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Green Howards

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s,[1] was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under various titles until it was amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), all Yorkshire-based regiments in the King's Division, to form the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) on 6 June 2006.

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment; 19th Regiment of Foot)
Green Howards cap badge
Active20 November 1688 – 6 June 2006
Country Kingdom of England (1688–1707)
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800)
 United Kingdom (1801–2006)
Branch British Army
TypeLine infantry
RoleLight infantry
SizeOne battalion
Garrison/HQRichmond Barracks, North Yorkshire
ColorsGreen Facings
MarchQuick – The Bonnie English Rose
Slow – Maria Theresa
AnniversariesAlma (20 September)
Commanders
Last Colonel in ChiefKing Harald V of Norway
Last ColonelField Marshal Peter Inge KG, GCB, PC, DL
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

History edit

Formation to end 18th century edit

 
Soldier of the 19th Regiment, 1742

The regiment was formed during the 1688 Glorious Revolution from independent companies raised in Somerset by Colonel Francis Luttrell, to support William III.[2][3] In 1690, it supplied detachments for Ireland and Jamaica, incurring heavy losses from disease, including Luttrell who was replaced by Thomas Erle. Transferred to Flanders in early 1692 during the Nine Years' War, it was present at the battles of Steenkerque and Landen, as well as the Siege of Namur.[4] after the 1697 Peace of Ryswick, it escaped disbandment by being made part of the Irish garrison, where it remained until the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1702.[5]

In 1703, it was part of an expeditionary force in the West Indies and Newfoundland, losing many men to disease before returning to Ireland in 1704. Back in Flanders in 1710, it took part in the sieges of Douai and Bouchain and when the war ended in 1713, it resumed garrison duties in Ireland. With the exception of the 1719 Vigo expedition, it did not see action again until 1744.[5]

When the War of the Austrian Succession began in 1740, the regiment was based in Edinburgh; by 1744, many of its men were Scots and recruiting officers warned to exclude 'Jacobites and Irish Papists.'[6] The unit was then commanded by Charles Howard and thus known as 'Howard's Regiment'; when it joined the army in Flanders, this clashed with another regiment also commanded by a Howard. To avoid confusion, they were referred to by the colour of their facings, one becoming 'Green Howards' and the other, 'Buff Howards'.[7]

The Green Howards fought at the Battle of Fontenoy in May 1745, with a short period in England during the 1745 Jacobite Rising. It took part in the Battle of Rocoux and the Battle of Lauffeld before the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war, after which it became part of the garrison of Gibraltar.[8] While there, the 1751 army reforms retitled it the 19th Regiment of Foot.[9] It returned to Britain in 1752 and spent most of the next decade on garrison duty in Scotland and Northern England.[10]

During the 1756 to 1763 Seven Years' War, it took part in the capture of Belle Île in April 1761, where it suffered over 200 casualties. The next 20 years were spent on garrison duty in Gibraltar and Scotland, until 1781, when it served in the disastrous southern campaign in the closing stages of the American Revolutionary War.[11] In 1782, all foot regiments without a special designation were given a county title "to cultivate a connection with the County which might at all times be useful towards recruiting"[12] and so the regiment was redesignated the 19th (1st North Riding of Yorkshire) Regiment.[9]

With the end of the American War, the regiment was stationed in Jamaica, a notoriously unhealthy posting where it was common for units to lose 100% of their strength every two years.[13] It remained there until 1791, when it returned to Britain; in 1796, it was posted to India, the also saw action at the Siege of Seringapatam in April 1799 during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.[14]

The Two Howards edit

The regiment was known as the Green Howards from 1744. At that time, regiments were known by the name of their colonel. The 19th regiment's colonel was Hon. Sir Charles Howard. However, at the same time, the 3rd Regiment of Foot had been commanded by its colonel Thomas Howard, since 1737. To tell them apart (since they both would have been known as 'Howard's Regiment of Foot'), the colours of their uniform facings were used to distinguish them. In this way, one became 'Howard's Buffs' (eventually simply The Buffs), while the other became the Green Howards. Although the Green Howards were referred to unofficially as such from then on, it was not until 1921 that the regiment was officially retitled as the Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).[15] Under the Childers Reforms, all non-royal English infantry regiments were to wear white facings from 1881. In 1899, the regiment was able to reverse this decision with the restoration of the grass green facings formerly worn by the 19th Foot.[16]

Kandyan Wars edit

In April 1801 the regiment was deployed to Ceylon for service in the Kandyan Wars.[14] The regiment lost six officers and 172 other ranks in a massacre there in June 1803 and then remained on the island to enforce British rule.[17] The regiment did not return to England until May 1820.[18]

The Victorian era edit

 
1st Battalion Warrant Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers in the Bermuda Garrison, circa 1879-1880

The regiment saw action at the Battle of Alma in September 1854 and at the Siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during the Crimean War and then saw action again during the Indian Rebellion.[19] In 1875, Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales presented new colours to the 1st Battalion at Sheffield, and consented to the regiment bearing her name, thus becoming the 19th (1st Yorkshire North Riding – Princess of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot.[20] The regiment adopted a cap badge consisting of the Princess's cypher "A" combined with the Dannebrog or Danish cross and topped by her coronet. The Princess became Queen Alexandra in 1901, and was the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief from 1914 until her death in 1925.[21]

