Royal East Kent Yeomanry 1908-1914

This post will look at numbering in the Royal East Kent Yeomanry between 1908 and 1914.

When, on 1st April 1908, it became the Royal East Kent Yeomanry, it continued with the numbering series which it had used when it was the Imperial Yeomanry. Men who transferred from the Imperial Yeomanry to the Yeomanry retained their Imperial Yeomanry numbers and the majority of 1908 enlistments were men who had formerly served in the Imperial Yeomanry. For instance, 886 J B Collins has an enlistment date of 6th April 1908 but in fact his number dates to 1905.

By 1914 the regiment formed part of the South Eastern Mounted Brigade and had its headquarters at Canterbury. Its four squadrons were disposed as follows:

A Squadron: Chatham

B Squadron: Faversham
C Squadron: Dover
D Squadron: Ashford

1212 joined on 12th January 1909
1262 joined on 12th February 1910
1366 joined on 20th April 1911
1505 joined on 14th September 1912
1529 joined on 17thJanuary 1913
1672 joined on 9th May 1914
1764 joined on 31st August 1914

In September 1914 the 2/1st Royal East Kent Yeomanry was formed, supplying drafts for the 1/1st Battalion. It was converted into a cyclist unit in 1916 and then back into a yeomanry regiment in 1917.

A 3/1st Battalion was formed in 1915 and this was later disbanded in 1917, men transferring into the 2/4th Buffs. All three yeomanry regiments drew their regimental numbers from the same regimental number series.

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