
ABOUT THE SUSSEX YEOMANRY
About the Sussex Yeomanry and our proud history
The Sussex Yeomanry has a rich history dating back to 1794 when it was formed in response to the threat of invasion from France. The Yeomanry Cavalry was made up of the social elite, with officers coming from the nobility and landed gentry, and troopers being freeholders, tenant farmers, or tradesmen. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, most of the Sussex Yeomanry Troops disbanded, but a few remained to support the magistrates in preserving law and order.
In 1900, volunteers were called upon to fight in the Boer War, and the Yeomanry was reborn. Two contingents from Sussex were dispatched, providing the 69th (Sussex) Company of the Imperial Yeomanry. The Company saw action at Vlakfontein and returned to the UK in 1902, having lost 21 men. This Company would form the nucleus of the Imperial Sussex Yeomanry.
When war was declared against Germany in August 1914, the Sussex Yeomanry became the 1st/1st Sussex Yeomanry and moved to Canterbury for training before deploying to France. A second formation was formed in Brighton to continue recruiting and training volunteers. Despite their destination being France, the Brigade remained in Canterbury until September 1915 when it was ordered to Gallipoli without its horses.
The Regiment spent just 12 weeks in Gallipoli before being evacuated with the rest of the British Empire troops to Egypt. Of the 19 men lost by the Sussex Yeomanry at Gallipoli, as many had died from dysentery as from the Turkish defenders.
After spending 15 months in Egypt, the Sussex Yeomanry was re-rolled into infantry in January 1917, becoming the 16th (Sussex Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. The Battalion fought in several battles, including Gaza, Beersheba, Sheria, Jerusalem, Yebrud, and Tel Azur before being sent to France in May 1918. In France, the Battalion fought in the Somme Offensive of 1918 and suffered heavy casualties.
After returning to the UK in January 1919, the Sussex Yeomanry was disbanded along with other war-time formations. However, when the Territorial Force reformed in 1921, the Sussex Yeomanry reformed as Gunners of the Royal Field Artillery. The Regiment’s war-time exploits earned them numerous Battle Honours and individual awards.
In March 1922, the Sussex Yeomanry merged with the Surrey Yeomanry to form the 98th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. This was not the first time these two Regiments had merged; they had previously merged to form the 8th (Yeomanry) Cyclist Regiment in November 1916 for defence of the east coast near Ipswich.
The last “mounted” camp of the Sussex Yeomanry was at Goodwood near Chichester in 1928, when the regiment became fully mechanized and equipped with two batteries of 18 pounders and two of 4.5inch howitzers. When war was declared in September 1939, the Regiment was split into two regiments: the 98th (Surrey & Sussex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and the 144th (Sussex and Sussex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery. A third Regiment, the 74th (Medium) Regiment, Royal Artillery, was formed in 1940 from a cadre provided by the 144th Regiment.
The 98th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery deployed to Belgium with the GHQ element of the British Expeditionary Force in September 1939. After being evacuated from Dunkirk in June 1940, the remnants of the regiment reformed under Home Forces, Southern Command and deployed along the south coast in anticipation of a German invasion. The Regiment remained on the Isle of Wight until September 1942 when they were ordered to Egypt. Once in Egypt, the Regiment saw action at El Alamein as part of the 10th Armoured Division. In July 1943, the Regiment landed in Sicily as part of Operation Husky and later moved onto the Italian mainland.
The 144th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery remained in the UK until November 1940, when it deployed to Egypt and then to the Sudan. The Regiment saw action at Keren and Amba Alagi, losing only 3 soldiers. In June 1941, the Regiment returned to Egypt and moved westwards into Libya, taking part in several actions including the Siege of Tobruk, Breakout from Tobruk, Sidi Rezegh, and Western Desert. In May 1942, the Regiment was deployed to northern Iraq and then to Basra before returning to Egypt in October 1943. The Regiment was deployed to Lebanon on internal security duties in March 1944 and remained there until it returned to the UK in September 1945.
The 74th (Medium) Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed in January 1940 from a cadre taken from the 144th Regiment. The Regiment trained in Brighton before relocating to Kent and then deploying to Algeria as part of the 1st Army in February 1943. In September 1943, the Regiment deployed to Italy and fought in several battles including San Angelo, Volturno River, Monte Camino, Monte Casino, Lake Trasimero, and Largano. The Regiment was disbanded in Italy in November 1945.
When the Territorial Army reformed in 1947, the Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry went their separate ways. Surrey formed the 298th (Surrey Yeomanry (QMR)) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (V) and Sussex formed the 344 (Sussex Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft and Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (V).