Childers Reforms edit

The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Richmond Barracks in North Yorkshire from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment.[22] Under the reforms the regiment amalgamated with the militia battalions and rifle volunteers in its designated regimental district and became The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) on 1 July 1881.[23]

The 1st battalion was stationed at Nova Scotia from 1884, moved to the Mediterranean in 1888 where it was stationed at Malta but also saw action in Egypt, then moved to Jersey in 1895 followed by Ireland in 1898. After a brief spell in Gibraltar in 1899, the battalion was posted to South Africa as reinforcement for the Second Boer War, where it was involved in the Relief of Kimberley and the battles of Diamond Hill (June 1900) and Belfast (August 1900). The battalion returned to the United Kingdom in September 1902.[24]

The 2nd battalion was in Ireland from 1881 to 1886, when it returned to garrison back home in England. From early 1890 the battalion was stationed in British India, where it took part in military campaigns on the North-West Frontier.[24] The battalion had various postings, including at Sitapur and Benares until late 1902 when it was posted to Cawnpore.[25]

A 3rd (Militia) Battalion, formed from the 5th West York Militia in 1881 was a reserve battalion. It was embodied in December 1899, and 700 men embarked on the SS Assaye in February 1900 for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War.[26] Many of the officers and men returned home in May 1902 on the SS Sicilia.[27]

The 4th (Militia) Battalion, formed from the North York Rifles in 1881 was also a reserve battalion. It was embodied for service on 5 May 1900, disembodied on 2 July 1901, and re-embodied again for service during Second Boer War in South Africa. 555 officers and men returned to Southampton by the SS Tagus in October 1902, following the end of the war, and was disbanded at the Richmond barracks.[28]

In July 1902, the regiment was redesignated as Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment).[21][29]

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve;[30] the regiment now had one Reserve and two Territorial battalions.[31][9]

First World War edit

Regular Army edit

The 1st Battalion remained in India as part of the 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade in the 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division throughout the war and then took part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919.[32]

The 2nd Battalion landed at Zeebrugge as part of the 21st Brigade in the 7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front.[32] The 2nd Battalion held the Menin crossroads for 16 days during the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914 sustaining heavy casualties.[33]

Territorial Force edit

The 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the York and Durham Brigade in the Northumbrian Division in April 1915 for service on the Western Front.[32] Both battalions saw action at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915.[33]

New Armies edit

The 6th (Service) Battalion landed at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli as part of the 32nd Brigade in the 11th (Northern) Division in August 1915; the battalion was evacuated to Egypt in January 1916 and then moved to France in July 1916 for service on the Western Front.[32]

The 7th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 50th Brigade in the 17th (Northern) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front.[32] The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 69th Brigade in the 23rd Division in August 1915 also for service on the Western Front.[32] The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 69th Brigade in the 23rd Division in August 1915 also for service on the Western Front but moved to Italy in November 1917 and then returned to France in September 1918.[32] The 10th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 62nd Brigade in the 21st Division in September 1915 also for service on the Western Front.[32] The 12th (Service) Battalion, formed as the "Middlesbrough Pals" by the Mayor and Town of Middlesbrough, landed at Le Havre as pioneer battalion to the 40th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front.[32] The 13th (Service) Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 121st Brigade in the 40th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front but, after returning to the United Kingdom in June 1918, moved to Murmansk in November 1918.[32]

Second World War edit

 
Men of D Company of the 1st Battalion, Green Howards occupy a captured German communications trench during the breakout at Anzio, Italy, 22 May 1944.

During the Second World War, the regiment was again increased in size, although not to as large an extent as in the 1914–1918 conflict. In all, twelve battalions saw service:

 
Men of the Green Howards mopping up German resistance near Tracy Bocage, Normandy, France, 4 August 1944. A knocked out half-track is visible on the left.

In 1942, the 12th Battalion was converted to armour as the 161st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, but retained its Green Howards cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps as did all other infantry units converted in the same way.[43] In October 1943 it was then converted again, this time to the reconnaissance role, as 161st (Green Howards) Regiment in the Reconnaissance Corps. It never went into action as a regiment, but provided a replacement squadron to the 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment, which had suffered heavy losses when its transport was sunk on the way to France to fight in the Battle of Normandy.[44]

Post War edit

From 1949 to 1952, the regiment took part in the campaign against Chinese and Malayan Communist Insurgents in Malaya. Over the next 30 years it served in Afghanistan, Suez, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Libya, Belize, Berlin and Northern Ireland.[42] While serving with the SAS, a former officer of the regiment, Gavin Hamilton, was killed in action during the Falklands War in 1982.[45] It also saw action during the First Gulf War in 1991 and during the Bosnian War from 1996 to 1997.[42]

Amalgamation edit

 
Green Howards Memorial, Crépon

In March 2006 at a farewell dinner at Dunster Castle in Somerset, the regiment paid farewell to HM King Harald V, its retiring Colonel-in-chief.[46] Until the regiment's rebadging, the Green Howards was one of five remaining line infantry regiments that had not been amalgamated in their entire history, a claim shared with The Royal Scots, The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, The Royal Welch Fusiliers and The King's Own Scottish Borderers. However, on 6 June 2006 the regiment amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), all Yorkshire-based regiments in the King's Division, to form the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot).[9] The official rebadging took place on 6 June 2006, whilst elements of the regiment were stationed in Bosnia and Kosovo.[42]

