fwwjournal Posted 12 November , 2015 Share Posted 12 November , 2015 On and off over the years I have been researching my grandfathers service during the First World War. He enlisted with the Cheshire Yeomanry, who later merged with the Shropshire Yeomanry to form the 10th (Shropshire & Cheshire Yeomanry) Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry. He was commissioned in Cairo in 1917 and transferred to the 15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Battalion Suffolk Regiment. I've started posting information on his service in a blog. Initial information covers pre-war activities and mobilisation of the Cheshire Yeomanry. Latest is a letter published in a Chester newspaper that details camp life with the Cheshire Yeomanry in Norfolk in September 1914 while on home defence duties. You can read here: First World War Journal David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 12 November , 2015 Share Posted 12 November , 2015 There is an excellent history of the Cheshire Yeo but I don't have any details of it, saw it yrsa ago & was impressed with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 12 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 12 November , 2015 You're likely referring to Lt Col Sir Richard Verdin's book, "The Cheshire Yeomanry" (1971), of which I have a copy. Thanks for taking the time to mention it. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 3 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 3 March , 2016 One hundred years ago today the Cheshire Yeomanry embarked from Devonport bound for Egypt. They arrived at Alexandria on 14 March 1916 aboard HMT Haverford; one of the troops on board was my grandfather, Thomas Minshall. The regiment served in Egypt and Palestine until May 1918, when they departed for France. I have a growing collection of articles on the Cheshire Yeomanry on my blog. To date these have mostly covered their period of coastal defence duties in Norfolk from September 1914-March 1916. The Contents page lists them. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorke Scarlett Posted 3 March , 2016 Share Posted 3 March , 2016 Thanks for posting. Another Regiment in the 'Broken Spur' Division - with a long service history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loader Posted 4 March , 2016 Share Posted 4 March , 2016 Members of the Cheshire Yeomanry earned the British War Medal, the WW1 Victory Medal & the Territorial Force War Medal for their service. Those who met the qualification for the TFWM earned it. If not qualified for ti they still got the other 2 medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 15 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2016 Cheshire Yeomanry arrived at Alexandria on 14 March 1916. The Regiment remained on board HMT Haverford until 15 March, when it disembarked and entrained in open cattle trucks for Beni Salama. The Regimental War Diary says little on this, simply noting the safe arrival there at 6pm of the 25 officers and 451 men. Lt.-Col. Sir Richard Verdin in his history of The Cheshire Yeomanry adds some further detail on the journey: "After a five hour journey the Cheshire Yeomanry reached the village of Wardan near the Nile from which it made its way to Beni Salama nearly four miles away. There it found no preparations for its reception had been made. The men had to sleep the first night on the ground and eat the food which they were carrying with them, mostly iron rations. When tents were later provided, nine men were allotted to each and they were uncomfortably crowded." There is a little more on their story in this blog post: We have arrived somewhere... David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastSurrey Posted 15 March , 2016 Share Posted 15 March , 2016 I have edited a short memoir, written late in life, by Edward Andrews, who was an O.R. with the Cheshire Yeomanry, before he was commissioned in 1916 in the Cheshire Regiment and badly wounded at Gommecourt 1.7.16. Hopefully this will appear in 'Stand To!' this year. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 25 May , 2016 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2016 In May 1916 Cheshire Yeomanry suffered the loss of their first officer, Lieut. Soames (of Wrexham), plus Lance-Corporal Bolton (of Preston), at Minia, Egypt. The death of each man was related to heart disease and the rigours of the climate. My grandfather took a photograph of Lieut. Soames grave at Minia. Men buried here were later re-buried at Cairo (in 1960) - I wonder what became of the original monuments? The picture and brief biographic information can be found on my FWW blog. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 14 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 14 April , 2017 Thomas Minshall served with Cheshire Yeomanry in Egypt during 1916. April/May that year he was in camp near Minia, some 150 miles south of Cairo. He managed to gain permission to visit the town and wrote some notes on what he saw of the streets and houses, which he sent home to his wife. For some, for a time at least, there was chance to explore a new world. See: The Streets And Houses Of Minia On 1 March 1917 Shropshire Yeomanry arrived from Sherira at Helmieh Camp, Zietoun, near Cairo. The following day Cheshire Yeomanry arrived at the camp from Alamein. Here the regiments amalgamated to form 10th (Shropshire & Cheshire Yeomanry) Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry. On 3 April 1917 Thomas Minshall arrived at Khan Yunis in Palestine. He'd spent a 22.5 hour rail journey in open cattle trucks. His newly formed regiment, the 10th Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry, spent early April 1917 on outpost duty, before a further move to join with the 74th (Yeomanry) Division preceding the Second Battle of Gaza. Blog post: Into Palestine with the 10th Bn. KSLI David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 20 December , 2017 Author Share Posted 20 December , 2017 From September 1914 until March 1916, Cheshire Yeomanry were on coastal defence duties in Norfolk. On the 23rd December 1914 the regiment received intelligence reports of a pending German raid. As a consequence, it stood to in full marching order on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day from an hour before dawn until 9 a.m. Nothing happened. Despite this, and the disappointment of not being allowed leave to get home, they made the most of their Christmas. I recently acquired two postcards of Cheshire Yeomanry in their huts at Langley Park, Norfolk, enjoying Christmas dinner, and also found a newspaper story that reported on them at the time. See: Bunting and Holly David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastSurrey Posted 21 December , 2017 Share Posted 21 December , 2017 On 15/03/2016 at 17:08, EastSurrey said: I have edited a short memoir, written late in life, by Edward Andrews, who was an O.R. with the Cheshire Yeomanry, before he was commissioned in 1916 in the Cheshire Regiment and badly wounded at Gommecourt 1.7.16. Hopefully this will appear in 'Stand To!' this year. Michael The first part including service with the C.Y. , before moving on to brief service with the 1/5th Cheshires at Gommecourt, appeared in the June 2016 issue, with two photos of one C.Y. troop in 1915. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwwjournal Posted 9 December , 2018 Author Share Posted 9 December , 2018 Alfred Redfern Adams was born in 1898, the son of Alfred and Eleanor (nee Ledsham) Adams of Willaston. He enlisted with Cheshire Yeomanry (No. 1297) in October 1914, aged 16. Alfred was the earliest casualty of Cheshire Yeomanry in the First World War. He died at his lodgings in Lowestoft in December 1915. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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