Middle Floor
First World War
During the First World War 65,000 men joined the regiment.
They came from across the North Riding of Yorkshire – from around the Cleveland Hills, the industrial towns of Teesside and Middlesbrough, the coastal towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Bridlington, the farming centres of Malton, Pickering and Driffield and the many small Dales villages.
They fought on the battlefields of France, Belgium, Turkey, Italy and Russia. By the end of the war 8,967 had died and 24,000 had been wounded.
1914: The army is sent to Belgium to halt the invading Germans
On the 4th August 1914 the German army advanced through neutral Belgium to France.
Their plan was to knock France out of the war before turning to attack Russia. Britain joined with France to declare war on Germany.
The British Expeditionary Force was said to be the best organised, best trained and best equipped British army aver to go to war. It met the full force of the German invasion at Mons and later Ypres. On the 19th October the regiment’s 2nd Battalion was sent to help defend Ypres. For the next sixteen weeks, though short of sleep and food, they fought to stop the Germans taking the city. At the end of the battle the 2nd Battalion was reduced from 1,000 men to less than 300. This huge loss of life was repeated across the British forces. To win the war Britain needed to recruit a massive volunteer army.
1. Uniform worn by Major T Stansfeld DSO
Badges of rank were removed from the forearm to the shoulder in 1915 in an attempt to reduce the high rate of officer casualties from sniper fire. Stansfeld served with the regiment for 32 years and saw action in both the Boer War and First World War
2. German Pickelhaube helmet
This helmet was worn by a soldier in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment opposing the 2nd Battalion at the Menin Crossroads in October 1914. Adolf Hitler received his baptism of fire serving in this battalion.
3. German steel helmet which replaced the Pickelhaube
4. German Pickelhaube helmet plates
5. Railway ticket from Ypres to Vlamertinghe issued 11th August 1914
6. Princess Mary gift box
Presented to Sergeant Percy Swatman, Christmas 1914
7. Officer’s map case
8. Clock hands from the Cloth Hall at Ypres
The Cloth Hall was demolished by shellfire during the First World War and was meticulously reconstructed between 1933 and 1937
1915: More Battalions join the war in Flanders and Gallipoli
After the regular 2nd Battalion suffered the first winter of warfare, the territorial 4th and 5th Battalions arrived in France to take part in the second Battle of Ypres.
On 24th May, the Germans released the largest concentration of poison gas yet experienced and followed it by an assault. The results were devastating and both battalions lost half their fighting men. Meanwhile, the 6th Battalion, the first of the regiment’s volunteer units, landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. The campaign was a disastrous failure.
1. British hand grenade 1915
The long coloured streamer ensured that the device always landed on its nose, which then detonated and exploded the grenade.
2. Officer’s notebook
Used to issue battlefield reports in 1915
3. Company roll book
Captain William W Constantine of the 4th Battalion was carrying this book when hit by a bullet fired by a German sniper. The thickness of the book saved his life.
4. Touring Club of France Medal
It was sold by the club to mark the 75th day of the First World War.
5. Shrapnel from Armentieres, 30th December 1915
6. ‘Crow’s Feet’ or Caltrops
These were used by the British and German troops to quickly disable enemy cavalry horses by piercing their hooves. A piece of ground covered with crow’s feet acted like a modern minefield.
Gallipoli
7. British officer’s roll book
It was used by Lieutenant M Y Simpson during the Gallipoli Campaign. Most of his men are recorded as killed or wounded during the engagement at Lala Baba.
8. Turkish Sniper’s pruning saw
These saws were used for cutting brushwood to conceal the sniper’s position. They were found at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli.
9. Peabody Martini 1915
Breech-loading rifle used by the Turkish army, found at Sulva Bay
10. Turkish Mauser sword Bayonet
For the model 1887 rifle
11. Anti-gas first aid remedy
After the initial German gas attacks in 1915, anti-chlorine gas fluid was issued to British troops in the trenches. After a gas attack, each soldier was told to pour the liquid onto a cloth which was then tied to his face to inhale as an antidote against the effects of the gas.