A and B (Green Howards) companies of the Tyne-Tees Regiment, based in Scarborough and Middlesbrough respectively, merged with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment and Duke of Wellington's Regiment companies of the East and West Riding Regiment to form the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.[47] Following further mergers, in 2012, the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) was removed from the order of battle.[48]

Traditions edit

Each year, all companies in the battalion took part in a competition, consisting of sports and military skills tests, to win the right to be named 'King Harald's Company', after the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief. The winning company was given a special flag bearing the King's personal cypher, the Company Sergeant Major was presented with a special pace stick, and all members of the company were permitted to wear a special red badge on the arm of their uniform.[49]

Regimental Museum edit

The Green Howards Regimental Museum is located in the old Trinity Church in the centre of the market place in Richmond, North Yorkshire.[50]

Battle honours edit

The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[9]

Victoria Cross recipients edit

Soldiers of the Green Howards awarded the Victoria Cross (VC)

Colonels-in-Chief edit

Colonels edit

Colonels of the regiment included:[9]

Named after Colonel edit

e.g. Luttrell's, Erle's etc.

19th Regiment of Foot (1751) edit

19th (The 1st Yorkshire North Riding) Regiment of Foot - (1782) edit

The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) - (1881) edit

Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) - (1902) edit

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) - (1921) edit

Alliances edit

Present:

Past:

Bond of Friendship:

Unofficial:

Uniforms edit

The precise date on which the regiment adopted the green facings from which it derived its name is uncertain, with yellow known to have been the colour of the lapels in 1709. However the official Cloathing Book of 1742 shows full green facings being worn on the standard red coats of the era. Thereafter the actual shade of the regimental colour changed at various times from yellow-green to a dull green. White facings were worn from 1881 until 1899 when green was restored. The remaining features of the Green Howard's uniform followed the normal British infantry progression from red coat to scarlet tunic to khaki service dress and battle dress.[54]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "No. 28121". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 March 1908. p. 2157.
  2. ^ Cannon, p. 2
  3. ^ Scott, p. 360.
  4. ^ Cannon, pp. 3-5
  5. ^ a b "19th Foot; the Yorkshire Regiment". British Empire. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  6. ^ Powell, Geoffrey (2016). The History of the Green Howards. Pen & Sword. p. 45. ISBN 978-1473857971.
  7. ^ Powell, p.46
  8. ^ Powell, pp.47-48
  9. ^ a b c d e f g . Regiments.Org. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  10. ^ Powell, p.49
  11. ^ Powell, pp.55-56
  12. ^ Royal Warrant dated 31 August 1782
  13. ^ Powell, p.56
  14. ^ a b Cannon, p. 19
  15. ^ Army Order 509/1920, in effect 1 January 1921
  16. ^ Eric Hamilton, Bulletin of the Military History Society, Special Issue No.1, 1968
  17. ^ Cannon, p. 21
  18. ^ Cannon, p. 26
  19. ^ . National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  20. ^ . Friends of the Green Howards. Archived from the original on 8 March 2005. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  21. ^ a b . Green Howards Museum. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  22. ^ . Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) The depot was the 4th Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 19th Regimental District depot thereafter
  23. ^ "No. 24992". The London Gazette. 1 July 1881. pp. 3300–3301.
  24. ^ a b Hart′s Army list, 1903
  25. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence - The Army in India". The Times. No. 36896. London. 11 October 1902. p. 12.
  26. ^ "The War - Embarcation of Troops". The Times. No. 36078. London. 1 March 1900. p. 7.
  27. ^ "The War - Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36753. London. 28 April 1902. p. 8.
  28. ^ "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36871. London. 12 September 1902. p. 5.
  29. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36813. London. 7 July 1902. p. 6.
  30. ^ "Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 31 March 1908. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  31. ^ These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th Battalion at South Parade in Northallerton (since demolished) and the 5th Battalion at North Street in Scarborough (since demolished) (both Territorial Force). The 4th Battalion moved to Thirsk Road in Northallerton in 1911.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baker, Chris. "The Yorkshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. The British Army in the Great War. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  33. ^ a b Beckett, p. 136
  34. ^ Joslen, pp. 253-254
  35. ^ Joslen p. 534
  36. ^ Joslen, p. 334
  37. ^ Joslen pp. 299
  38. ^ "8th (North Riding) Battalion Green Howards". Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  39. ^ Synge, Captain W. A. T. (1952). Story of the Green Howards.
  40. ^ Joslen, p. 85
  41. ^ . Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  42. ^ a b c d . Green Howards Museum. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  43. ^ Forty, p. 51
  44. ^ . Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  45. ^ "Soldiers remember Falklands hero". The Northern Echo. 9 November 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  46. ^ "Green Howards mark end of link". Yorkshire Post. 16 March 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  47. ^ . Yorkshire Volunteers. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  48. ^ "Yorkshire Regiment regimental history". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  49. ^ Powell, p. 265
  50. ^ "Green Howards Regimental Museum". Green Howards. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  51. ^ "No. 35555". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 May 1942. p. 2067.
  52. ^ "No. 52834". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 February 1992. p. 2582.
  53. ^ "No. 27482". The London Gazette. 14 October 1902. p. 6494.
  54. ^ W.Y. Carman, page 49, "Richard Simkin's Uniforms of the British Army", ISBN 0-86350-031-5

