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The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars, 1794 - 1899.
The Worcestershire Yeomanry is a typical county Yeomanry
Regiment in origin. Raised in 1794 at the outbreak of the Napoleonic
Wars, they were a mounted version of the Militia, like the modern
Territorial Army. They were known as 'Yeomanry' because the
Prime Minister, William Pitt, as had called for "bodies of cavalry
…. to consist of gentleman and yeomanry" - meaning farmers and
other country-men of a certain class. They were to be part-time
soldiers, and they were liable only to serve within the British
Isles against French invaders or troublesome internal groups.
The idea was for them to serve as garrisons in both Britain
and Ireland to deter revolts and free up regular troops for
foreign service. |
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Apart
from occasions when invasion seemed likely, and their annual
training camps, the main active service seen by the Yeomanry
was in time of civil unrest. In 1815, the Napoleonic Wars ended
and riot control became the Yeomanry's primary role. The war
had left Britain in a poor condition, and with mass unemployment.
Food riots and protests over workers rights and conditions were
common, and soon demonstrations for political reform began too.
The Yeomanry were needed to help the local magistrates keep
the increasingly unsettled population in order, as they did
in Worcestershire in 1810 and again in 1818. The 1818 riots,
known as the 'Freeman Riots' were on the Pitchcroft, now the
racecourse, where the mob were protesting about news buildings
being put up on the common land. The Yeomanry went to try and
disperse the crowd, but instead were chased and pelted by the
mob until they had to take cover in the yard of the Star Inn,
on Foregate Street. Here they were forced to wait until an infantry
unit came and rescued them. |
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By 1827, though, the Worcestershire's
had not been called upon for so long that the government disbanded
them as an unnecessary expense. In 1830 severe unrest began
to spread through the area, and in 1831 the Yeomanry was raised
again, just in time to suppress the Worcester Riots of 1831
and 1832. Through the 1830's and 1840's they saw a lot of
service against striking workers, usually in Lord Dudley's
mines or factories. Lord Dudley was a fabulously rich local
dignitary (one of the richest men in the world), and also
Colonel of the Yeomanry. He spent a lot of money on equipping
the Regiment, and obviously made them work for their pay!
The Yeomanry were last called out in 1842, against more of
Dudley's striking miners and iron-workers in north Worcestershire.
By then, though, the Yeomanry had made itself another role
in society. It had always been officered and sponsored by
the aristocracy; the 'Yeomen' in the ranks were, to begin
with at least, by definition middle class gentleman farmers,
and the officers were generally from the upper-classes. By
now it was an established part of high society. With Britain
moving into the golden age of the Empire, militarism was fashionable
within society, and the officers with their dashing uniforms
and horsemanship were much in demand. The Yeomanry had become
a part of English country life, as much a part of respectable
Victorian society as cricket matches and tea parties.
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| So they remained for half
a century - a decorative distraction. Their field days and parades
were society events, and although they kept their uniforms and weapons
up-to-date, it was more for reasons of fashion than anything else.
Then, though, came the Boer War. |
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