1st Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)

The 1st Cavalry Division was a regular Division of the British Army during the First World War where it fought on the Western Front. During the Second World War it was a first line formation, formed from Yeomanry Regiments. It fought in the Middle East before being converted to the 10th Armoured Division.

1st Cavalry Division
First World War division insignia
Active	August 1914 – March 1919 31 October 1940 – 1 August 1941
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	British Crown
Branch	British Army
Type	Cavalry
Size	Division Second World War 11,097 men[1] 6,081 horses[1] 1,815 vehicles[1][a]
Part of	Cavalry Corps (First World War)
Engagements	First World War Battle of Mons (1914) Action of Elouges Rearguard Action of Solesmes Battle of Le Cateau Rearguard Affair of Etreux Affair of Nery Rearguard Actions of Villers-Cotterets Battle of the Marne Battle of the Aisne Actions on the Aisne Heights First Battle of Ypres 1914 Second Battle of Ypres 1915 Battle of Flers-Courcelette 1916 Battle of Arras 1917 Battle of Cambrai 1917 First Battle of the Somme 1918 Battle of Amiens 1918 Second Battle of the Somme 1918 Hindenburg Line 1918 Final Advance in Artois Final Advance in Picardy Second World War Anglo-Iraqi War Syria–Lebanon campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby

Napoleonic Wars

During the Peninsular War, Wellington organized his cavalry into The Cavalry Division from June 1809 under Major-General Sir William Payne.^[2] This performed a purely administrative, rather than tactical, role;^[3] the normal tactical headquarters were provided by brigades commanding two, later usually three, regiments.^[4] On 3 June 1810, Payne returned home and his second-in-command, Major-General Stapleton Cotton, took command.^[5] Cotton was to remain in command thereafter^[6] and effectively acted as Wellington's chief of cavalry.^[4]

On 19 June 1811, the cavalry was reorganized as two divisions and The Cavalry Division was redesignated as 1st Cavalry Division with the formation of the 2nd Cavalry Division.^[7] The divisions were once again amalgamated as The Cavalry Division on 21 April 1813 with Cotton (Lieutenant-General from 1 January 1812) still in command.^[8]

Second Boer War

The Cavalry Division was re-raised for service during the Second Boer War.

First World War

Officers of the 5th Dragoon Guards in their camp at Rollancourt, May 1917.

The 1st Cavalry Division was one of the first divisions of the army to move to France in August 1914, they would remain on the Western Front as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) throughout the war. It participated in most of the major actions where cavalry were used as a mounted mobile force, they would also be used as dismounted troops and effectively serve as infantry.^[9]

On 11 November 1918, the day of the armistice with Germany, orders were received that the division would lead the advance of the Second Army of the BEF into Germany, by 6 December, having passed through Namur, the division secured the Rhine bridgehead at Cologne.^[9]

Order of battle in the First World War

1st Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 1st Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

2nd Dragoon Guards

5th Dragoon Guards

11th Hussars

1st Signal Troop, Royal Engineers

1st Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron (from February 1916)^[9]

2nd Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 2nd Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

4th Dragoon Guards

9th Lancers

18th Hussars

2nd Signal Troop, Royal Engineers

2nd Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron (from 28 February 1916)^[9]

9th Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 9th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

9th Cavalry Brigade was formed in France on 14 April 1915 with the 15th Hussars and the 19th Hussars.^[10] These regular cavalry regiments had been serving on the Western Front since August 1914 as divisional cavalry squadrons assigned to infantry divisions.^[11] The brigade remained with 1st Cavalry Division for the rest of the war.^[10]

Unit	From	To
15th (The King's) Hussars	14 April 1915
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars	14 April 1915
1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry	12 June 1915	10 March 1918
	April 1918[b]
8th (The King's Royal Irish) Hussars	10 March 1918[c]
1/1st Warwickshire Battery, RHA (TF)	14 April 1915	21 November 1916[d]
Y Battery, RHA	1 December 1916[d]
9th Signal Troop, Royal Engineers	14 April 1915
9th Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, MGC	28 February 1916[e]

Cavalry Divisional troops

III Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery transferred to 2nd Cavalry Division on formation on 17 September 1914

D Battery, RHA

E Battery, RHA

III RHA Brigade Ammunition Column

VII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

I Battery, RHA attached to 1st Cavalry Brigade from 17 September 1914

L Battery, RHA withdrawn after Action at Néry on 1 September 1914

(Tempy) Z Battery, RHA from 1 to 27 September 1914

H Battery, RHA from 28 September 1914, attached to 2nd Cavalry Brigade

1/1st Warwickshire Battery, RHA (TF) from 14 April 1915 to 21 November 1916, attached to 9th Cavalry Brigade

Y Battery, RHA from 1 December 1916, attached to 9th Cavalry Brigade

VII RHA Brigade Ammunition Column

1st Field Squadron Royal Engineers

1st Signal Squadron, Royal Engineers^[9]

Second World War

Main articles: Anglo-Iraqi War, Syria–Lebanon campaign, and Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

On 31 October 1939, during the Second World War, the 1st Cavalry Division was reformed. It was assigned to Northern Command, and took command of two pre-war First Line Territorial Army cavalry brigades (the 5th and 6th) and the newly formed 4th Cavalry Brigade.^[14] It was the only cavalry division in the British Army during the war.