Sources edit

  • Beckett, Ian (2003). Discovering English County Regiments. Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0747805069.
  • Cannon, Richard (1848). Historical record of the Nineteenth or First Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1688 and of its subsequent services to 1848. CIHM/ICMH Microfiche series = CIHM/ICMH collection de microfiches; no. 48383. Parker, Furnivall and Parker. ISBN 9780665483837.
  • Forty, George (1998). British Army Handbook 1939–1945. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0753703328.
  • Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
  • Powell, Geoffrey (2015). The History of the Green Howards. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1473857964.
  • Christopher L. Scott, The military effectiveness of the West Country Militia at the time of the Monmouth Rebellion, Cranfield University PhD thesis 2011.

External links edit

  • The Friends of the Green Howards website
  • The Yorkshire Regiment MOD website

green, howards, alexandra, princess, wales, yorkshire, regiment, frequently, known, yorkshire, regiment, until, 1920s, line, infantry, regiment, british, army, king, division, raised, 1688, served, under, various, titles, until, amalgamated, with, prince, wale. The Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s 1 was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in the King s Division Raised in 1688 it served under various titles until it was amalgamated with the Prince of Wales s Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington s Regiment West Riding all Yorkshire based regiments in the King s Division to form the Yorkshire Regiment 14th 15th 19th and 33rd 76th Foot on 6 June 2006 The Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 19th Regiment of Foot Green Howards cap badgeActive20 November 1688 6 June 2006Country Kingdom of England 1688 1707 Kingdom of Great Britain 1707 1800 United Kingdom 1801 2006 Branch British ArmyTypeLine infantryRoleLight infantrySizeOne battalionGarrison HQRichmond Barracks North YorkshireColorsGreen FacingsMarchQuick The Bonnie English Rose Slow Maria TheresaAnniversariesAlma 20 September CommandersLast Colonel in ChiefKing Harald V of NorwayLast ColonelField Marshal Peter Inge KG GCB PC DLInsigniaTactical Recognition Flash Contents 1 History 1 1 Formation to end 18th century 1 2 The Two Howards 1 3 Kandyan Wars 1 4 The Victorian era 1 5 Childers Reforms 1 6 First World War 1 6 1 Regular Army 1 6 2 Territorial Force 1 6 3 New Armies 1 7 Second World War 1 8 Post War 1 9 Amalgamation 2 Traditions 3 Regimental Museum 4 Battle honours 5 Victoria Cross recipients 6 Colonels in Chief 7 Colonels 7 1 Named after Colonel 7 2 19th Regiment of Foot 1751 7 3 19th The 1st Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot 1782 7 4 The Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1881 7 5 Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1902 7 6 The Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1921 8 Alliances 9 Uniforms 10 See also 11 References 12 Sources 13 External linksHistory editFormation to end 18th century edit nbsp Soldier of the 19th Regiment 1742 The regiment was formed during the 1688 Glorious Revolution from independent companies raised in Somerset by Colonel Francis Luttrell to support William III 2 3 In 1690 it supplied detachments for Ireland and Jamaica incurring heavy losses from disease including Luttrell who was replaced by Thomas Erle Transferred to Flanders in early 1692 during the Nine Years War it was present at the battles of Steenkerque and Landen as well as the Siege of Namur 4 after the 1697 Peace of Ryswick it escaped disbandment by being made part of the Irish garrison where it remained until the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1702 5 In 1703 it was part of an expeditionary force in the West Indies and Newfoundland losing many men to disease before returning to Ireland in 1704 Back in Flanders in 1710 it took part in the sieges of Douai and Bouchain and when the war ended in 1713 it resumed garrison duties in Ireland With the exception of the 1719 Vigo expedition it did not see action again until 1744 5 When the War of the Austrian Succession began in 1740 the regiment was based in Edinburgh by 1744 many of its men were Scots and recruiting officers warned to exclude Jacobites and Irish Papists 6 The unit was then commanded by Charles Howard and thus known as Howard s Regiment when it joined the army in Flanders this clashed with another regiment also commanded by a Howard To avoid confusion they were referred to by the colour of their facings one becoming Green Howards and the other Buff Howards 7 The Green Howards fought at the Battle of Fontenoy in May 1745 with a short period in England during the 1745 Jacobite Rising It took part in the Battle of Rocoux and the Battle of Lauffeld before the 1748 Treaty of Aix la Chapelle ended the war after which it became part of the garrison of Gibraltar 8 While there the 1751 army reforms retitled it the 19th Regiment of Foot 9 It returned to Britain in 1752 and spent most of the next decade on garrison duty in Scotland and Northern England 10 During the 1756 to 1763 Seven Years War it took part in the capture of Belle Ile in April 1761 where it suffered over 200 casualties The next 20 years were spent on garrison duty in Gibraltar and Scotland until 1781 when it served in the disastrous southern campaign in the closing stages of the American Revolutionary War 11 In 1782 all foot regiments without a special designation were given a county title to cultivate a connection with