Yeomanry

Introduction

These web pages look at the men who joined the East Riding Yeomanry (hereafter ERY) in the period from its creation until the Armistice at the end of the First World War. The research developed out of a major exhibition "Cavalry, Camels & Camaraderie: The East Riding Yeomanry in the Great War". This exhibition took place in 2014 at the Treasure House in Beverley, and was part of East Riding of Yorkshire Council's WWI centenary programme.

Alongside this exhibition, a complementary publication "One Hundred Lives: The East Riding Yeomanry in the Great War" was produced, (still available at the Treasure House, priced £5.00). This included short biographies of a selection of 100 individuals who served in the ERY, accompanied by images of each soldier.

The success of the exhibition led to a decision to continue collecting information and images relating to ERY soldiers to be published in time for the centenary of the end of the war in November 2018. These web pages and linked documents are the fruits of that research.

The main elements of the ERY web pages are as follows:

• A brief history of the ERY from its creation until the end of the First World War.
• A database of about 2500 named individuals, including information on where they were born/lived, service histories, civilian professions, marital status, memorials etc. This can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet by visiting the Database page.

Drawing on this database and a host of information sources, the following pages look at various aspects relating to the men of the East Riding Yeomanry in 1902-1918:

• A list of abbreviations used in this project
• The officers
• The Non-commissioned officers (Sergeants, Corporals and such.)
• The other ranks
• The civilian professions of ERY men
• The religious affiliations of ERY recruits
• Casualties
• Medals and awards
• Data on sickness and physical fitness & other reasons for discharge from service
• Mental health and disciplinary issues within the regiment
• Conclusions

There are numerous questions that can be asked of the data, some being easier to answer than others. How were men recruited to the ERY and what patterns can be detected from the data, i.e. how local a regiment was the East Riding Yeomanry? Did recruitment patterns change over time? What can we say about the officers of the regiment - for example; were there many internal promotions from the ranks? And what information do we have on casualties, not only those men killed, but also wounds, mental health issues or long term sickness? Also considered on these pages is the evidence for gallantry medals and other awards to ERY men. And on the other hand, what can we say about less worthy behaviour within the regiment, both military offences and civilian crimes too?

Finally, the database attempts to say something about the personal life of the Yeomen after they left the regiment, where this can be discovered. So data on marriages, burial places, probate and various other topics can be found within the database.

Elsewhere, you will find a number of other linked resources:

Images of individual ERY soldiers. Over 350 individuals have been identified during the research project and you can view many of their portraits on the Humber Museums Partnership Flickr page.

Transcribed diaries / memoirs of ERY soldiers can also be found in the WWI resources section on Museums Online.

We hope that you find this information useful and that it stimulates you to pursue your own research. We would welcome any additional information you might be able to provide.

Choose a chapter below to explore the exhibition in more detail.

A brief history of the East Riding Yeomanry

An overview of the East Riding Yeomanry, where recruitment took place and the main travels of the units.

Image: Anniversary parade, Beverley Westwood. Courtesy of Hedon Museum & the Estate of Mr W.Palmer

Non-commissioned Officers

In the British Army then and now, the Non-Commissioned officers (Corporals, Sergeants and Sergeant Majors) were very much the backbone of any regiment. They were responsible for much of the administration and the day-to-day training. They were the link between the other ranks and the officers of the regiment, thus ensuring (hopefully) discipline and order in the ranks.

Image: Corporal Charles Alvara Lofthouse, 1912, with the C squadron Challenge Cup awarded for shooting. Image from ERYC collection.

Professions and Social Background

In studying the men of the East Riding Yeomanry, much information has been gathered on the jobs that the men did prior to (and occasionally also after) their military service.

Image: Clive and Guy Wilson in hunting dress. Image courtesy of Hedon Museum and the Estate of Mr W. Palmer.

Casualties

A look into the tragic loss of life in the East Riding Yeomanry and the soldiers that were wounded in action.

Grave of Saddler R.B. Throssell. Image in ERYC Museums collection.

Sickness and the unfit

Particularly in wartime, the British Army had a vigorous set of regulations relating to the early discharge of soldiers from their service due to ill health or other physical issues. Read about the illness, soldiers who tried to avoid service through faking sickness, reasons logged for discharge and the mental impact of war.

Image: Ambulance, Egypt, 1917. Image from ERYC Archives Service, album of Robert S. Stephenson.