division ceased to exist at midnight 31 March / 1 April 1919 . World War II . The 5th Cavalry Brigade was a pre - war First Line Territorial Army cavalry brigade reformed in 1920 . On the outbreak of the war , it was part of Northern Command and commanded the Yorkshire Hussars , the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and the Queen ' s Own Yorkshire Dragoons . It joined the 1st Cavalry Division when it was formed on 31 October 1939 . With the 1st Cavalry Division , the 5th Cavalry Brigade departed the United Kingdom in January 1940 , transited across France , and arrived in Palestine on 29 January 1940 . It served as a garrison force under British Forces , Palestine and Trans - Jordan . On 1 August 1941 , the division was converted to the 10th Armoured Division and the Brigade units were split up . On 23 April 1942 , the headquarters was redesignated as Headquarters Desert ( 5 Cav ) Brigade and performed administrative and Internal Security Duties in Ninth Army . On 2 June it was redesignated as headquarters 8th Division . Units in WWII . Unlike in the First World War , when brigade compositions rarely changed , there was considerable movement of units between the 4th , 5th and 6th Cavalry Brigades in the Second World War . Of the three regiments with the brigade when it was broken up : Commanders . The 5th Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders during World War I : The 5th Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders during World War II :