the County which might at all times be useful towards recruiting 12 and so the regiment was redesignated the 19th 1st North Riding of Yorkshire Regiment 9 With the end of the American War the regiment was stationed in Jamaica a notoriously unhealthy posting where it was common for units to lose 100 of their strength every two years 13 It remained there until 1791 when it returned to Britain in 1796 it was posted to India the also saw action at the Siege of Seringapatam in April 1799 during the Fourth Anglo Mysore War 14 The Two Howards edit The regiment was known as the Green Howards from 1744 At that time regiments were known by the name of their colonel The 19th regiment s colonel was Hon Sir Charles Howard However at the same time the 3rd Regiment of Foot had been commanded by its colonel Thomas Howard since 1737 To tell them apart since they both would have been known as Howard s Regiment of Foot the colours of their uniform facings were used to distinguish them In this way one became Howard s Buffs eventually simply The Buffs while the other became the Green Howards Although the Green Howards were referred to unofficially as such from then on it was not until 1921 that the regiment was officially retitled as the Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 15 Under the Childers Reforms all non royal English infantry regiments were to wear white facings from 1881 In 1899 the regiment was able to reverse this decision with the restoration of the grass green facings formerly worn by the 19th Foot 16 Kandyan Wars edit In April 1801 the regiment was deployed to Ceylon for service in the Kandyan Wars 14 The regiment lost six officers and 172 other ranks in a massacre there in June 1803 and then remained on the island to enforce British rule 17 The regiment did not return to England until May 1820 18 The Victorian era edit nbsp 1st Battalion Warrant Officers and Non Commissioned Officers in the Bermuda Garrison circa 1879 1880 The regiment saw action at the Battle of Alma in September 1854 and at the Siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during the Crimean War and then saw action again during the Indian Rebellion 19 In 1875 Princess Alexandra Princess of Wales presented new colours to the 1st Battalion at Sheffield and consented to the regiment bearing her name thus becoming the 19th 1st Yorkshire North Riding Princess of Wales s Own Regiment of Foot 20 The regiment adopted a cap badge consisting of the Princess s cypher A combined with the Dannebrog or Danish cross and topped by her coronet The Princess became Queen Alexandra in 1901 and was the regiment s Colonel in Chief from 1914 until her death in 1925 21 Childers Reforms edit The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s which gave it a depot at Richmond Barracks in North Yorkshire from 1873 or by the Childers reforms of 1881 as it already possessed two battalions there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment 22 Under the reforms the regiment amalgamated with the militia battalions and rifle volunteers in its designated regimental district and became The Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment on 1 July 1881 23 The 1st battalion was stationed at Nova Scotia from 1884 moved to the Mediterranean in 1888 where it was stationed at Malta but also saw action in Egypt then moved to Jersey in 1895 followed by Ireland in 1898 After a brief spell in Gibraltar in 1899 the battalion was posted to South Africa as reinforcement for the Second Boer War where it was involved in the Relief of Kimberley and the battles of Diamond Hill June 1900 and Belfast August 1900 The battalion returned to the United Kingdom in September 1902 24 The 2nd battalion was in Ireland from 1881 to 1886 when it returned to garrison back home in England From early 1890 the battalion was stationed in British India where it took part in military campaigns on the North West Frontier 24 The battalion had various postings including at Sitapur and Benares until late 1902 when it was posted to Cawnpore 25 A 3rd Militia Battalion formed from the 5th West York Militia in 1881 was a reserve battalion It was embodied in December 1899 and 700 men embarked on the SS Assaye in February 1900 for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War 26 Many of the officers and men returned home in May 1902 on the SS Sicilia 27 The 4th Militia Battalion formed from the North York Rifles in 1881 was also a reserve battalion It was embodied for service on 5 May 1900 disembodied on 2 July 1901 and re embodied again for service during Second Boer War in South Africa 555 officers and men returned to Southampton by the SS Tagus in October 1902 following the end of the war and was disbanded at the Richmond barracks 28 In July 1902 the regiment was redesignated as Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 21 29 In 1908 the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve 30 the regiment now had one Reserve and two Territorial battalions 31 9 First World War edit Regular Army edit The 1st Battalion remained in India as part of the 2nd Sialkot Cavalry Brigade in the 2nd Rawalpindi Division throughout the war and then took part in the Third Anglo Afghan War in 1919 32 The 2nd Battalion landed at Zeebrugge as part of the 21st Brigade in the 7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front 32 The 2nd Battalion held the Menin crossroads for 16 days during the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914 sustaining heavy casualties 33 Territorial Force edit The 1 4th and 1 5th Battalions landed at Boulogne sur Mer as part of the