12. German gas attack alarm rattle
The introduction of gas warfare on the Western Front in 1915 meant that rattles, horns and whistles were soon adopted to warn troops and give them time to put on protective equipment during gas attacks. Rattles could also be used to simulate machine-gun fire.
13. ‘Women of England’ Respirator
These were made in their thousands after the first gas attack in 1915. The pad was soaked in ammonia and tied across the face
14. German gas mask
15. British gas hood
The successor of the ‘Women of England’ respirator. It was worn over the head and tucked inside the coat collar.
16. German Pickelhaube helmet with khaki cover
Worn by a soldier of the Prussian Guard battalions on the Western Front.
17. German Pickelhaube helmet
Found at Ypres, it has a bullet hole in the side
18. German bugle
Found at Montauban by a member of the 2nd Battalion in 1915.
1916: Slaughter on the Somme
By the summer of 1916 more than a million and a half men were in action on the Western Front.
On 1st July 1916, over 100,000 French and British infantrymen, including 10 Green Howard Battalions, scrambled out of their trenches to advance across the chalk downlands of the Somme to assault the German front line. By nightfall over half of them were casualties. The Battle of the Somme continued for 142 days and well over a million men were killed or injured. The Green Howards were awarded four Victoria Crosses, the highest of any regiment during this battle.
1. Trench tea kit
This tea-making kit consisted of a trench fire, tea tablets and water sterilising tablets.
2. Trench pipe
This special pipe was designed to be smoked downwards so that the tobacco glow was invisible to the watching enemy.
3. Ear defenders
Ear plugs were in common use in the trenches to protect the ear drums from the fearful noise of the artillery fire.
4. German aerial darts
5. Trench torch made by Orlux
6. Trench clock with folding leather case
7. Enamel mug
8. German Bugle and drum
Collected as souvenirs after the Battle of the Somme.
9. Sergeant’s service dress with 1908 webbing
10. German stick grenades
11. German 9mm Parabellum Artillery Luger
It has a removable stock and holster.
12. Lee-Enfield short magazine Mark III rifle
Issued on 2nd January 1916.
13. Bugles carried by 2nd Battalion drummers
14. Holster
Owned by 2nd Lieutenant Ernest Frederick Beal VC
1917: The Horrors of Trench Warfare
During 1917 the British planned a massive attack against the German front around Ypres.
On 7th June one million tons of explosives were blown up under the German lines on Messines Ridge. The Green Howards were quick to gain their objective of contributing to the capture of the ridge but the British command failed to push forward swiftly. In the weeks ahead continual bombardments reduced the battlefield to a morass of black mud. By October the Green Howards were holding stretches of a front line which was just mud-filled shell holes. Their determination to hold their positions enabled the Canadians to capture the village of Passchedaele.
1. Webley and Scott Very Flare pistol
Cartridges were shot into the air at night to illuminate the darkness around the British trenches.
2. Rast and Gasser 8mm Austria-Hungary revolver 1898 model
An Austrian machine-gunner’s revolver.
3. Italian Army compass
4. Lance Corporal Christopher Peacock’s tobacco pipe
It is carved with the names of battles and the regimental cap badge.
5. German aerial dart from the Hindenburg Line
6. British respirator mask
The tube below the mask was fitted to a steel canister which contained a chemical filter to purify the gas.
7. German side drum captured by the 2nd Battalion at Arras in 1917
1918: The End of the First World War
By the end of May 1918 the Green Howards had only enough fighting men to form one battalion in France.
In the last months of the war these men found themselves fighting determined German troops who were unwilling to accept defeat. Now joined by the Americans, the allies were eventually able to inflict a series of crushing blows on the Germans.
On the 11th November 1918 Germany signed an armistice – a cease-fire. But for some Green Howards the war was far from over. Two battalions were sent to northern Russian to support the White Russians in their civil war. They remained in Russia until October 1919.
1. Poppy
With a card signed by Field Marshall Earl Haig.
In the last few years of his life Haig worked to support ex-servicemen by setting up the Haig fund, now known as the Poppy Day Appeal, and helping found the British Legion.
