MavisLandale6 at 07:22, 10 January 2026

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{{For|a similarly numbered formation in existence at the same time|10th Indian Cavalry Brigade}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade 2nd (2nd South Midland) Mounted Brigade 6th Mounted Brigade 10th Cavalry Brigade
|image=
|caption=
|dates=1908–1921
|country={{flagcountry|UKGBI}}
|allegiance=[[British Crown]]
|branch={{army|United Kingdom|23px}} {{army|British India|23px}}
|type=[[Yeomanry]], [[Cavalry]]
|role=
|size=[[Brigade]]
|command_structure=[[2nd Mounted Division]] [[Imperial Mounted Division]] [[Yeomanry Mounted Division]] [[4th Cavalry Division (British Indian Army)|4th Cavalry Division]]
|garrison=[[Oxford]]
|garrison_label=HQ (peacetime)
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=[[First World War]]
*[[Gallipoli 1915]]
*[[Sinai and Palestine Campaign|Egypt and Palestine 1916–18]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|battle_honours_label=
|disbanded=
|flying_hours=
|website=

|commander1=
|commander1_label=
|commander2=
|commander2_label=
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|commander4=
|commander4_label=
|notable_commanders=[[Wilfrith Gerald Key Green]]

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|identification_symbol_3=
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}}
The '''2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade''' (later numbered as the '''6th Mounted Brigade''') was a [[yeomanry]] [[brigade]] of the [[British Army]], formed as part of the [[Territorial Force]] in 1908.

It served dismounted in the [[Gallipoli Campaign]] before being remounted to serve in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] in the [[First World War]].

In April 1918, it was merged with elements of the [[5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade]] to form '''10th Cavalry Brigade'''. It remained in Palestine after the end of the war on occupation duties.

==Formation==
{{2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade}}
Under the terms of the [[Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907]] (7 Edw.7, c.9), the brigade was formed in 1908 as part of the [[Territorial Force]]. It consisted of three [[yeomanry]] regiments, a [[horse artillery]] [[Artillery battery|battery]] and ammunition column, a transport and supply column and a [[field ambulance]].<ref name=Westlake15>{{harvnb|Westlake|1992|p=15}}</ref>

As the name suggests, the units were drawn from the southern part of the [[The Midlands, England|English Midlands]], predominantly [[Berkshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]] and [[Oxfordshire]].<ref name=Conrad>{{cite web|url = https://marksrussianmilitaryhistory.info/BRIT14.html|title = The British Army, 1914|last1 = Conrad|first1 = Mark|year = 1996|accessdate = 21 February 2013}}</ref>

==First World War==
===2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade===
The brigade was embodied on 4 August 1914 upon the outbreak of the [[First World War]]. Initially, it concentrated in [[Berkshire]]<ref name=Rinaldi59>{{harvnb|Rinaldi|2008|p=59}}</ref> and on 5 August 1914 joined the [[1st Mounted Division]]. On 2 September it was transferred to the [[2nd Mounted Division]] and in mid November 1914 it moved with its division to [[Norfolk]] on coastal defence duties.<ref name=Rinaldi36>{{harvnb|Rinaldi|2008|p=36}}</ref>

On 19 September 1914, the [[Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars]] was posted to the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|BEF]], joining the [[4th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Cavalry Brigade]].<ref name=LLT_QOOH>{{cite web|publisher=The Long, Long Trail|accessdate=26 March 2013|last=Baker|first=Chris|title=The Oxfordshire Yeomanry|url=http://www.1914-1918.net/ox.htm}}</ref> The [[Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry]] joined in the same month to replace them.<ref name=LLT_QODY>{{cite web|publisher=The Long, Long Trail|accessdate=26 March 2013|last=Baker|first=Chris|title=The Dorset Yeomanry |url=http://www.1914-1918.net/dorsetyeo.htm}}</ref>

