The Militia and its predecessors had always been important in Yorkshire, and from its formal creation in 1759 the regiment served in home defence in all Britain's major wars until 1919.

The English Militia was descended from the Anglo-Saxon Fyrd, the military force raised from the able-bodied freemen of the shires under command of their Sheriffs.

The three Ridings of Yorkshire and adjacent counties provided the bulk of the fyrdmen who fought against Harald Hardrada at the Battles of Fulford and Stamford Bridge in 1066.

[3][4][5] East Riding levies were regularly employed in offensive and defensive campaigns against Scotland, including the battles of Halidon Hill (1333), Neville's Cross (1346), Berwick (1482) and Flodden (1513).

In the Bishops' Wars the East and North Yorkshire Trained Bands were expected to join the King's Army, with deficiencies in their arms made up from the arsenal at Hull, but there was great reluctance throughout the militia to serve outside their own counties, even for pay.

On 12 February 1641 Parliament appointed the Earl of Essex as a fit person to be entrusted with organising the Trained Bands of Hull and the East Riding.

[14] When Charles approached Hull in April 1642, Parliament's governor, Sir John Hotham, called out 800 men of the Trained Bands (illegally, since the position of Lord Lieutenant was vacant) and prevented the king from seizing the arsenal.

In response, Charles called out the remainder of the East Riding's men as a regiment under Sir Robert Strickland to join his investing army.

In the event, both sides took the Trained Bands' weapons and gave them to paid volunteers who would serve anywhere in the kingdom in permanent regiments.

In 1689 the East Riding's contingent consisted of one regiment of foot commanded by the Marquis of Carmarthen as Lord Lieutenant, made up of eight companies with a total strength of 679, and two 64-man Troops of cavalry.

[14] At the time of the Jacobite rising of 1715 the East Riding Regiment of Militia consisted of about 670 men under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Hildyard.

Nevertheless when the Jacobite rising of 1745 began he advised against calling out the inefficient militia and instead enrolled volunteer companies for home defence.

Opposition to the ballot led to rioting in some counties, including the East Riding, and organisation of the new force proceeded slowly.

In the East Riding the first issue of arms was only made on 3 December 1759; the regiment was embodied at Beverley for service on 8 January 1760 and marched off to Newcastle upon Tyne.

The East York Regiment of Militia comprised 33 officers and 460 other ranks, organised into 10 companies, under the command of Colonel Sir Digby Legard, 5th Baronet.

At these large training camps the Militia were exercised as part of a division alongside Regular troops while providing a reserve in case of French invasion of South East England.The East Yorks along with the North Yorks Militia formed part of the Left Wing at Coxheath.

Each battalion had two small field-pieces or 'battalion guns' attached to it, manned by men of the regiment instructed by a Royal Artillery sergeant and two gunners.

[25][22] Militia training was again neglected during the subsequent peace,[31] but the regiments were embodied for almost continuous service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars of 1793–1815.

Sergeant Sutherland with a small detachment repelled a party of mutinous seamen and marines who attempted to land at Minster-in-Sheppey.

[23][25][33][35][20][36] The Peace of Amiens quickly broke down, and the militia were called out once more, the East Yorks regiment being embodied on 21 March 1803 under the command of Col Sir Charles Hotham, commissioned on 16 May.

On 1 September 1805, with 595 men in eight companies under the command of Lt-Col Maister, it was in Dover Barracks as part of Maj-Gen Lord Forbes's militia brigade.

[39][40] In 1810 the East York Militia was sent to London to suppress anticipated riots, and was stationed at the Royal Mint on Tower Hill.

Lieutenant-Colonel George Hamilton Thompson, former Lieutenant in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, commanded the regiment from 15 November 1833 until he was appointed Honorary Colonel on 10 May 1871.

[46][47] In June 1860 the East York Artillery Militia appeared in the Army List, but no officers were appointed to it, and in December 1860 it was announced that it would be joined with the North Riding unit that was also being formed.

It embarked for South Africa under Lt-Col H. Walker and was largely employed guarding the bridge over the Orange River and section of the railway line near Bethulie.

[60][61] Under the more sweeping Haldane Reforms in 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve, a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for Regular units serving overseas in wartime.

The Regimental Colour was buff, with the Union flag in the canton and the Coat of arms of the Lord Lieutenant (Henry, 7th Viscount Irwin) in the centre.

[22] At Warley in 1779 the scarlet coat and buff facings were noted, and the grenadiers' black fur caps had a red back.

[42][38] In 1850 the officers of the disembodied East Yorkshire Militia wore the 1846 pattern uniform with buff facings and dark blue ('Oxford mixture') trousers with a narrow red welt.