2. Tobacco box
Taken from an Austrian POW on Armistice Day 1918.
3. British Army issue pocket watch
It was used by 2nd Battalion HQ to synchronise the timing of the Armistice in 1918.
Second World War
1939-1945: 15,000 men wore the Green Howards cap badge during World War II
They would experience the snows of Norway, the burning heat and bitter cold of the North African desert, fight through Sicily and on into Italy before being launched from the sea onto the D-Day beaches of France.
Elsewhere men fought in the steamy jungles of Burma while others spent difficult years as prisoners of war.
A shared pride in the regiment’s history, comradeship and discipline would unite professional soldiers and new recruits into a fighting force that could summon the extra strength and staying power to turn defeat into victory.
1939: The German Blitzkrieg
Since the rise of Hitler in 1933, the fear of war had haunted Europe.
On the 1st September 1939 Hitler invaded Poland. Two days later the Prime Minister announced that Britain was at war with Germany. After the brief ‘phoney war’ in France, the 1st Battalion was sent to Norway to help fight the German invasion. Well trained but poorly equipped, they slowed the German advance with great determination, but were eventually forced to withdraw.
Meanwhile four territorial battalions fighting as part of the British Expeditionary Force struggled to prevent a German invasion of France. These inexperienced volunteers quickly established a reputation for fearless tenacity. They were among the last troops to withdraw from the Dunkirk beaches and four years later they were specially selected to be among the first to land on D-Day.
The German Blitzkrieg – Norway
1. Tail section of a German 50kg bomb
It was dropped near the position occupied by C Company and later found by Major N A Hallidie in field in 1973.
2. German 7.65 automatic pistol
3. German Signaller’s backpack or tornister
This type of pack was carried by ‘telephone connection troops’. This pack would have contained a battery, reels of cable, a headphone and microphone along with connectors and other tools.
4. ‘The Victor’
Featuring a story about the Green Howards in Norway.
The German Blitzkrieg – Dunkirk
5. German 9mm Schmeisser submachine gun
The MP28 fired single round or an automatic rate of fire of up to 100 rounds per minute.
6. German political officer’s hat
These were made in Berlin in 1940 for the expected ‘victory march’ through London.
7. War Diary
Compiled by Sergeant John Ward covering the retreat to Dunkirk from 1st May 1940 to 31st May 1940.
8. Ornament
Found by G Wright near Dunkirk beach during the evacuation in 1940.
9. Banknote
Given to Sergeant John Ward by a French policeman on the retreat to Dunkirk.
10. British Expeditionary Force Officer’s Identity Card
Issued to Captain J M Whittaker.
11. Pennants
These were flown by Colonel H S Kreyer when Commander of 150th Brigade.
1943: Campaign in North Africa
The territorial battalions saved at Dunkirk were re-equipped and trained for war in the Middle East. They joined the campaign in North Africa to fight the highly mobile German and Italian forces.
The desert war fluctuated along the North African coast for two years until the Allies won a decisive victory at El Alamein. Over the next six months the German Afrika Korps were pursued 1,500 miles westward towards Tunisia. By May 1943 German and Italian forces had been cleared from North Africa. The Green Howards who had survived the desert were re-organised and trained for their next operation – the invasion of Sicily.
12. Italian officer’s marching compass.
13. Afrika Korps cuff band.
14. Italian paratrooper’s sleeve badge
Worn by men of the Folgore Parachute Brigade captured at El Alamein in 1942.
15. Receipt for 15 Italian officers and 850 other ranks taken prisoner by the 6th Battalion.
16. Bren Gun Mark 2 .303 calibre with magazine
Used by British troops during World War Two. The Mk 2 entered service in June 1941 and was designed to simplify and increase wartime production.
17. German soldier’s water bottle
18. Italian Beretta submachine gun
The main feature of this submachine gun was the provision of twin triggers; one for semi-automatic and the other for automatic fire
19. German Walther signal pistol
20. German soldier’s belt
21. Italian officer’s hat
22. German fighter pilot’s helmet
Taken from a pilot who was shot down in the Western Desert.
