In March 1794 the government of William Pitt the Younger passed the Volunteer Act in response to the threat of invasion by French revolutionary forces.

The act sought to encourage "gentlemen of weight or property" to establish volunteer military formations.

[5][6][7] Most of the Volunteers and Yeomanry were stood down after the Peace of Amiens in 1802, but this broke down the following year and units were formed or reformed.

However, further civil disorder, with Buckinghamshire being affected by the Swing Riots, led to a change in policy, and pay was restored to the Yeomanry in 1830.

[5][6][7][9][11] The regiment was called out to deal with rioting at Otmoor in Oxfordshire from 6 to 10 September 1830, followed by duty at Hounslow Barracks, Great Marlow, High Wycombe and Brill from 22 November to 7 December.

The regiment was then quartered at Aylesbury, 9–15 January 1831, and the new Taplow Troop at Princes Risborough, to protect the Special Commissioners trying the Swing rioters.

[10][11] Officers of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry had worn a Hussar-style undress jacket and Pelisse in the 1820s, but in the 1830s the regiment was equipped and dressed as Light Dragoons.

However, for Queen Victoria's visit to the Duke of Buckingham at Stowe House in 1844, the regiment formed two troops of Hussars.

[5][6][7][9][10][12] At the time of the Chartist disturbances in 1848, the Royal Bucks under Colonel-Commandant the Duke of Buckingham relieved the 1st Life Guards at Windsor Barracks so that the Regulars could be deployed in London.

[6] The 3rd Duke of Buckingham died in March 1889, and on 24 April Lord Chesham, a former captain in the 16th Lancers who had joined the Royal Bucks Hussars in 1879, was promoted to commanding officer (CO) with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, while Lt-Col George Morgan, formerly of the 4th Dragoon Guards, who had been the duke's second-in-command, was appointed as the regiment's first Honorary Colonel.

The Buckinghamshire Yeomanry were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 1st Division of I Corps based at Colchester, alongside Regular Army units of infantry, artillery and engineers stationed across Eastern England.This was never more than a paper organisation, but from April 1893 the Army List showed the Yeomanry regiments grouped into brigades for collective training.

[17] The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each.

[18] Although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however they had significant time to train while awaiting transport.

[17] The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers, 10,371 men in 20 battalions of 4 companies,[19] which arrived in South Africa between February and April, 1900.

[17] On 17 April 1901 the regiment was renamed the Buckinghamshire Imperial Yeomanry (Royal Bucks Hussars) and reorganised in four squadrons and a machine gun section.

[31] Due to losses at the Battle of Scimitar Hill and wastage in August 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division had to be reorganised.

The brigade embarked for Mudros on 31 October and returned to Egypt in December 1915 where its component units were re-formed and remounted.

[22][32] The complete brigade was transferred to the newly formed Yeomanry Mounted Division on 27 June 1917, joining it at el Maraqeb.

[34] 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 theatre.

Following the experience of the war, it was decided that only the 14 most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry,[39] with the rest being transferred to other roles.

[46] By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit forming a duplicate.

[47][48][49] The Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Yeomanry were separated on 25 August 1939, with each being reconstituted as field regiments of the Royal Artillery.

[41][42][45][50][51] With the outbreak of war in September 1939, 99th (Buckinghamshire and Berkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery was mobilised at Aylesbury, assigned to 48th (South Midland) Division.

The experience of the BEF in 1940 showed the problem with this organisation: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions.

[53] Following the Dunkirk evacuation the regiment was based in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where it was reorganized into three batteries (A, B and C) on 3 July 1940.

[41][42][43] In June 1942 the regiment were sent out to the Far East and attached to the 2nd Division, seeing service in India and Burma, including the Battle of the Arakan.

In its reduced but essential role the unit forms part of 165 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC, whose RHQ is based in Plymouth.

[56] The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry has been awarded the following battle honours:[7] South Africa 1900-01 Arras 1918, Scarpe 1918, Ypres 1918, Courtrai, France and Flanders 1918, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915–17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Palestine 1917–18 The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments.