104 (Essex Yeomanry) Regt RHA, when did they become a mechanised regiment?

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Cfn Clive, Mar 27, 2016.

  1. Cfn Clive

    Cfn Clive Junior Member

    Yesterday I was at the Galleywood Heritage Center in Chelmsford. On the walls of one room were some information about local people etc. One of these was a series of photos with captions relating to the 104 (Essex Yeomanry) Regt RHA. The photos mainly came from one chap's collection, sadly I didn't make a note of his name. They ranged from pre-war, showing him in his service dress to the end of the war. He seemed to have been transferred to another unit about 1943 (possibly 147 (Essex Yeomanry) Fld Regt RA as there were photos from the North West Europe campaign. The 104 Regt RHA served in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy.

    What intrigued me were the photos of him with his horse and other photos of mounted troops. The 104 Regt RHA was part of the 1 Cavalry Division and in 1940 went to the Palestine via France. There was one photo of members of the regiment with the Household Cavalry riding through Marseilles where the men were wearing Bush hats, looking as if they were off to fight in the Boer War. There were several photos of him and his mates caring for their horses in Palestine.

    Were the Royal Horse Artillery Regiments that were part of the 1 Cavalry Division still mounted in 1940 and when did they convert to being mechanised? I have always thought the British artillery had said good bye to its horses before WW2.


    The Essex Yeomanry web site has a pre war photo of an 18 pdr with motor vehicles behind it. I have found another reference to the use of horses in Palestine.

    I have not found any reference to horses being taken to Palestine by the other two RHA regiments (106 (Lancashire Hussars) Regt RHA or 107 (Nottinghamshire Hussars) Regt RHA) in the 1 Cavalry Division.
     
  2. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    According to Farndale in Years of Defeat, 104 RHA traveled to Palestine as a mounted unit, part of the 1st Cavalry Division, but soon began to mechanise. I suspect there might be a sad story in the fate of the horses of the Cavalry Division.
     
  3. Cfn Clive

    Cfn Clive Junior Member

    Hi Sheldrake

    Thank you. I hope to revisit the Galleywood Heritage Center and see if they will allow me to copy some of the photos. I will also ask if the chap who supplied the photos is still with us and if he is see if I can contact him.

    Yours

    Clive
     
  4. idler

    idler GeneralList

    The Essex Yeomanry history tells a different tale. In short, the regiment was mechanised from mobilisation, though the bulk of vehicles were impressed civilian types to start with. (This tallies with the gist of Ventham's/Fletcher's Moving the Guns which says that many Yeomanry units were mechanised before the Regulars because of the difficulties of hiring-in horses for camps from rapidly diminishing civilian sources.) It mentions that Quads were not issued until shortly before their departure from Palestine to Egypt.

    Regarding horses:
     
  5. Cfn Clive

    Cfn Clive Junior Member

    In reading the Essex Yeomary Association site again and the above post it appears that the guns had been mechanised but there were elements that were still mounted "the purpose of liaison with the cavalry". This suggest it was the OPs etc. who would be with the cavalry regiments "all officers, signallers and specialists attended riding school".

    It sound like it was a very interesting unit. I still wonder if the other two RHA regiments with the 1st Cavalry Division would have been similarly mixed?
     
  6. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    It's my understanding that 414 bty was detached from 104 Regt RHA and sent to Burma in 1942. If this is correct, does anybody have a more precise date for this movement?

    I'm trying to figure out whether they were still with the unit in the desert in July 1942.
     
  7. DavidW

    DavidW Well-Known Member

    I thought that they were withdrawn from North Africa on 27th January 1942?
     

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