This article will look at the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars also known as the Gloucestershire Yeomanry and will:

• Give you an overview of the Regiment’s service during the First World War.
• Help you to research a soldier who served in the Gloucestershire Yeomanry by looking at what records are available.

The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in the First World War

The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a British yeomanry regiment which served in the Middle East during the First World War.

The Special Memorial to Shoeing Smith Frances Henry Ball who was killed in action on 21 August 1915 and is believed to be buried in the Green Hill Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey. Frances was from Northwick and aged 23 when he was killed in action. I photographed a lot of the headstones of soldiers of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars on Gallipoli and if you’d like any send me an email and if I have them I’ll pass them along.

Researching a Soldier who Served in the Gloucestershire Yeomanry

Start by looking at my generic research guides: Researching Soldiers who Served in the British Army. I have transcribed the Regiment’s wounded for Gallipoli at the bottom of the page. For good context regarding the Regiment, I would recommend combining the war diaries with the regimental history. I have discussed both resources below.

There’s a lot of information in contemporary newspapers which have been digitized and are available to search on FindmyPast. The Gloucester Journal is a good newspaper to search and I’d recommend searching both “Gloucestershire Yeomanry” and “Gloucestershire Hussars”. The Gloucestershire Journal 8 May 1915 contains a complete roll by squadron of soldiers of the Regiment on active service with their regimental number. The roll also contains a list of men with the Base Details, Headquarters, attached and Machine Gun Section without regimental numbers. Clicking on the banner below will take you to FindmyPast which usually has a free trial.

Officers: A service record is the key document to find but not all have survived. If a service record has survived for an officer who left prior to April 1922 it will be kept at the National Archives in London. There are over 80 service records at the National Archives and I have them all as I photographed them for the Gloucestershire Hussars’ Regimental Historical Research Committee. If an officer served past April 1922, then their service record will still be with the Ministry of Defence. The war diaries and regimental histories record officers and a newspaper search will often prove fruitful.

Other ranks: Have a look at my guides to service and medal records, though if a soldier served past January 1921 then their records will still be with the Ministry of Defence. I would recommend searching newspapers and casualty lists and I have transcribed the wounded for Gallipoli at the bottom of the page.

War Diaries of the Gloucestershire Hussars

There are five war diaries, four for the 1/1st Gloucestershire Yeomanry and one for the 2/1st Gloucestershire Yeomanry. The only war diary which can be viewed online is the Regiment’s war diary from Gallipoli which can be viewed on the subscription website Ancestry. The other war diaries can only be viewed at the National Archives.

• Date: 14 August – 31 December 1915
• 1st Composite Mounted Brigade, Gallipoli
• Reference: WO95/4293
• Notes: Unfortunately, not a very detailed war diary considering the events which it covers. British officers are mentioned frequently throughout. This war diary is available to view on Ancestry.

• Date: January – December 1916
• 1/1st South Midland Brigade, Egypt
• Reference: WO 95/4431
• Notes:

• Date: January 1917 – June 1918
• 5th Mounted Brigade
• Reference: WO 95/4565
• Notes:

• Date: 01 July 1918 – 19 August 1919
• 13th Cavalry Brigade
• Reference: WO 95/4518
• Notes: A good war diary with a variety of appendices. There is a list of 31 officers and men who were mobilized with the Regiment in August 1914 and subsequently entered Aleppo on 27 October 1918. Also, a larger nominal roll of men who sailed with the Regiment on 9 April 1915 and who entered Aleppo on 27 October 1918.

2/1st Gloucestershire Hussars

• 2/1st Gloucestershire Yeomanry
• Date: 01 November 1915 – 22 February 1916
• 2/1st South Midland Mounted Brigade, 2nd Mounted Division
• Reference: WO 95/5461
• Notes: A typical 2nd Line war diary which is very poor with few entries.

Further Sources for the Gloucestershire Yeomanry

There was a regimental history produced but it hasn’t been reprinted and is difficult to find: The History of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry, 1898-1922. The Great Cavalry Campaign in Palestine by Frank Fox. If you are interested in learning more about the part played by the Regiment at Gallipoli, I can recommend Suvla: August Offensive by Stephen Chambers.

The Imperial War Museum holds a three and a half page photocopied letter from a survivor of Qatia which was dated 25 April 1916. This document can be viewed at the Imperial War Museum: Anonymous Letter Describing the Action of Qatia, April 1916: Catalogue number: Documents.699.

The Gloucestershire Hussars’ Wounded in the First World War

This list of wounded the Gloucestershire Hussars suffered at Gallipoli was taken from the appendix of The History of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry, 1898-1922.

