Cheshire Yeomanry

[ResearchPress]

One forum member started discussion regarding the 157th Company 35th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry and specifically Thomas Clare who served with them. In later military life Thomas was to join Cheshire Yeomanry during the First World War. 

My grandfather, Thomas Minshall, also served with Cheshire Yeomanry during the First World War. He enlisted on 27 August 1914. From September 1914 until February 1916 Cheshire Yeomanry with the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade served on Coastal Defence duties in Norfolk. March 1916 they sailed for Egypt, seeing active service there and Palestine. At the end of 1916 the Shropshire and Cheshire Yeomanry amalgamated to form the 10th (Shropshire & Cheshire Yeomanry) Batt. King's Shropshire Light Infantry. In May 1918 the 10th Bn. KSLI sailed for Europe.  

Thomas Minshall remained with the  10th Bn. KSLI until December 1917 when he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant with the 15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Battalion Suffolk Regiment, also sailing in May 1918 bound for France and Belgium. He survived the war.

I have been researching Thomas' service with the Cheshire Yeomanry and posting information on my blog. The contents page there lists all the articles about the Cheshire Yeomanry. 

The latest short piece, Doubt and Despondency, covers the period of uncertainty and raised expectations in the run up to the Cheshire Yeomanry finally getting their orders (100 years ago this month) that they were to be posted overseas.

Hopefully this will be of interest and also enable discussion of both the Imperial Yeomanry and Cheshire Yeomanry.

David

Edited February 17, 2016 by ResearchPress

[ResearchPress]

One hundred years ago today, 3 March 1916, 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.

David

[ResearchPress]

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

Edited March 15, 2016 by ResearchPress

[FHgdbell08]

Hi David, can you contact me directly on my e-mail
gbell.orchardcottage@btinternet.com and possibly we can arrange a phone conversation about yourYeomanry  reasearch and mine

Graham