====Egypt====
In April 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division moved to [[Egypt]] arriving at [[Alexandria]] between 19 and 21 April<ref name=WestlakeGal>{{harvnb|Westlake|1996|pp=250,251,255,256}}</ref> and was posted to [[Cairo]] by the middle of May.<ref name=Becke16>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=16}}</ref> In May 1915 the brigade was designated '''2nd (2nd South Midland) Mounted Brigade'''.<ref name=Becke14/>

It was dismounted in August 1915 and took part in the [[Gallipoli Campaign]].<ref name=James35>{{harvnb|James|1978|p=35}}</ref> Each regiment left a [[Squadron (army)|squadron]] [[Headquarters#Military|headquarters]] and two [[troop]]s (about 100 officers and men) in Egypt to look after the horses.<ref name=James34>{{harvnb|James|1978|p=34}}</ref>

====Gallipoli====
The brigade landed at "A" Beach, [[Landing at Suvla Bay|Suvla Bay]] on 18 August and moved into [[Military camp|bivouacs]] at Lala Baba on 20 August. On 21 August it advanced to Chocolate Hill via Salt Lake and Hetman Chair and took part in the attack on Scimitar Hill.<ref name=WestlakeGal/>

Due to losses during the [[Battle of Scimitar Hill]] and [[Wastage (military)|wastage]] during August 1915, the [[2nd Mounted Division]] had to be reorganised. On 4 September 1915, the [[1st Composite Mounted Brigade]] was formed from the [[1st South Midland Mounted Brigade|1st (1st South Midland)]], 2nd (2nd South Midland) and [[Yeomanry Mounted Brigade|5th (Yeomanry) Mounted Brigade]]s.<ref name=Becke17>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=17}}</ref> The brigade formed a battalion sized unit '''2nd South Midland Regiment'''.<ref name=Becke13>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=13}}</ref> The brigade embarked for [[Mudros]] on 31 October and returned to Egypt in December 1915 where it was reformed and remounted.<ref name=Becke17/>

===6th Mounted Brigade===
{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:whitesmoke; color:black; width:25em; max-width: 50%;" cellspacing="5"
| style="text-align: left;" |
'''6th Mounted Brigade''' Organisation, July 1917<ref name=Becke32>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=32}}</ref>
*[[Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry|Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars]]
*[[Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry]]
*[[Berkshire Yeomanry]]
*17th Machine Gun Squadron
*6th Mounted Brigade Signal Troop
*2/South Midland Cavalry [[Field Ambulance]], [[Royal Army Medical Corps|RAMC]]
*4/1st North Midland Mobile Veterinary Section
|}
The brigade left the 2nd Mounted Division on 17 January 1916 and was sent to the Western Frontier of Egypt as an independent formation.<ref name=Becke14>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=14}}</ref> On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence. As a consequence, the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade was redesignated as '''6th Mounted Brigade'''.<ref name=James36>{{harvnb|James|1978|p=36}}</ref>

The brigade served with the [[Western Frontier Force]] from January to October 1916.<ref name=Perry55/> It joined the newly formed [[Imperial Mounted Division]] in January 1917 and took part in the [[First Battle of Gaza|First]] and [[Second Battle of Gaza|Second]] Battles of Gaza.<ref name=Perry56>{{harvnb|Perry|1992|p=56}}</ref> The 17th Machine Gun Squadron was formed on 12 January 1917.<ref name=Perry55>{{harvnb|Perry|1992|p=55}}</ref>

The complete brigade was transferred to the newly formed [[Yeomanry Mounted Division]] on 27 June 1917, joining it at el Maraqeb.<ref name=Becke33>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=33}}</ref> From 31 October it took part in the [[Third Battle of Gaza]], including the [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]] and the Capture of the Sheria Position. It took part in the [[Battle of Mughar Ridge]] on 13 and 14 November and the [[Battle of Nebi Samwil]] from 17 to 24 November. From 27 to 29 November, it withstood the Turkish counter-attacks during the [[Battle of Jerusalem (1917)|Capture of Jerusalem]].<ref name=Becke34>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=34}}</ref>