York and Durham Brigade in the Northumbrian Division in April 1915 for service on the Western Front 32 Both battalions saw action at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915 33 New Armies edit The 6th Service Battalion landed at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli as part of the 32nd Brigade in the 11th Northern Division in August 1915 the battalion was evacuated to Egypt in January 1916 and then moved to France in July 1916 for service on the Western Front 32 The 7th Service Battalion landed at Boulogne sur Mer as part of the 50th Brigade in the 17th Northern Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front 32 The 8th Service Battalion landed at Boulogne sur Mer as part of the 69th Brigade in the 23rd Division in August 1915 also for service on the Western Front 32 The 9th Service Battalion landed at Boulogne sur Mer as part of the 69th Brigade in the 23rd Division in August 1915 also for service on the Western Front but moved to Italy in November 1917 and then returned to France in September 1918 32 The 10th Service Battalion landed at Boulogne sur Mer as part of the 62nd Brigade in the 21st Division in September 1915 also for service on the Western Front 32 The 12th Service Battalion formed as the Middlesbrough Pals by the Mayor and Town of Middlesbrough landed at Le Havre as pioneer battalion to the 40th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front 32 The 13th Service Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 121st Brigade in the 40th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front but after returning to the United Kingdom in June 1918 moved to Murmansk in November 1918 32 Second World War edit nbsp Men of D Company of the 1st Battalion Green Howards occupy a captured German communications trench during the breakout at Anzio Italy 22 May 1944 During the Second World War the regiment was again increased in size although not to as large an extent as in the 1914 1918 conflict In all twelve battalions saw service 1st Battalion with 15th Infantry Brigade of the 5th Infantry Division seeing action in Sicily and Italy 34 2nd Battalion initially stationed in India it fought in Burma as part of the 26th Indian Infantry Division and the 82nd West Africa Division 35 4th and 5th Territorial Army Battalions both serving with the 150th Infantry Brigade of the 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division saw service in France and North Africa where they were captured during the Battle of Gazala 36 6th and 7th Battalions both formed as 2nd Line duplicates of the 4th and 5th when the Territorial Army was doubled in size in 1939 served with 69th Brigade originally with the 23rd Northumbrian Division but later the 50th Division saw service in France North Africa Sicily and North West Europe 37 8th Battalion was formed for home defence 38 Originally raised in August September 1939 in the Middlesbrough area from the Home Guard and those unfit to serve overseas The 8th and 13th were amalgamated in June 1941 in September 1943 it was classed as a Garrison Battalion renamed as the 30th Battalion and went to Italy and French North Africa Algiers and Tunisia It was disbanded after six years service 39 9th Battalion was formed for garrison duty and later converted into the 108th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery serving with the 52nd Lowland Infantry Division from March 1942 40 10th Battalion was formed by the conversion of the 2nd East Riding Yeomanry a war time duplicate of this yeomanry unit in 1940 and subsequently becoming the 12th Yorkshire Parachute Battalion attached to the 5th Parachute Brigade and part of the 6th Airborne Division 41 The 11th 12th and 13th Battalions were all formed in 1940 9 42 nbsp Men of the Green Howards mopping up German resistance near Tracy Bocage Normandy France 4 August 1944 A knocked out half track is visible on the left In 1942 the 12th Battalion was converted to armour as the 161st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps but retained its Green Howards cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps as did all other infantry units converted in the same way 43 In October 1943 it was then converted again this time to the reconnaissance role as 161st Green Howards Regiment in the Reconnaissance Corps It never went into action as a regiment but provided a replacement squadron to the 43rd Wessex Reconnaissance Regiment which had suffered heavy losses when its transport was sunk on the way to France to fight in the Battle of Normandy 44 Post War edit From 1949 to 1952 the regiment took part in the campaign against Chinese and Malayan Communist Insurgents in Malaya Over the next 30 years it served in Afghanistan Suez Cyprus Hong Kong Libya Belize Berlin and Northern Ireland 42 While serving with the SAS a former officer of the regiment Gavin Hamilton was killed in action during the Falklands War in 1982 45 It also saw action during the First Gulf War in 1991 and during the Bosnian War from 1996 to 1997 42 Amalgamation edit nbsp Green Howards Memorial Crepon In March 2006 at a farewell dinner at Dunster Castle in Somerset the regiment paid farewell to HM King Harald V its retiring Colonel in chief 46 Until the regiment s rebadging the Green Howards was one of five remaining line infantry regiments that had not been amalgamated in their entire history a claim shared with The Royal Scots The 22nd Cheshire Regiment The Royal Welch Fusiliers and The King s Own Scottish Borderers However on 6 June 2006 the regiment amalgamated with the Prince of Wales s Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington s Regiment West Riding all Yorkshire based regiments in the King s Division to form the Yorkshire Regiment 14th 15th 19th and 33rd 76th Foot 9 The official rebadging took place on 6 June 2006 whilst elements of the regiment were stationed in Bosnia and Kosovo 42 A and B Green Howards companies of the Tyne Tees Regiment based in Scarborough and Middlesbrough respectively merged with the Prince of Wales s Own Regiment and Duke of Wellington s Regiment companies of the East and West Riding Regiment to form the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment 47 Following further mergers in 2012 the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment Green Howards was removed from the order of battle 48 Traditions editEach year all companies in the battalion took part in a competition consisting of sports and military skills tests to win the right to be named King Harald s Company after the regiment s Colonel in Chief The winning company was given a special flag bearing the King s personal cypher the Company Sergeant Major was presented with a special pace stick and all members of the company were permitted to wear a special red badge on the arm of their uniform 49 Regimental Museum editThe Green Howards Regimental Museum is located in the old Trinity Church in the centre of the market place in Richmond North Yorkshire 50 Battle honours editThe regiment s battle honours were as follows 9 Early Wars Malplaquet Belleisle Alma Inkerman Sevastopol Tirah Relief of Kimberley Paardeberg South Africa 1899 1902 The Great War Ypres 1914 1915 1917 Langemarck 1914 1917 Gheluvelt Neuve Chapelle St Julien Frezenburg Bellewaarde Aubers Ridge Festubert 1915 Loos Somme 1916 1918 Albert 1916 Bazentin Coziers Flers Courcelet Morval Thiepval Le Transloy Ancre Heights Ancre 1916 Arras 1917 1918 Scarpe 1917 1918 Messines 1917 1918 Pilckem Menin Road Polygon Wood Broodseinde Poelcappelle Passchendaele Cambrai 1917 18 St Quentin Hindenburg Line Canal du Nord Beaurevoir Selle Valenciennes Sambre France and Flanders 1914 18 Piave Vittorio Veneto Italy 1917 18 Suvla Landing at Suvla Scimitar Hill Gallipoli 1915 Egypt 1916 Archangel 1918 Afghanistan 1919 The Second War Otta Norway 1940 Defence of Arras Dunkirk 1940 Normandy Landing Tilly sur Seulles St Pierre La Vielle Gheel Nederrijn North West Europe 1940 1944 45 Gazala Defence of Alamein Line El Alamein Mareth Akarit North Africa 1942 43 Landing in Sicily Lentini Sicily 1943 Minturno Anzio Italy 1943 44 Arakan Beaches Burma 1945Victoria Cross recipients editSoldiers of the Green Howards awarded the Victoria Cross VC Sergeant Alfred Atkinson VC 18 February 1900 Corporal William Anderson VC 12 March 1915 Second Lieutenant Ernest Frederick Beal VC 22 March 1918 Second Lieutenant Donald Simpson Bell VC 5 July 1916 Corporal William Clamp VC 9 October 1917 Private Tom Dresser VC 12 May 1917 Private Samuel Evans VC 13 April 1855 Captain David Philip Hirsch VC 9 April 1917 WOII Stanley Elton Hollis VC 6 June 1944 Private John Lyons VC 10 June 1855 Sergeant William McNally VC MM and Bar 27 October 29 October 1918 Lieutenant Colonel Derek Anthony Seagrim VC 20 March 21 March 1943 Major Stewart Walter Loudoun Shand VC 1 July 1916 Private William Short VC 6 August 1916 Lieutenant William Basil Weston VC 3 March 1945 Captain Archie Cecil Thomas White VC MC 27 September 1 October 1916 Colonels in Chief edit1942 1957 King Haakon VII of Norway 51 195 1991 King Olav V of Norway 1992 2006 King Harald V of Norway 52 Colonels editColonels of the regiment included 9 Named after Colonel edit e g Luttrell s Erle s etc 1688 1691 Col Francis Luttrell 1691 1712 Gen Thomas Erle 1712 Brig Gen George Freke 1712 1715 Lt Gen Richard Sutton also Sutton s Foot 1715 1729 Col George Grove 1729 1738 Lt Gen Richard Sutton reappointed 1738 1748 Gen Hon Sir Charles Howard KB 1748 1751 Lt Gen Lord George Beauclerk 19th Regiment of Foot 1751 edit 1751 1768 Lt Gen Lord George Beauclerk 1768 1782 Gen David Graeme 19th The 1st Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot 1782 edit 1782 1797 Gen David Graeme 1797 1810 F M Samuel Hulse 1810 1811 Gen Sir Hew Dalrymple 1st Baronet 1811 1843 Gen Sir Hilgrove Turner GCH 1843 1849 Gen Sir Warren Marmaduke Peacocke KCH 1849 1854 Lt Gen Charles Turner 1854 1861 F M Sir William Rowan GCB 1861 1886 Gen Sir Abraham Josias Cloete KCB KH The Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1881 edit 1886 1896 Gen Sir Robert Onesiphorus Bright GCB 1896 1902 Lt Gen Edward Chippindall CB Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1902 edit 1902 1906 Maj Gen William Spencer Cooper 53 1906 1914 Lt Gen Sir William Edmund Franklyn KCB 1914 1939 Gen Sir Edward Stanislaus Bulfin KCB CVO The Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment 1921 edit 1939 1949 Gen Sir Harold Edmund Franklyn KCB DSO 1949 1959 Maj Gen Alfred Eryk Robinson CB DSO 1959 1965 Brig George Wilfred Eden CBE 1965 1975 Maj Gen Desmond Spencer Gordon CB CBE DSO JP 1975 1982 Brig John Britton Oldfield OBE DL 1982 1994 F M The Rt Hon Peter Anthony Inge The Baron Inge KG GCB 1994 2003 Gen Sir Francis Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC 2003 2006 Brig John Stewart Wadsworth Powell OBEAlliances editPresent nbsp The Queen s York Rangers 1st American Regiment RCAC nbsp The Rocky Mountain Rangers Past nbsp The York Rangers Bond of Friendship HMS Richmond Unofficial nbsp Hans Majestet Kongens GardeUniforms editThe precise date on which the regiment adopted the green facings from which it derived its name is uncertain with yellow known to have been the colour of the lapels