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9th Cavalry Brigade
Active	1915–1919
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Cavalry
Size	Brigade
Part of	1st Cavalry Division
Engagements	World War I Western Front

The 9th Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Army in World War I. It was formed in France in 1915 and served on the Western Front as part of the 1st Cavalry Division until the end of the war.

First World War

Formation

9th Cavalry Brigade was formed in France on 14 April 1915 with the 15th Hussars and the 19th Hussars. These regular cavalry regiments had been serving on the Western Front since August 1914 as divisional cavalry squadrons assigned to infantry divisions. On the same date, 1/1st Warwickshire Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (TF) (transferred from the 2nd Cavalry Division) and a signal troop joined.

On formation, the brigade was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division to bring it up to a three brigade standard. 1st Cavalry Division also obtained a third Cavalry Field Ambulance (9th, from England on 23 May) and a third Mobile Veterinary Section (39th, from England on 23 August).

On 12 June, 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry joined from the Eastern Mounted Brigade in England to bring the brigade up to the standard three regiment strength. On 28 February 1916, a Machine Gun Squadron was formed from the machine gun sections of the brigade's constituent regiments.

Chronicle

With the 1st Cavalry Division, the brigade took part in most of the major actions where cavalry could be used as a mounted mobile force. At other times it formed a dismounted unit and served in the trenches (as a regiment under the command of the brigadier). Notable amongst these occasions was on 24–25 March 1918 when, in the Battle of Bapaume, the division formed a "Dismounted Division" under Brigadier-General D'Arcy Legard.

In 1915, it took part in the Second Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in 1916. 1917 saw action at the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Cambrai and in 1918 at the First Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Amiens, the Second Battle of the Somme and the battles of the Hindenburg Line. It then took part in the Final Advance in Artois and the Final Advance in Picardy.

By the Armistice, the division was north of Mons, about 9 miles east of Ath on the Fifth Army front. On 16 November 1918, orders were received that the 1st Cavalry Division would lead the advance of the Second Army into Germany. Moving through Namur, the division crossed the frontier on 1 December and on 7 December the brigade reached the Rhine north of Cologne. On 12 December, the brigade crossed the Rhine on the Hohenzollern Bridge and reached its position on the perimeter of the bridgehead the next day.

Units

Commanders

The 9th Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:

See also

• British Army during World War I
• British cavalry during the First World War

Notes

1. 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry left to become a cyclist unit, then to form a machine gun battalion with the 1/1st Essex Yeomanry. The German spring offensive forestalled this plan, and the regiment was remounted and returned to 1st Cavalry Division. From April 1918 it was split up with a squadron joining each regiment in 9th Cavalry Brigade (8th, 15th and 19th Hussars).
2. 8th Hussars joined from 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade of the 5th Cavalry Division after it was broken up. On 11 March it came on the British War Establishment i.e. the 4th squadron was absorbed into the others.
3. ^ Warwickshire Battery, RHA transferred to XV Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery in 29th Division in exchange for Y Battery, RHA.

References

1. James 1978, p. 12
2. ^ Becke 1935, p. 5
3. ^ James 1978, p. 16
4. Baker, Chris. "Cavalry units of the Machine Gun Corps". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
5. Baker, Chris. "1st Cavalry Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
6. Becke 1935, p. 3
7. Becke 1935, p. 6
8. ^ Becke 1935, p. 7
9. Becke 1935, p. 2

Bibliography

• Becke, Major A.F. (1935). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-09-4.
• James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.

External links

• Baker, Chris. "The 1st Cavalry Division in 1914-1918". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
• "1st Cavalry Division on The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918 by PB Chappell". Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
• "15th The King's Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
• "19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
• "Bedfordshire Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
• "8th King's Royal Irish Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 2016-08-13.

• Cavalry brigades of the British Army
• Military units and formations established in 1915
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1919