Officers

Colledge, 2-Lieut. J. T. 21 August 1915. (Temp. Capt Brigade Staff)

Howard, Lieut. A. H. S. Howard. 21 August 1915.

Lloyd-Baker, Capt. M. G. 15 September 1915. Accidental.

Longworth, Capt. T. J. 21 August 1915. Severe.

Playne, Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. 21 August 1915. Severe.

Other Ranks

1944. Pte. Abbey, F. W. 21 August 1915.

2006, Pte. Anstey, R. W. 28 August 1915.

1998, Pte. Armer, J. C. 28 September 1915.

2171, Pte. Barnett, F. E. 28 September 1915.

1659 Pte. Bell, H. R. 21 August 1915.

1873 Pte. Belgin, T. 21 August 1915.

2415 Pte. Bennett, L. J. 21 August 1915.

1485 Pte. Bowen, T. O. T. 21 August 1915.

2494, Pte. Breakwell, J. D. 21 August 1915.

1522, Sergt. Bridgeman, G. C. 28 August 1915. (Accidental)

676, SSM, Butler, A. 3 September 1915.

2046, Pte. Clarke, H. C. 21 August 1915.

1967, Pte. Clarke, L. E. 21 August 1915.

2200, Pte. Chandler, S. 21 August 1915.

1493 L/Sgt. Chapman, F. 21 August 1915.

2058, Pte. Cox, S. H. 25 August 1915.

1723 Trumpeter Craddock, H. C. 21 August 1915.

2233, Pte. Cullimore, H. 21 August 1915.

1566 Sergt. Day, R 21 August 1915.

2243, Pte. Dickenson, E. 7 September 1915

1997, Pte. Edwards, W. J. 21 August 1915.

2416, Cpl. Emery, P. G. 9 September 1915.

2342, Pte. Gent G. D. 21 August 1915.

2010, Pte. Harding, H. L. 21 August 1915.

1973, Pte. Hearle, R. C. 28 August 1915.

2239, Pte. Harding S. J. 21 August 1915.

2406, Pte. Hay, C. F. 21 August 1915.

2251, Pte. Hill. W. 21 August 1915.

1784 L/CPL. Holborrow, K. J. 21 August 1915.

1786, Pte. Houghton, J. W. 21 August 1915.

1790, L/Cpl. Ireland, H. 28 August 1915.

2250, Pte. James, R. F. 21 August 1915.

2077, Pte. Jones, F. G. 29 September 1915.

2360, Pte. Kelly, H. 21 August 1915.

1827 Sergt. Kelly, W. H. 21 August 1915. Severe.

1734, Pte. King, F. T. 3 September 1915.

1465 A/SSM Langford, T. P. 21 August 1915.

930 Sergt. Lewis, H. J. 21 August 1915.

1909 Sergt. Lovell, G. H. 21 August 1915.

2111, Pte. Mearing, G. E. 21 August 1915.

2205 Corp. Merry, H. 21 August 1915.

2139 L/CPL. Mew, H. A. 21 August 1915.

2467, Pte. Morley, A. 21 August 1915.

1725, Pte. Morris, W. H. 14 September 1915. (Severe).

51411, SS. Organ, W. H. 29 August 1915. (Royal Field Artillery).

2330, Pte. Pankhurst, A. W. 21 August 1915.

2181, Pte. Parrott, E. H. 21 August 1915.

2007, Pte. Parsons, H. H. 21 August 1915.

2097, Pte. Pearce, D. C. 21 August 1915.

1744 Cpl. Peglar, J. H. 22 August 1915.

2187, Pte. Phillips, C. 21 August 1915.

1836 L/CPL Ritchings, H. 21 August 1915.

1235 Sergt. Roberts, A. F. 21 August 1915.

1817, L/Cpl. Row, F. R. 10 October 1915.

1966, Pte. Shipton, G. R. 21 August 1915.

1626 Sergt. Smith, F. 21 August 1915.

2264, Pte. Smith, R. C. 2 September 1915.

1735, Cpl. Steel, H. 28 September 1915. (Severe).

1779, Pte. Tanner, C. P. 21 August 1915.

1749 Corp. Taylor W. K. W. 21 August 1915.

2149, Pte. Vines, M. L. 21 August 1915.

2245, Pte. Vines, R. G. 21 August 1915.

1770, Pte. Viveash, H. 14 October 1915.

2450, Pte. Walker, E. 25 August 1915.

2193, Pte. White, H. 22 August 1915.