23. German Luftwaffe – air force – service cap
24. General Nazzarino’s car pennant
Nazzarino was taken prisoner by 6th Battalion at Wadi Akarit, April 1943.
25. German Afrika Korps vehicle sign
This sign was cut from a captured German vehicle by Lance Corporal W D Hawkin in the Tunisian desert in 1943.
26. German car pennant
1943: The Italian Campaign
Three Green Howards battalions joined British and American forces to drive German and Italian troops out of Sicily.
A tough campaign was fought through the mountains of Sicily and on into mainland Italy. By the winter of 1943, the Germans had halted the Allies just south of Rome. Some of the bitterest fighting of the campaign followed around Monte Cassino and at Anzio. Meanwhile, plans for the invasion of north-west Europe were nearing completion.
27. Communion set and stole used by the Reverend Ridley
Ridley was Padre of the 1st Battalion throughout the Italian campaign. The triptych depicting the Virgin Mary was found in the ruins of Monte Cassino, south of Rome.
28. Italian officer’s waist belt
This was picked up in Catania in Sicily by the 7th Battalion in August 1943
1944: The D-Day Invasion
Among the British, Canadian and American troops who stormed the Normandy beaches on the morning of the 6th June 1944 were two Green Howard battalions.
Both contained battle-hardened men who by the evening of the first day had fought their way seven miles inland, further than any other British or American unit. Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis had been with the regiment since Dunkirk. His many courageous actions throughout the 6th June were recognised with the only Victoria Cross awarded on D-Day.
29. Battledress of the type worn on D-Day
30. Lifebelt
HMS Apollo was a former minelayer that transported General Eisenhower, Admiral Ramsey and Field Marshall Montgomery on the 7th June 1944. Unfortunately the ship grounded on its way to the beachhead and everyone on board had to transfer to a second vessel.
1945: Victory in Europe
After the D-Day landing at La Rivière, battle followed battle in the close bocage – hedgerow – country of Normandy.
The 6th and 7th Battalions participated in the pursuit of the German army across France into Belgium and Holland. The 1st Green Howards then took part in the final fighting of the war against the Nazis, who surrendered on Luneburg Heath on 4th May 1945.
31. Clockwork mechanism from a German land mine
32. Brandy bottle
This bottle was confiscated by the Germans and then acquired by British Troops at Le Havre, France. It was kept in store until VE day and then issued to the troops who had captured it.
33. Binoculars used by German paratroopers and acquired just before the German surrender
34. Souvenirs collected from the Reich Chancellery
Including a piece of marble from Hitler’s desk, the key to the outer door of Hitler’s office, and a dish. The piece of carpet came from Hitler’s command bunker and was acquired by K C Hines when she was working for the Womens Voluntary Service in Berlin at the end of the war.
35. German SS dagger
36. German naval officer’s dagger
37. German Red Cross dagger
38. Luftwaffe dagger
39. German Wehrmacht officer dagger
40. Luftwaffe Officer’s sword and scabbard
41. German Schmeisser submachine gun
A German parachutist’s MP40 Maschinepistole, which eventually replaced all other types of submachine guns issued to the Wehrmacht.
1945: The War in the East
While the war was advancing across Western Europe, the 2nd Battalion was fighting against the Japanese in Burma. They were part of General Slim’s ‘forgotten army’, which turned defeat into victory. Whereas the war in Europe ended on the 8th May 1945, the war against Japan was not won until the 15th August 1945.
42. Rations and sterilising kit for water
43. Burmese phrase book issued to officers
44. Paraffin lamp used by Colonel M W T Roberts
45. Japanese steel helmet
46. Japanese grenade
47. Japanese 7.7mm Arisaka Type 99 rifle
Used by Japanese troops during the Second World War. This example ws captured by the Green Howards in Burma.
48. Japanese Katana swords
49. Captured Japanese flag
50. Slouch hat worn by Private R Foster
Conflicts of Interest
In 1945 the threat from the Soviet Union and demands for independence from British colonial rule resulted in a fragile peace.