It departed the United Kingdom in January 1940, transited across France, and arrived in Palestine on 31 January 1940. It served as a garrison force under British Forces, Palestine and Trans-Jordan.^[14]

In May 1941, the Divisional Headquarters and elements of the division (notably the 4th Cavalry Brigade), together with a battalion of infantry from the Essex Regiment (the 1st Battalion), a mechanised regiment from the Arab Legion and supporting artillery was reorganised as Habforce for operations in Iraq including the relief of the base at RAF Habbaniya and the occupation of Baghdad. Following this, in July 1941, Habforce was placed under the command of Australian I Corps and was involved in operations against the Vichy French in Syria, advancing from eastern Iraq near the Trans-Jordan border to capture Palmyra and secure the Haditha - Tripoli oil pipeline.^[15]

On 1 August 1941, the 1st Cavalry Division was converted into the 10th Armoured Division.^[14][f] 10th Armoured Division later fought at the Battles of Alam Halfa and El Alamein. The 10th Armoured Division was disbanded in Egypt on 15 June 1944.^[18]

Order of battle in Second World War

4th Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 4th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

Unit	From	To
Household Cavalry Composite Regiment	13 November 1939	12 January 1941
1st Household Cavalry Regiment[g]	13 January 1941	31 July 1941
North Somerset Yeomanry	15 November 1939	21 March 1941[h]
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry	3 December 1939	2 October 1940[i]
	8 January 1941	31 July 1941
Warwickshire Yeomanry	22 March 1941[j]	31 July 1941

5th Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 5th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

Unit	From	To
Yorkshire Hussars	3 September 1939	22 March 1941[k]
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry	3 September 1939	2 February 1941[l]
Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons	3 September 1939	18 March 1942
North Somerset Yeomanry	20 March 1941[h]	20 March 1942
Cheshire Yeomanry	21 March 1941[m]	7 June 1941
	15 July 1941	21 March 1942
Staffordshire Yeomanry	30 April 1941	4 June 1941[n]

6th Cavalry Brigade

Main article: 6th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)

Unit	From	To
Warwickshire Yeomanry	3 September 1939	21 March 1941[j]
Staffordshire Yeomanry	3 September 1939	28 April 1941[n]
	5 June 1941	31 July 1941
Cheshire Yeomanry	3 September 1939	20 March 1941[m]
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry	3 October 1940[i]	7 January 1941
Royal Scots Greys	1 March 1941[o]	31 July 1941
Yorkshire Hussars	23 March 1941[k]	31 July 1941

Support Units

The division also commanded the following support units:^[14]

104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

106th (Lancashire Hussars) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

107th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

2nd Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

141st Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers

1st Cavalry Divisional Signals (Middlesex Yeomanry), Royal Corps of Signals

550th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, TA^[21]

Commanders

The 1st Cavalry Division had the following commanders during the First World War:^[22]

From	Rank	Name
Mobilization	Major-General	E.H.H. Allenby
12 October 1914	Major-General	H. de B. de Lisle
27 May 1916	Major-General	Hon. C.E. Bingham
24 October 1915	Major-General	R.L. Mullens

The 1st Cavalry Division had the following commanders during the Second World War:^[14]

From	Rank	Name
31 October 1939	Major-General	J.G.W. Clark
27 June 1940	Brigadier	J.J. Kingstone (acting)
1 July 1940	Major-General	J.G.W. Clark
26 February 1941	Brigadier	J.J. Kingstone (acting)
8 May 1941	Major-General	J.G.W. Clark

See also

• United Kingdom portal

• British Cavalry Corps order of battle 1914
• British cavalry during the First World War
• List of British divisions in World War I
• List of British divisions in World War II
• British armoured formations of the Second World War

Notes

1. These figures comprise the war establishment, the on-paper strength, of the division.
2. 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry left to become a cyclist unit, then to form a machine gun battalion with the 1/1st Essex Yeomanry. The German spring offensive forestalled this plan, and the regiment was remounted and returned to 1st Cavalry Division. From April 1918 it was split up with a squadron joining each regiment in 9th Cavalry Brigade (8th, 15th and 19th Hussars).^[12]
3. 8th Hussars joined from 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade of the 5th Cavalry Division after it was broken up. On 11 March it came on the British War Establishment i.e. the 4th squadron was absorbed into the others.^[10]
4. 1/1st Warwickshire Battery, RHA transferred to XV Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery in 29th Division in exchange for Y Battery, RHA.^[10]
5. 9th Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron was formed from the machine gun sections of the brigade's constituent regiments.^[13]
6. 4th Cavalry Brigade was converted into the 9th Armoured Brigade^[16] and 6th Cavalry Brigade into 8th Armoured Brigade^[17]
7. Household Cavalry Composite Regiment was redesignated 1st Household Cavalry Regiment.
8. North Somerset Yeomanry transferred from 4th to 5th Cavalry Brigade.^[16][19]
9. Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry transferred from 4th to 6th Cavalry Brigade, and back again.^[16][17]
10. Warwickshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 4th Cavalry Brigade.^[16][17]
11. Yorkshire Hussars transferred from 5th to 6th Cavalry Brigade.^[17][19]
12. Sherwood Rangers transferred to HQ, Middle East Forces and was later converted into an Armoured Regiment with the 8th Armoured Brigade (former 4th Cavalry Brigade).
13. Cheshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 5th Cavalry Brigade.^[17][19]
14. Staffordshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 5th Cavalry Brigade, and back again.^[17][19]
15. Royal Scots Greys joined from Force Troops, British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan.^[20]