===10th Cavalry Brigade===
{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:whitesmoke; color:black; width:25em; max-width: 50%;" cellspacing="5"
| style="text-align: left;" |
'''10th Cavalry Brigade''' Organisation, September 1918<ref name=Perry22>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=22}}</ref>
*[[Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry]]
*[[2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)]]
*[[38th King George's Own Central India Horse]]
*17th Machine Gun [[Squadron (army)|Squadron]]
*10th Cavalry Brigade Signal Troop
*10th Combined Cavalry [[Field Ambulance]], [[Royal Army Medical Corps|RAMC]]
*10th Mobile Veterinary Section
|}
In March 1918, the [[1st Indian Cavalry Division]] was broken up in France. The British units (notably [[6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons]], [[17th Lancers]], [[1/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons]] and [[A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery|A]], [[Q Battery, Royal Horse Artillery|Q]] and [[U Battery, Royal Horse Artillery|U Batteries]] [[Royal Horse Artillery|RHA]]) remained in France and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt.<ref name=Perry16>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=16}}</ref>

By an [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]] GHQ Order of 12 April 1918, the mounted troops of the EEF were reorganised when the Indian Army units arrived in [[Theater (warfare)|theatre]]. On 24 April 1918, the Yeomanry Mounted Division was ''indianized''{{efn|British divisions were converted to the [[British Indian Army]] standard whereby brigades only retained one British regiment or battalion and most support units were Indian (artillery excepted).}} and its title was changed to 1st Mounted Division,<ref name=Becke24>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=24}}</ref> the third distinct division to bear this title.{{efn|See [[1st Mounted Division]] and [[3rd Mounted Division]].}}

On 24 April 1918, the 6th Mounted Brigade was merged with elements of the [[5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade]]:<ref name=Becke33/>
*the [[Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry]] remained with the brigade
*the [[Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry|Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars]] and the [[Berkshire Yeomanry]] left the brigade on 4 April and were merged to form C Battalion, [[Machine Gun Corps]]. It was posted to France, arriving on 28 June
*[[2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)]] joined from 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade
*[[38th King George's Own Central India Horse]] joined from 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade
*17th Machine Gun Squadron remained with the brigade
*6th Mounted Brigade Signal Troop remained with the brigade
*on 11 May, 2/South Midland Cavalry Field Ambulance merged with Mhow Cavalry Field Ambulance to form 6th Combined Cavalry Field Ambulance
*on 11 May, 4/1st North Midland Mobile Veterinary Section merged with Mhow Mobile Veterinary Section to form 6th Mobile Veterinary Section
On 22 July 1918, the 1st Mounted Division was renumbered as the [[4th Cavalry Division (British Indian Army)|4th Cavalry Division]] and the brigade as '''10th Cavalry Brigade'''.<ref name=Perry22/> The sub units (Signal Troop, Combined Cavalry Field Ambulance and Mobile Veterinary Section) were renumbered on the same date.<ref name=Becke33/>

The brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division for the rest of the war, taking part in the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]] and the [[Capture of Damascus (1918)|Capture of Damascus]].<ref name=Perry24>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=24}}</ref>

After the [[Armistice of Mudros]], the brigade remained with 4th Cavalry Division in Palestine as part of the occupation forces. However, demobilization began immediately and by May 1919 most of the British units had been repatriated. The division was finally broken up in 1921.<ref name=Perry24/>