To meet these dual threats the size of the British army was increased through the continuation of conscription, now known as National Service. These young men joined the Green Howards fighting communism in Malaya and defending the west from a Soviet invasion in Germany. At the close of the 20th century conflicts driven by religious and nationalist interests saw the Green Howards deployed to Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo.
British Army of the Rhine
The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was established in August 1945. For nearly 70 years, generations of British soldiers and their families were posted to West Germany where special schools, shops, housing and a radio station helped to create pockets of Britishness in parts of the Rhineland.
Post War Germany
1. Trophy for the Inter Platoon Rifle Competition, Berlin 1947
2. 2nd Lietenant A Tucker’s battledress
Tucker wore this uniform while stationed at Iserlohn, west Germany in 1959
3. British Army of the Rhine
(BAOR) pamphlets, 1947-1951
1945-1963 National Service
Compulsory conscription continued for young men after the Second World War. They initially served for eighteen months but in 1950 the Korean War saw it extended to 2 years. Between 1945 and 1963 over 7,500 young men from the North East served as National Servicemen with the Green Howards.
1949-1952: Guerrilla Warfare in Malaya
In Malaya communist fighters began a guerrilla war to free Malaya from British colonial rule.
In 1949 the 1st Battalion the Green Howards were part of the British force sent to combat this threat. The enemy, though never more than 4,000 strong, was elusive hiding out in the jungle. Beating them required weeks of tracking and waiting. It would take 10 years to defeat the communists and pave the way for Malayan independence.
1. Malayan Communist fighter’s flag
2. Olive green battledress
This uniform was worn in the jungles of Malaya. The pack includes a water bottle and parang – a machete and was used by Captain Nigel Bagnall.
3. M1 carbine .30 calibre used by Captain Nigel Bagnall.
This American semi-automatic is decorated with communist starts representing the number of communist fighters killed by Bagnall in the Malayan jungle.
4. Modified short magazine Lee Enfield No 4 Mk 1 used by Malayan communist fighters
The barrel has been cut down for jungle warfare. It has been decorated with a communist star and has shrapnel damage to the magazine.
5. Quivers used by the Jakuns, the indigenous people of the Malay Peninsula
The quivers were used to hold darts which were fired with a blowpipe
6. Communist fighter’s cap
It was taken by 7 Platoon on the 15th August 1951.
7. Propaganda leaflet produced by the British during the Malaya campaign
8. Vest taken from a Chinese communist fighter
It is embroidered with his achievements in Chinese characters.
9. Painting of a Malayan communist fighter in the Tampin Forest by Brigadier Oldfield
Oldfield joined the regiment in 1938. He served during the Second World War and survived the retreat from Dunkirk. He was taken prisoner in the desert in 1942. He went on to serve in Malaya and later wrote ‘The Green Howards in Malaya’. He was a talented artist who was known as a perfect English gentleman.
1956-1959: Hong Kong
The 1st Battalion spent 3 years in Hong Kong. The country provided a fresh and varied set of challenges for National Servicemen, coping first with riots, later a typhoon and finally a major part in a magnificent torchlight military pageant.
1. Riot shield used in Hong Kong 1956
It was presented to the Green Howards by the Hong Kong police.
2. Officer’s olive green drill jacket worn by Captain Michael Harrison
3. Programmes for regimental sporting activities in Hong Kong 1958-1959
1945-1991: The Cold War
After1945 the army’s task was also to guard Western Europe from invasion from the Soviet Union and other communist countries.
For five decades the Green Howards were regularly posted to West Germany as part of Britain’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). While troops enjoyed sporting fixtures with other regiments, the fear that the cold war would turn hot ensured the Green Howards were also constantly training on the rolling plains of Lower Saxony.
1. British Army 1958 pattern parka with detachable hood worn by Brigadier John Scott
2. Movement order issued to Captain J D A Wareham
The order enabled Wareham to travel to Berlin through the Soviet Zone, 18th August 1954.
