The 74th (Yeomanry) Division was a Territorial Force infantry division of the British Army that served during the First World War. Formed in Palestine in early 1917 from three dismounted yeomanry brigades, the division fought in the Sinai and Palestine campaign before being transferred to the Western Front in May 1918, where it remained until the end of the war. Its insignia was a broken spur, symbolising the transition of its constituent units from mounted yeomanry to infantry.
Formation and organisation
- Date of formation: 25 February 1917 (official permission granted by the War Office).
- Origin: Re‑organisation of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dismounted Brigades of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force into the 229th, 230th and 231st Infantry Brigades.
- Initial assembly: Began 4 March 1917 at el Arish, Egypt; brigades joined between March and April 1917.
- Structure (May 1917):
- 229th Brigade: Included battalions formed from the Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry, Royal North Devon Yeomanry, West Somerset Yeomanry, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire Yeomanry, and the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, together with a machine‑gun company and trench‑mortar battery.
- 230th Brigade: Comprised battalions derived from the Royal East Kent Yeomanry, West Kent Yeomanry, Norfolk Yeomanry, Suffolk Yeomanry, and Sussex Yeomanry, plus supporting machine‑gun and trench‑mortar units.
- 231st Brigade: Consisted of battalions raised from the Denbighshire Yeomanry, Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry, Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry, and Shropshire and Cheshire Yeomanry, together with machine‑gun and trench‑mortar elements.
- Divisional troops: Included artillery brigades (XLIV, CXVII, CCLXVIII RFA), engineers (Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, Royal Anglesey Field Company), a cavalry squadron (1/2nd County of London Yeomanry), medical units (RAMC field ambulances), a signal company, veterinary section, and a divisional train.
Operational history
Sinai and Palestine (1917–1918)
- Served under XX Corps for the majority of its time in the Middle East.
- Participated, though as a reserve, in the Second Battle of Gaza (April 1917).
- Fought in the Third Battle of Gaza, including the capture of Beersheba (31 October 1917) and the action at Sheria (6 November 1917).
- Took part in the capture and defence of Jerusalem (December 1917) and the Battle of Tell ‘Asur (March 1918).
Transfer to the Western Front
- Ordered to move to France in early April 1918; embarked at Alexandria and arrived in Marseille on 21 April 1918.
- Concentrated near Abbeville in May 1918, where troops received training for gas defence and trench warfare.
- Engaged in the Hundred Days Offensive, including actions at the Battle of Épehy and the Second Battle of Bapaume.
Disbandment
The division was demobilised after the armistice; its headquarters was formally closed on 10 July 1919.
Legacy
The 74th (Yeomanry) Division is noted for being one of the few British divisions formed from dismounted cavalry units and for its distinctive broken‑spur insignia, reflecting the transition from mounted to infantry roles during the war.