==Commanders==
The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade<ref name=Becke1011>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|pp=10,11}}</ref> / 6th Mounted Brigade<ref name=Becke31>{{harvnb|Becke|1936|p=31}}</ref> / 10th Cavalry Brigade<ref name=Perry21>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=21}}</ref> had the following commanders:
{| class="wikitable"
! From !! Rank !! Name
|-
| 1 April 1912 || [[Colonel]] || rowspan=2 | [[Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford|Earl of Longford]] (killed 21 August 1915)
|-
| 5 August 1914 || [[Brigadier-General]]
|-
| 23 August 1915|| Colonel || C.A. Grenfell (acting, sick 26 August 1915)
|-
| 26 August 1915|| [[Lieutenant-Colonel]] || E.T. Troyte-Bullock (acting, until 4 September 1915){{efn|Brigade was absorbed in [[1st Composite Mounted Brigade]] 4 September to 1 December 1915.}}
|-
| 1 December 1915 || Brigadier-General || [[Thomas Andrew Wight-Boycott|T.A. Wight-Boycott]] (died 30 March 1916)
|-
| by April 1916|| Brigadier-General || [[Thomas Brand, 3rd Viscount Hampden|the Viscount Hampden]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eefinww1.weebly.com/oob-april-16.html|title=Order of Battle: April 1916|website=Egyptian Expeditionary Force in WW1|access-date=22 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
| 17 July 1916 || Brigadier-General || [[Thomas Morton Stanhope Pitt|T.M.S. Pitt]]
|-
| 28 September 1917 || Lieutenant-Colonel || A.M. Pirie (acting)
|-
| 1 October 1917 || Lieutenant-Colonel || [[Randolf Baker|Sir R.L. Baker]] (acting)
|-
| 12 October 1917 || Brigadier-General || [[Charles Godwin|C.A.C Godwin]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]], [[British Indian Army|IA]]<ref name=NZMR>{{cite web | url=http://www.nzmr.org/dmc_1917.html | title=Commanders of the Desert Mounted Corps | accessdate=3 January 2016 | publisher=NZMR Association }}</ref>
|-
| 7 November 1917 || Lieutenant-Colonel || Hon. F.H. Cripps (acting)
|-
| 9 November 1917 || Brigadier-General || C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA
|-
| 30 December 1917 || Lieutenant-Colonel || Hon. F.H. Cripps (acting)
|-
| 7 January 1918 || Brigadier-General || C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA
|-
| 31 March 1918 || Lieutenant-Colonel || G.K.M. Mason (acting)
|-
| 22 April 1918 || Brigadier-General || C.A.C. Godwin, DSO, IA
|-
| 17 July 1918 || Brigadier-General || [[Richard Howard-Vyse|R.G.H. Howard-Vyse]]
|-
| 21 September 1918 || Brigadier-General || [[Wilfrith Gerald Key Green|W.G.K. Green]], DSO, IA<ref name=NZMR/>
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom}}
* [[2/2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade]] for the 2nd Line formation
* [[10th Indian Cavalry Brigade]] existed at the same time but was unrelated other than having the same number
* [[British yeomanry during the First World War]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Becke | first = Major A.F.
| year = 1936
| title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)
| publisher = His Majesty's Stationery Office
| location = London
| isbn = 1-871167-12-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = James | first = Brigadier E.A.
| year = 1978
| title = British Regiments 1914–18
| publisher = Samson Books Limited
| location = London
| isbn = 0-906304-03-2
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Perry | first = F.W.
| year = 1992
| title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A. The Divisions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and those in East Africa
| publisher = Ray Westlake Military Books
| location = Newport
| isbn = 1-871167-25-6
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Perry | first = F.W.
| year = 1993
| title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions
| publisher = Ray Westlake Military Books
| location = Newport
| isbn = 1-871167-23-X
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Rinaldi | first = Richard A
| year = 2008
| title = Order of Battle of the British Army 1914
| publisher = Ravi Rikhye
| isbn = 978-0-97760728-0
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Westlake | first = Ray
| year = 1992
| title = British Territorial Units 1914–18
| publisher = Osprey Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-85532-168-7
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Westlake | first = Ray
| year = 1996
| title = British Regiments at Gallipoli
| publisher = Leo Cooper
| location = Barnsley
| isbn = 0-85052-511-X
}}

[[Category:Brigades of India in World War I|CB10]]
[[Category:Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1908]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1921]]

10th Cavalry Brigade British Indian Army - Revision history

MavisLandale6 at 07:22, 10 January 2026