3. BAOR Soldier’s Security Aide Memoire booklet 1982
These booklets were issued to soldiers stationed in Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall
4. Booklet written as a tribute to the achievements of the Regimental Cross Country team Iserlohn, Germany about 1961
1969-2006: Operation Banner in Northern Ireland
After many years of tension, in 1969 serious riots broke out between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
In June 1970 the Green Howards completed the first of fifteen tours of duty. It was a demanding environment in which tactical decisions often had to be made under fire and always under threat of ambush. The skills and experiences gained in Northern Ireland proved invaluable when the Green Howards became peacekeepers in the complex environment of the former Yugoslavia.
1. Ardoyne Patrol by David Shepherd
2. Combat dress worn in Northern Ireland, 1970s
A fragmentation vest, usually called a flak jacket, was worn over a camouflage jacket to give some protection.
3. Self-Loading 7.62mm NATO standard round
It was used by British troops until they were equipped with the SA80.
4. 9mm Sterling sub-machine gun L2A3 Mk 4
This sub-machine gun was used by British infantry in Northern Ireland until the mid-1970s. The Sterling replaced the Sten gun and remained the army’s standard automatic weapon for 30 years. The magazine holds 34 9mm cartridges. The gun can be fired with the butt stock extended or folded. This type of weapon was mainly issued to non-commissioned officers and officers.
5. Irish Republican Army newsletter illustrated with an Ardoyne Freedom Fighter, 1972
6. Radio set used in Northern Ireland
It has a bullet hole in the side.
7. Aerial photograph of Belfast and Person Check memo card used by WOII Pete Curtis
8. Map and pennant used by Brigadier John Powell
1954-1981: Cyprus
In August 1954 the 2nd Battalion was posted to Cyprus, which had recently become the headquarters for British operations in the Middle East. In April 1955 the battalion saw the start of a bitter four year campaign by the Greek Cypriot nationalists of EOKA that eventually led to a Turkish invasion and the island being partitioned into Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones.
In 1981 the Green Howards returned to Cyprus as UN peacekeepers monitoring the buffer zone between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.
1. United Nations pass used in Cyprus 1981
2. Blue beret with NATO badge
This type of beret was worn by the Green Howards while undertaking the role of UN peacekeepers in Cyprus
1996-1999: Peacekeeping in Bosnia and Kosovo
In the post-war years the Green Howards were often called upon to work as part of multinational peacekeeping forces.
In late 1996 the Green Howards deployed to Bosnia to maintain the uneasy peace between Serbs and Croats. Working in mountainous areas where temperatures regularly dropped to minus 25 degrees, the Green Howards worked hard to encourage refugees to return home.
In 1999, while the majority of the battalion were in Northern Ireland, A Company were deployed to Kosovo. For five months they worked as part of the NATO force protecting the Kosovo population from Yugoslav and Serb aggression.
1. Uniform worn in Kosovo
2. British SA80 L85A1
Versions of the SA80 have been the British Army’s standard combat weapon since 1985. A gas-operated assault rifle, the SA80 fires NATO standard 5.56mm ammunition
3. Helmet worn by Major Simon Fovargue while on a peacekeeping mission to Kosovo in 1999
4. Information leaflets produced for soldiers working in Bosnia in 1996
The leaflets include information on mines, prevention of cold injuries such as frostbite and hypothermia, the instructions for commanders on the use of force, and for dealing with persons indicted for war crimes.
The Yorkshire Regiment
The ‘9/11’ attacks on the USA in 2001 showed that any country could be the victim of unpredictable and catastrophic violence.
This new type of global threat, alongside the end of the Cold War and a reduced budget, led to major changes in the British Army. In 2006 the Green Howards became part of a new regiment – the Yorkshire Regiment. Since its formation the Yorkshire Regiment has served with distinction in Kosovo, Iraq, the Falkland Islands and Afghanistan.
2004: The Green Howards in Afghanistan
Following the 9/11 attacks President George W Bush declared a ‘War on Terror’ and the first target was the terrorists’ hideout in Afghanistan.
