Yorkshire Volunteers
Encyclopedia
The Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry
regiment
of the British
Territorial Army. The regiment was raised on 1 April 1967 and disbanded on 25 April 1993.
Following subsequent amalgamations and reorganisations the regiment is represented by the 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment
.
was formed as part of the response to the 1966 Defence Review
. This review mandated a reduction in the size of the Territorial Army (TA). As a result most of the Yorkshire battalions of TA infantry
were merged into a single battalion of the new regiment
.
The battalions merged into the new regiment were:
Regimental headquarters
were established at York
, with companies
based in Sheffield
, Middlesbrough
, York and Halifax
.
In 1969 a fifth company was established in Leeds
with the amalgamation into the regiment of The Leeds Rifles, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire. Following the formation of the Leeds company, the five parent units were reduced to cadre strength and administered by the new regiment.
Two years later the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were raised by the five infantry cadres and the three Yorkshire based TA Royal Artillery
regiments. The Humber Regiment, Royal Artillery became A Company, 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers; the West Riding Regiment, Royal Artillery became A Battery, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers and the Sheffield Artillery Volunteers became B Battery, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers. Battalion headquarters for the newly formed battalions were at York
and Huddersfield
respectively.
On 1 January 1988 a 4th battalion was raised but this was short lived and in 1992 the 3rd and 4th Battalions were merged into the 3rd/4th Battalion with battalion headquarters in Sheffield.
The 1990 defence review, Options for Change
, decided to reintroduce the relationship between the TA battalions and the regular army regiments. Less than a year after the formation of the 3rd/4th Battalion, the entire regiment was broken up and each battalion became a battalion of the three Yorkshire infantry regiments.
1st Battalion became 4th/5th Battalion Green Howards (Yorkshire Volunteers);
2nd Battalion became 3rd Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
(Yorkshire Volunteers);
3rd/4th Battalion became, 3rd Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment
(West Riding)(Yorkshire Volunteers). Each battalion retained the name Yorkshire Volunteers in its title.
The disbandment ceremony took place at Somme Barracks in Catterick
on 25 April 1993 giving The Yorkshire Volunteers an existence of just over 26 years.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Territorial Army. The regiment was raised on 1 April 1967 and disbanded on 25 April 1993.
Following subsequent amalgamations and reorganisations the regiment is represented by the 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
.
History
The regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
was formed as part of the response to the 1966 Defence Review
1966 Defence White Paper
The 1966 Defence White Paper was a major review of the United Kingdom's defence policy brought about by the Labour Party government under the Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The main author was the then Secretary of State for Defence, Denis Healey...
. This review mandated a reduction in the size of the Territorial Army (TA). As a result most of the Yorkshire battalions of TA infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
were merged into a single battalion of the new regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
.
The battalions merged into the new regiment were:
- 3rd Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of YorkshirePrince of Wales's Own Regiment of YorkshireThe Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
- 4th/5th Battalion The Green Howards
- The West RidingWest Riding of YorkshireThe West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
Battalion The Duke of Wellington's RegimentDuke of Wellington's RegimentThe Duke of Wellington's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester. As was the custom in those days... - The Hallamshire BattalionHallamshire BattalionThe Hallamshire Battalion was part of the York and Lancaster Regiment of the British Army .- History :Formed in 1859 as The Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps with its H.Q. at Sheffield . The title Hallamshire came from the ancient lordship of West Riding comprising the parishes of Sheffield and...
The York and Lancaster RegimentYork and Lancaster Regiment-History:It was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*65th Regiment*84th RegimentThe title of the regiment was derived not from the cities of York and Lancaster, or from the counties...
Regimental headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
were established at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, with companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
based in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, York and Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
.
In 1969 a fifth company was established in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
with the amalgamation into the regiment of The Leeds Rifles, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire. Following the formation of the Leeds company, the five parent units were reduced to cadre strength and administered by the new regiment.
Two years later the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were raised by the five infantry cadres and the three Yorkshire based TA Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
regiments. The Humber Regiment, Royal Artillery became A Company, 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers; the West Riding Regiment, Royal Artillery became A Battery, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers and the Sheffield Artillery Volunteers became B Battery, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers. Battalion headquarters for the newly formed battalions were at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
respectively.
On 1 January 1988 a 4th battalion was raised but this was short lived and in 1992 the 3rd and 4th Battalions were merged into the 3rd/4th Battalion with battalion headquarters in Sheffield.
The 1990 defence review, Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
, decided to reintroduce the relationship between the TA battalions and the regular army regiments. Less than a year after the formation of the 3rd/4th Battalion, the entire regiment was broken up and each battalion became a battalion of the three Yorkshire infantry regiments.
1st Battalion became 4th/5th Battalion Green Howards (Yorkshire Volunteers);
2nd Battalion became 3rd Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
(Yorkshire Volunteers);
3rd/4th Battalion became, 3rd Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester. As was the custom in those days...
(West Riding)(Yorkshire Volunteers). Each battalion retained the name Yorkshire Volunteers in its title.
The disbandment ceremony took place at Somme Barracks in Catterick
Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
on 25 April 1993 giving The Yorkshire Volunteers an existence of just over 26 years.