in 1709 However the official Cloathing Book of 1742 shows full green facings being worn on the standard red coats of the era Thereafter the actual shade of the regimental colour changed at various times from yellow green to a dull green White facings were worn from 1881 until 1899 when green was restored The remaining features of the Green Howard s uniform followed the normal British infantry progression from red coat to scarlet tunic to khaki service dress and battle dress 54 See also editCategory Green Howards officers Yorkshire Regiment Tyne Tees RegimentReferences edit No 28121 The London Gazette Supplement 20 March 1908 p 2157 Cannon p 2 Scott p 360 Cannon pp 3 5 a b 19th Foot the Yorkshire Regiment British Empire Retrieved 20 April 2019 Powell Geoffrey 2016 The History of the Green Howards Pen amp Sword p 45 ISBN 978 1473857971 Powell p 46 Powell pp 47 48 a b c d e f g The Green Howards Regiments Org Archived from the original on 24 October 2007 Retrieved 28 July 2012 Powell p 49 Powell pp 55 56 Royal Warrant dated 31 August 1782 Powell p 56 a b Cannon p 19 Army Order 509 1920 in effect 1 January 1921 Eric Hamilton Bulletin of the Military History Society Special Issue No 1 1968 Cannon p 21 Cannon p 26 Green Howards Alexandra Princess of Wales s Own Yorkshire Regiment National Army Museum Archived from the original on 30 October 2016 Retrieved 28 October 2016 The Norwegian Link Friends of the Green Howards Archived from the original on 8 March 2005 Retrieved 12 March 2016 a b Evolution of a Name Green Howards Museum Archived from the original on 21 May 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2014 Training Depots 1873 1881 Regiments org Archived from the original on 10 February 2006 Retrieved 16 October 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link The depot was the 4th Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881 and the 19th Regimental District depot thereafter No 24992 The London Gazette 1 July 1881 pp 3300 3301 a b Hart s Army list 1903 Naval amp Military intelligence The Army in India The Times No 36896 London 11 October 1902 p 12 The War Embarcation of Troops The Times No 36078 London 1 March 1900 p 7 The War Troops returning home The Times No 36753 London 28 April 1902 p 8 The Army in South Africa Troops returning home The Times No 36871 London 12 September 1902 p 5 Naval amp Military intelligence The Times No 36813 London 7 July 1902 p 6 Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 Parliamentary Debates Hansard 31 March 1908 Retrieved 20 June 2017 These were the 3rd Battalion Special Reserve with the 4th Battalion at South Parade in Northallerton since demolished and the 5th Battalion at North Street in Scarborough since demolished both Territorial Force The 4th Battalion moved to Thirsk Road in Northallerton in 1911 a b c d e f g h i j Baker Chris The Yorkshire Regiment The Long Long Trail The British Army in the Great War Retrieved 28 July 2012 a b Beckett p 136 Joslen pp 253 254 Joslen p 534 Joslen p 334 Joslen pp 299 8th North Riding Battalion Green Howards Wartime Memories Project Retrieved 5 May 2019 Synge Captain W A T 1952 Story of the Green Howards Joslen p 85 12th Yorkshire Battalion The Parachute Regiment at regiments org by T F Mills Archived from the original on 15 July 2007 Retrieved 22 April 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link a b c d The Green Howards Campaigns and Wars Green Howards Museum Archived from the original on 20 May 2014 Retrieved 28 July 2012 Forty p 51 161st Green Howards Reconnaissance Regiment Archived from the original on 21 May 2014 Retrieved 5 July 2012 Soldiers remember Falklands hero The Northern Echo 9 November 2008 Retrieved 12 March 2016 Green Howards mark end of link Yorkshire Post 16 March 2006 Retrieved 12 March 2016 A short history of the Yorkshire Volunteers Yorkshire Volunteers Archived from the original on 24 July 2013 Retrieved 12 March 2016 Yorkshire Regiment regimental history Ministry of Defence Retrieved 12 March 2016 Powell p 265 Green Howards Regimental Museum Green Howards Retrieved 12 March 2016 No 35555 The London Gazette Supplement 8 May 1942 p 2067 No 52834 The London Gazette Supplement 14 February 1992 p 2582 No 27482 The London Gazette 14 October 1902 p 6494 W Y Carman page 49 Richard Simkin s Uniforms of the British Army ISBN 0 86350 031 5Sources editBeckett Ian 2003 Discovering English County Regiments Shire Publications ISBN 978 0747805069 Cannon Richard 1848 Historical record of the Nineteenth or First Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1688 and of its subsequent services to 1848 CIHM ICMH Microfiche series CIHM ICMH collection de microfiches no 48383 Parker Furnivall and Parker ISBN 9780665483837 Forty George 1998 British Army Handbook 1939 1945 Stroud Sutton Publishing ISBN 978 0753703328 Lt Col H F Joslen Orders of Battle United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War 1939 1945 London HM Stationery Office 1960 London London Stamp Exchange 1990 ISBN 0 948130 03 2 Uckfield Naval amp Military Press 2003 ISBN 1 843424 74 6 Powell Geoffrey 2015 The History of the Green Howards Pen amp Sword Military ISBN 978 1473857964 Christopher L Scott The military effectiveness of the West Country Militia at the time of the Monmouth Rebellion Cranfield University PhD thesis 2011 External links editThe Friends of the Green Howards website The Yorkshire Regiment MOD website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Green Howards amp oldid 1192665752, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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