5th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry

[Stephen S]

G'day all,

Following on from an officer I am searching who started his career in the Royal Gloucester Hussars Yeomanry, he was transferred/posted to the 5th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry.

I have looked up this unit in The Army Lists and it has a very high number of officers in it.

What was this unit set up for? and where was it stationed ?

Any help would be great.

regards

Stephen

PS have tried the Long Long Trail - work in progress

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Stephen

At the outbreak of war, fourteen Reserve Cavalry Regiments were formed, each supplying replacement drafts for two regular cavalry regiments. Yeomanry regiments were also affiliated to them, for the same purpose.

At the beginning of 1917 the fourteen were consolidated into six. From the reference to the Royal Gloucs Hussars it is clear that you want the new 5th Regiment, formed at Tidworth from the old 11th and 13th Regiments. It seems to hacve stayed there for the rest of the war, (The old 5th Regt, part of the new 6th Regt, was also at Tidworth, and so was the old 4th Regt in 1916 when RGH were affiliated to them.)

Ron

[Stephen S]

G'day Ron,

Thanks for the fast response.

My fella 2/Lt Southam seems to have started with the RGH and then ended up in the 5th Regt.

Was he then earmarked for a posting to another regiment in the affiliation group do you think ?

How would an officer move from an active regiment to this reserve regiment ?

regards

Stephen

[Patrick ODwyer]

G'day Ron,

Thanks for the fast response.

My fella 2/Lt Southam seems to have started with the RGH and then ended up in the 5th Regt.

Was he then earmarked for a posting to another regiment in the affiliation group do you think ?

How would an officer move from an active regiment to this reserve regiment ?

regards

Stephen

He would be posted to the 5th RR when posted back to the UK or before going out. Some were attached to other units supplied by the 5th but it is more likely he would have moved only to his parent unit as an officer.

[Ron Clifton]

fella 2/Lt Southam seems to have started with the RGH and then ended up in the 5th Regt.

Was he then earmarked for a posting to another regiment in the affiliation group do you think ?

How would an officer move from an active regiment to this reserve regiment ?

Hello Stephen

Like all Yeomanry units, RGH consisted of three separate regiments.

1/1RGH, the pre-War Territorial unit, went to Egypt and then, dismounted, to Gallipoli. After the evacuation of the peninsula they returned to Egypt and resumed their horses. They remained in Egypt and Palestine for the rest of the War.

2/1RGH was formed for home service only. They were converted to cyclists in mid-1916 remaining on home defence duties in East Anglia, crossing to Ireland in 1918.

3/1RGH was formed to supply drafts to the first two. It was based at Tidworth and was absorbed into 5 Res Regt in 1917 - a similar fate befell most of the "3/" Yeomanry regiments.

Is there a medal index card for 2/Lt Southam? If so, he must have been with 1/1RGH at some time, but if not, he would have spent the war in the UK, with either 2/1 or 3/1 RGH.

Ron

[Stephen S]

Patrick,

thanks for the info. I assume these are fit officers moving through this unit or are they invalid ?

regards

Stephen

[Stephen S]

G'day Ron,

2/Lt Southam seems to have spent a few months in early 1918 with the RGH in Palestine and then back to 5th regt.

I eventually found a MIC for him after trying hundreds ( seemed like that at the time ) of combinations of his regiment name until he finally came up !!

Have a good weekend.

regards

Stephen