Household Cavalry Composite Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Household Cavalry Composite Regiment was a temporary, wartime-only, cavalry regiment of the British Army
consisting of personnel drawn from the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards
. It was active in 1882 for service in the Anglo-Egyptian War, in 1889-1900 during the Second Boer War
and from August to November, 1914, during the opening months of the Great War
.
When the British Expeditionary Force was mobilised, it had a war establishment of seventeen cavalry regiments - five cavalry brigades of three regiments each, and two regiments which would be broken up to serve as reconnaissance squadrons, one per division. The peacetime establishment in the United Kingdom was nineteen cavalry regiments - sixteen line regiments, and the three regiments of the Household Cavalry
.
The sixteen regular regiments were earmarked for overseas service, whilst the seventeenth regiment was to be provided by a composite regiment formed with a squadron from each of the three Household Cavalry regiments - the 1st Life Guards, the 2nd Life Guards, and the Royal Horse Guards
- and assigned a mobilisation role in 4th Cavalry Brigade
.
The regiment deployed to France with the Expeditionary Force, and saw action through 1914. It was broken up in November, with the squadrons returning to their parent regiments; these had since been deployed to the Continent, landing in October.
From 1916 to 1918, an infantry battalion, the Household Battalion
, was formed from reserve regiments of the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
During World War II
, in 1939, the Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards formed the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment and the Household Cavalry Training Regiment. In 1940, these regiments were reorganised into the 1st and 2nd Household Cavalry Regiments, which were disbanded in 1945 and the personnel returned to their original units.
Cavalry regiments of the British Army
There are currently nine regular cavalry regiments of the British Army, with two tank regiments provided by the Royal Tank Regiment, traditionally classed alongside the cavalry, for a total of eleven regiments. Of these, five serve as armoured regiments, and five as formation reconnaissance...
consisting of personnel drawn from the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
. It was active in 1882 for service in the Anglo-Egyptian War, in 1889-1900 during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and from August to November, 1914, during the opening months of the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
When the British Expeditionary Force was mobilised, it had a war establishment of seventeen cavalry regiments - five cavalry brigades of three regiments each, and two regiments which would be broken up to serve as reconnaissance squadrons, one per division. The peacetime establishment in the United Kingdom was nineteen cavalry regiments - sixteen line regiments, and the three regiments of the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
.
The sixteen regular regiments were earmarked for overseas service, whilst the seventeenth regiment was to be provided by a composite regiment formed with a squadron from each of the three Household Cavalry regiments - the 1st Life Guards, the 2nd Life Guards, and the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
- and assigned a mobilisation role in 4th Cavalry Brigade
4th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 4th Cavalry Brigade was formation of Regiments of the British Army during the First World War, which was formed again in 1939 from Yeomanry Regiments for service during the Second World War...
.
The regiment deployed to France with the Expeditionary Force, and saw action through 1914. It was broken up in November, with the squadrons returning to their parent regiments; these had since been deployed to the Continent, landing in October.
From 1916 to 1918, an infantry battalion, the Household Battalion
Household Battalion
The Household Battalion was an infantry battalion of the British army during the Great War. It was formed in September 1916 from the reserves of the Household Cavalry regiments to help fill the every-increasing demands for infantry on the Western Front...
, was formed from reserve regiments of the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1939, the Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards formed the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment and the Household Cavalry Training Regiment. In 1940, these regiments were reorganised into the 1st and 2nd Household Cavalry Regiments, which were disbanded in 1945 and the personnel returned to their original units.