In October 2001, coalition forces invaded Afghanistan and forced out the Taliban regime. The Green Howards completed their six month tour of duty in 2004. Their duties included peacekeeping in Kabul and patrolling the northern border. The country was relatively stable and the green Howards were often able to patrol in berets rather than helmets and drive in open topped vehicles. But while the Taliban had been removed from power they had not been defeated and peace proved difficult to achieve.
1. Desert combat shirt worn with Osprey Mk 2 body armour
The British army first used combat body armour in Northern Ireland. The Osprey is a modular system built around a vest and was introduced in 2006. Pouches can be attached to the webbing tape stitched to the outside of the vest.
2. Football
This ball was used in the first game of football after the fall of Kabul in 2001. It is signed by all the players who took part in the match.
3. Personal equipment including shemagh scarf, gloves, torch, glasses, thermal mug and desert boots
4. Entrenching tool
5. ‘CamelBak’ water carrier
Heat is a major problem in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan and it is important for soldiers to constantly take on water to maintain their health and operational effectiveness
6. ‘Man bag’ used on operations in Afghanistan
2006: The Yorkshire Regiment
On the 6th June 2006 the Yorkshire Regiment was formed from the three regular Yorkshire infantry regiments of the Green Howards, The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington’s.
They were joined by the Yorkshire-based Territorial Army companies which had previously been part of the East and West Riding Regiment and the Tyne Tees Regiment.
2006-2009: Iraq
The Yorkshire Regiment completed three operational tours of Iraq.
When the 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq in 2006 they found themselves in a testing environment and engaged in demanding operations. During this tour Private Luke Simpson was killed by a roadside bomb and ten men were injured. Three years later the situation had improved and elements of both the 1st and 3rd Battalions were involved in preparing for Britain’s withdrawal from Iraq. In July 2009 the 3rd Battalion’s A Company had the honour of being the last combat sub-unit to leave Iraq.
2007-2014: Afghanistan
From 2005 there was a resurgence of violence in Afghanistan.
The Taliban began to copy the Iraqi insurgents’ techniques of suicide bombs and buried bombs, known as improvised explosive devices – IEDs. Between 2007 and 2012 the Yorkshire Regiment completed six tours of Afghanistan. They mentored the Afghan security forces and helped to reclaim and hold ground previously occupied by the Taliban.
17 members of the regiment were killed, including five from the 3rd Battalion killed by a single IED while on patrol in Kandahar province.
1. Map produced from satellite images
The map was used during Op. Herrick 7. Areas on the map are named after Crimean and First World War battles.
2. Afghan flag brought back from Afghanistan in 2010
3. Afghan National Army uniform
4. Portable Machine Gun, probably made in China
Captured from the Taliban by the Yorkshire Regiment in 2007.
5. Yorkshire Regiment beret
6. Notebook used on Op Herrick 7
The notebook records daily activities including explosions and the investigation of improvised devices.
7. Afghanistan coffee set collected during Op Herrick 11
8. Afghanistan pakol and karakul hats
9. Kit bag
Used by 25148356 Lance Corporal Peirse in 2010
A New History
In the 21st century warfare will continue to evolve and those who serve with the Yorkshire Regiment will be ready to meet these new challenges. They will draw strength from over 300 years of history in which their predecessors have shown extraordinary courage and commitment. Today’s Yorkshire soldiers are ready to write the next chapter in the history of the regiment.
1. Combat uniform worn with Osprey Mk 4 Body Armour
The Multi Terrain Pattern camouflage was introduced in 2010 and is designed to blend with a range of environments. The Osprey Mk 4 is less bulky than previous models. The vest includes rubber mouldings on the shoulders to prevent rucksacks and weapons from slipping. The inside of the vest has been redesigned to improve breathability in hot climates.
2. Combat Boots
These boots are part of a new range of brown combat boots which are currently being issued.
3. Corporal’s Service Dress
This parade uniform was designed to reflect the historic links to the three regiments that joined to form the Yorkshire Regiment.
The buttons are decorated with the Green Howards cap badge and the collar buttons are the ‘White Horse of Hanover’ which was previously worn as the cap badge of the Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire. The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment is represented by the Duke’s crest and motto which appears on the current cap badge worn by all who serve with the Yorkshire Regiment.
