3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers 3rd Battalion (West Yorkshire), Yorkshire Volunteers | |
---|---|
Active | 1 April 1971–4 April 1992; 21 years, 3 days |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Light Infantry |
Size | Battalion |
Part of | 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Brigade |
Battalion HQ | Huddersfield |
Nickname(s) | 3 YORKS |
The 3rd Battalion (West Yorkshire), Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry battalion of the only full Territorial Army (TA) regiment in Yorkshire. The battalion was formed along with the 2nd (Yorkshire and Humberside) Battalion of the same regiment in 1971. However, in 1992 following the end of the Cold War, the 3rd and 4th battalions amalgamated, thus ending the official lineage.
In 1967, the former Territorial Army (TA) was subsumed into the much smaller Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, of which a new regiment, the Yorkshire Volunteers (YORKS) was formed. This new regiment would only maintain one battalion until 1971, when many of the cadres formed in 1967 were reformed, and the YORKS regiment was expanded into three battalions. Therefore, on 1 April 1971 the 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers were formed from cadres of the West Yorkshire TA. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
On formation, the new battalion was organised as follows: [1] [2] [4] [5]
In 1975, A (WRA) Company moved to Keighley, while retaining their detachment at Bradford. In 1984, as part of the 1981 Defence White Paper, the 'Home Service Force' was formed, which maintained a company in every TA battalion/regiment by 1992. This new force was tasked with defending important locations and would be made up of mostly retired TA or Regular Army personnel. Therefore, in 1984 H (Home Service Force) Company was formed in Huddersfield. [1] [2] [4] [5]
On 1 January 1988, the 4th Battalion (South Yorkshire), Yorkshire Volunteers was formed, and the 3rd battalion was subsequently reorganised. B (Sheffield Artillery Volunteers) Bty in Rotherham and D (Hallamshire) Company in Barnsley transferred to the new battalion as B (Sheffield Artillery Volunteers) and A (Hallamshire) Companies respectively. A new B (The Leeds Rifles) Company was formed in Leeds by transfer of A Company of the 1st Battalion; a new D (The Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Company was formed in Halifax by transfer of C Company of the 1st Battalion. [1] [2] [4] [12]
By 1989, the battalion was part of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Brigade which was tasked with guarding the North Eastern/Eastern ports if mobilised for war against the Warsaw Pact. On 17 January 1989, the battalion was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion (West Yorkshire), Yorkshire Volunteers. [1] [2] [4]
At this time, the battalion was organised as follows: [1] [2] [4]
In 1992, following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and subsequent end of the Cold War, the Options for Change reform was announced which significantly reduced the size of the British Armed Forces. As part of this reform, the TA was also reduced, with many battalions being disbanded or reduced in size. On 4 April 1992, the battalion amalgamated with the 4th Battalion (South Yorkshire) to form the new 3rd/4th Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers. [1] [2] [4]
As a result of the amalgamation, HQ company was disbanded, with personnel to the new HQ and C Companies of the new battalion; A (West Riding Artillery) and D (Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Companies were amalgamated to form B (The Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Company; and C (The Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Company was transferred to the new battalion un-altered. B (Leeds Rifles) Company was transferred as C (The Leeds Rifles) Company in the 2nd Battalion, while H (Home Service Force) Company was disbanded following the disbandment of the Home Service Force. [1] [2] [4]
Honorary colonels of the battalion included: [2]
In 1971 and 1972, each company maintained their own 'Deputy Honorary Colonels', however this ended in 1972.
Notes
Citations
The 49th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the division fought in the Norwegian Campaign and in North-western Europe. After the Second World War, it was disbanded in 1946, then reformed in 1947. It remained with Northern Command until finally disbanded in 1967.
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.
The East and West Riding Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1999 to 2006. In 2006, it was re-designated as the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.
The Royal Yorkshire Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence review. The regiment's recruitment area covers the ceremonial counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire; areas near Barnsley are recruitment area for the Rifles.
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. After 48 years service, the regiment was amalgamated again, this time with two other Yorkshire regiments. It became the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, with the Green Howards forming the 2nd Battalion and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment forming the 3rd Battalion on 6 June 2006. Following further merges, in 2012, the battalion was redesignated as the new 2nd Battalion (2Yorks).
The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was, on 6 June 2006, amalgamated with the Green Howards and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) to form the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot).
The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th Regiment of Foot and the 84th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in many small conflicts and both World War I and World War II until 1968, when the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the Cameronians.
The West Riding Artillery was formed as a group of volunteer units of the British Army in 1860. Its units later formed the divisional artillery of the West Riding Division of the Territorial Force in World War I and World War II. The West Riding Artillery's lineage is continued in a battery of today's Army Reserve
The Hallamshire Battalion was an infantry battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment, part of the British Army in existence from 1859.
The 146th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force with the 49th Infantry Division. The brigade saw active service during both the First and the Second World Wars, and during the early part of the Cold War. The brigade was active from 1908 until 1967 when it was finally disbanded. The brigade was reformed in 1983, though with a much smaller and insignificant role before finally disbanding again in 1993.
The Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1794 to 1956. It was formed as a volunteer cavalry force in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Its volunteer companies played an active role with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War, but opportunities for mounted action were much more restricted during the First World War and it was temporarily converted into a cycle unit. It remained a cavalry regiment throughout the interwar years, and was the last horsed unit of the British Army to see action, in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign of 1941, finally mechanising the following year. It served as motorised infantry in the North African and Italian campaigns of the Second World War. In 1956, it merged with the Yorkshire Hussars and the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry to form the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry. Its lineage is continued today by A Squadron, the Queen's Own Yeomanry.
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.
In September 1939, the British Army was in process of expanding their anti-aircraft and mobile assets. Among these new changes was the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command which was formed on 1 April 1939, and the 1st Armoured Division formed in 1937. The list below will include the British Army units, colonial units, and those units which were in the process of formation.
The Leeds Rifles was a unit of the 19th century Volunteer Force of the British Army that went on to serve under several different guises in the World Wars of the 20th century. In the First World War, both battalions served as infantry on the Western Front. They were later converted into an anti-aircraft and tank units, and fought in North Africa, Italy, and Burma during the Second World War.
Carlton Barracks is a military installation in Leeds in West Yorkshire, England.
The Huddersfield Rifles was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force first raised in 1859. It later became a battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the Territorial Army, serving as infantry on the Western Front in World War I and as an air defence unit during and after World War II.
The St Paul's Street drill hall is a military installation in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. It is a Grade II listed building.
96th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed in West Yorkshire during the period of international tension leading up to the outbreak of World War II. It defended the West Riding during the early part of the war and then served in the Middle East. The regiment continued in the postwar TA until amalgamated in 1955.
The 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry battalion of Yorkshire's only Territorial Army (TA) regiment, and existed for just around four years before amalgamating with another battalion of the Yorkshire Volunteers.