During the Peninsular War, Wellington organized his cavalry into The Cavalry Division from June 1809 under Major-GeneralSir William Payne.[2] This performed a purely administrative, rather than tactical, role;[3] the normal tactical headquarters were provided by brigades commanding two, later usually three, regiments.[4] On 3 June 1810, Payne returned home and his second-in-command, Major-General Stapleton Cotton, took command.[5] Cotton was to remain in command thereafter[6] and effectively acted as Wellington's chief of cavalry.[4]
On 19 June 1811, the cavalry was reorganized as two divisions and The Cavalry Division was redesignated as 1st Cavalry Division with the formation of the 2nd Cavalry Division.[7] The divisions were once again amalgamated as The Cavalry Division on 21 April 1813 with Cotton (Lieutenant-General from 1 January 1812) still in command.[8]
Second Boer War
The Cavalry Division was re-raised for service during the Second Boer War.
First World War
The 1st Cavalry Division was one of the first Divisions to move to France in 1914, they would remain on the Western Front throughout the war. It participated in most of the major actions where cavalry were used as a mounted mobile force, they would also be used as dismounted troops and effectively serve as infantry.[9]
On 11 November 1918, orders were received that the Division would lead the advance of Second Army into Germany, by 6 December, having passed through Namur, the Division secured the Rhine bridgehead at Cologne.[9]
9th Cavalry Brigade was formed in France on 14 April 1915 with the 15th Hussars and the 19th Hussars.[10] These regular cavalry regiments had been serving on the Western Front since August 1914 as divisional cavalry squadrons assigned to infantry divisions.[11] The brigade remained with 1st Cavalry Division for the rest of the war.[10]
On 31 October 1939, during the Second World War, the 1st Cavalry Division was reformed. It was assigned to Northern Command, and took command of two pre-war First Line Territorial Army cavalry brigades (the 5th and 6th) and the newly formed 4th Cavalry Brigade.[14] It was the only cavalry division in the British Army during the war.
It departed the United Kingdom in January 1940, transited across France, and arrived in Palestine on 31 January 1940. It served as a garrison force under British Forces, Palestine and Trans-Jordan.[14]
In May 1941, the Divisional Headquarters and elements of the division (notably the 4th Cavalry Brigade), together with a battalion of infantry from the Essex Regiment (the 1st Battalion), a mechanised regiment from the Arab Legion and supporting artillery was reorganised as Habforce for operations in Iraq including the relief of the base at RAF Habbaniya and the occupation of Baghdad. Following this, in July 1941, Habforce was placed under the command of Australian I Corps and was involved in operations against the Vichy French in Syria, advancing from eastern Iraq near the Trans-Jordan border to capture Palmyra and secure the Haditha - Tripoli oil pipeline.[15]
^These figures comprise the war establishment, the on-paper strength, of the division.
^1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry left to become a cyclist unit, then to form a machine gun battalion with the 1/1st Essex Yeomanry. The German spring offensive forestalled this plan, and the regiment was remounted and returned to 1st Cavalry Division. From April 1918 it was split up with a squadron joining each regiment in 9th Cavalry Brigade (8th, 15th and 19th Hussars).[12]
^8th Hussars joined from 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade of the 5th Cavalry Division after it was broken up. On 11 March it came on the British War Establishment i.e. the 4th squadron was absorbed into the others.[10]
^ abNorth Somerset Yeomanry transferred from 4th to 5th Cavalry Brigade.[16][19]
^ abRoyal Wiltshire Yeomanry transferred from 4th to 6th Cavalry Brigade, and back again.[16][17]
^ abWarwickshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 4th Cavalry Brigade.[16][17]
^ abYorkshire Hussars transferred from 5th to 6th Cavalry Brigade.[17][19]
^Sherwood Rangers transferred to HQ, Middle East Forces and was later converted into an Armoured Regiment with the 8th Armoured Brigade (former 4th Cavalry Brigade).
^ abCheshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 5th Cavalry Brigade.[17][19]
^ abStaffordshire Yeomanry transferred from 6th to 5th Cavalry Brigade, and back again.[17][19]
^Royal Scots Greys joined from Force Troops, British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan.[20]
Becke, Major A.F. (1935). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN1-871167-09-4.
Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1990). The Napoleonic Source Book. London: Guild Publishing.
United Kingdom
British Army