The Normanby Room
The Mess
A mess is where military personnel socialise, eat, and in some cases live but it is also more than this. A mess can be located in a grand room such as this with paintings, silver and furniture or it can be in a shared dug out on the battlefield.
What is important is that the men who come together share a common bond and understanding of what it is to serve with the regiment.
“The Mess is not merely a place, or organisation: it is also a concept, a philosophy, an ethos.” – Colonel Clive Mantell
Snuff mull in form of ram’s head.
Snuff is powdered tobacco that is inhaled through the nose. The practice of ‘taking snuff’ became common in Europe in the 1600s and was hugely popular throughout the 1700s.
This ram’s head on wheels is known as a ‘snuff mull’ and essentially acts as an oversized snuff box. The ram was almost certainly a former regimental mascot whose faithful service would have been commemorated by preserving its head in this fashion. As such it would have been brought out for use at regimental dinners.
It has two silver-lidded compartments for holding snuff and would have been placed on a table and passed around for everyone to use. Snuff was well liked for its aroma, taste, and nicotine boost. It was also believed to ward off colds and to be good for the relief of ear, nose, and throat problems.
Alongside this snuff mull you can see a variety of sniff boxes dating between 1850-1875. The circular wooden snuff box was made from the gibbet used to execute Eugene Aram after he had been found guilty of murder in 1759.
Regimental Silver
Silver plays a great part in the traditions of the regiments of the British Army. Officers’ and Sergeants’ Messes had their own silver, of which they were very proud. Some pieces of silver were purchased by subscriptions by members of the Mess; other pieces were donated by other regiments, local towns or by individuals, usually to mark a significant event such as a promotion, marriage or resignation.
The silver would travel with the regiment or battalion, wherever they were stationed, and be in regular use in the Mess.
“These are treasures. They are part of the tradition of service and martial pride which is the heritage of those to whom they belong. We are all brought up to regard them as symbols of great achievements of the glorious past….
These silver tokens are a constant reminder of the loyalty and deep sense of duty to our forbearers and an incentive to all of us to try and do better”
Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer
Music
In the British Army two distinct types of music evolved. The first type was developed to communicate orders, the second to entertain.
The Corps of Drums
In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries drums, bugles and fifes were essential pieces of communication equipment ensuring that a commander’s orders could be heard above the noise of the battlefield. They also regulated the rate of the advance ensuring even the most reluctant soldier marched in step towards the enemy lines. Today every battalion still retains a Corps of Drums who fulfil the ancient requirement of being a soldier as well as a musician.
The Regimental Band
The military band was developed to both entertain and to play at ceremonial occasions. The first record of the Green Howards band is found in an inspection report of 1774 which describes eleven musicians playing horns, oboes, clarinets and bassoons. At this time all the members of the band were civilians paid for by the Colonel and his officers. Many a young officer’s wages were severely stretched by this commitment and it must have come as a relief, when in the early 19th century bandsmen were officially recognised as soldiers of the regiment and paid from the public purse.
Shanghai Mace
Drum Major’s mace presented to Green Howards by 4th United States Marine Corps in Shanghai 1927.
In 1927 both units were sent to Shanghai to protect their countries’ trade interests against attacks by Chinese nationalist and communist troops. Peace was quickly restored allowing time for recreation and social events.
The Americans were impressed by the Green Howards fife players and asked the Green Howards bandmaster to teach their Drum Corps to play this small flute-like instrument. The lessons were a success. In thanks, the Marines gave the regiment this fine silver Drum Major’s mace.
The mace is a symbol of office. The strips of cord or silver chain entwined around the staff may be a reminder of the Drum Major’s duties of the cat-o-nine tails. It was the Drum Major who supervised punishments such as floggings, abolished in 1881.
The other Drum Major’s maces can be seen in this case. The oldest, with a simple silver head belonged to the Catterick and Richmond volunteers and dates from between 1795 and 1809. The other, decorated with a lion belonged to the regiment’s 5th battalion and used in the 1950s.