After Britain was drawn into the French Revolutionary Wars, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger proposed on 14 March 1794 that the counties should form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry (Yeomanry) that could be called on by the King to defend the country against invasion or by the Lord Lieutenant to subdue any civil disorder within the county.

Each regiment initially consisted of five Troops of 50 men each, those of the 2nd Corps being the 1st and 2nd Craven (Skipton), Agbrigg and Morley, Barkston Ash and Clare (Knaresborough).

[3][4][5][6][7][8] The short-lived Peace of Amiens signed in March 1802 saw most of the Yeomanry disbanded, but on 25 July three troops of the Northern Regiment (at Knaresborough under Captain Robert Harvey, Tadcaster under Lord Hawke, and Aberford under Lieutenant Bainbridge) offered to renew their service.

[3][4][8][9] Although the French invasion threat had dwindled, there was civil unrest and on 5 May 1812 the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to counter the Luddite industrial riots.

The Yorkshire Hussars were assigned as 'divisional troops' to 1st Division of VII Corps based at York, alongside Regular units of infantry, artillery and engineers.

Existing yeomen and fresh volunteers (mainly middle and upper class) quickly filled the new force, which was equipped to operate as Mounted infantry.

[3][23][24][25][26] Along with two companies from Nottinghamshire, the 9th and 11th served in the 3rd Battalion, IY, which was placed under the command of Temporary Lt-Col George Younghusband from the Indian Army.

On 5 April Methuen learned of the presence of a small Boer Commando led by the French Comte de Villebois-Mareuil and ordered the IY and other mounted troops to saddle up at once.

On 14 May Methuen marched on Hoopstad and then continued into Orange Free State protecting the flank of Lord Roberts' main army.

[31] Methuen's Column now took part in the pursuit of de Wet's force south down the railway towards Kroonstad, beginning with a sharp action at Renoster River on 24 June.

The 'Great de Wet Hunt' began in earnest in August, with Methuen personally leading a column including the 1st Yeomanry Brigade.

On 12 August the column engaged the Boers at Mooi River Bridge for four hours, capturing guns and wagons and freeing British prisoners.

[15][41][43][58] After war was declared on 4 August 1914 the regiment mobilised under the command of Lt-Col Stanyforth at Tower Road and at the drill stations.

On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units.

In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas, and absorbing the flood of volunteers coming in to the recruiting stations.

However, the brigade never operated as such; instead it was broken up in early 1915 to provide divisional cavalry squadrons for the TF and New Army infantry divisions preparing to go overseas.

In spite of opposition from machine guns in a factory, the brigade had captured its objective, the village of Épinoy, by 18.15 and established a line beyond it.

After the main battle had ended, a company of 9th (YHY) Bn participated in a successful midnight attack behind a barrage on 2/3 October to fill this gap.

[76] During the subsequent Battle of Cambrai and pursuit to the River Selle, the division was warned to advance on the morning of 9 October, but 32nd Bde had been in reserve 10 miles (16 km) back and did not get into position until after dark.

An attack was launched the following morning once the artillery had come up, but the enemy slipped off before the barrage, and the battalion crossed the Aunelle and met no opposition until it pushed on to Roisin.

[8][78] 11th Division attacked again at 05.30 on 6 November, 32nd Bde leading, but artillery ammunition was short because of the extended supply lines and little progress was made.

32nd Brigade continued its advance against slight opposition on 8 November, and at the end of a day's march, the troops received food supplies dropped by aircraft.

The commission decided that only the 14 most senior Yeomanry regiments were to be retained as cavalry; the others would be converted to armoured cars, artillery or signals.

[15] It mobilised as part of 5th Cavalry Brigade with the Yorkshire Dragoons and Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry under the command of the Hussars' former CO, Brigadier T. Preston, but the squadrons initially remained at their HQ towns in case they were needed to keep order in the event of German bombing raids.

[8][90] It was variously under Middle East Forces (MEF)[91] and Ninth Army[92] It was shipped back to Egypt in March 1943, training on Crusader and Sherman tanks, familiarising themselves with the 75 mm gun and tactics for the North African Campaign.

[7][39][94] Apart from A Sqn, which remained in an operational role, the regiment was split into squadrons from April to August 1944 to run embarkation camps in Sussex for the formations participating in the D Day landings and Normandy Campaign.

In August the regiment was reunited and became a Reinforcement Holding Unit for refresher training and drafting of wounded Recce troops returning to North West Europe.

The original uniforms were such poor quality that they were replaced the following year, when new pattern 'Tarleton' light cavalry helmets were issued with 'Y.W.R.C' on the front band and probably a buff 'turban' (but re-using the same bearskin crest) and the shorter red jackets were given buff silk cord trimmings and white metal shoulder-wings for the men, with silver fringes for the officers.

In 1820 the officers gained red pelisses edged with black fur and with silver lacing; those for the other ranks were made from their old stable jackets.

Between 1848 and 1852 the full dress for officers and men settled down to dark blue, braided white and in 1856 the shako was replaced by a Hussar Busby: this uniform was worn essentially unchanged for the next 60 years (see 1896 photograph above), although pelisses later became reserved for special occasions and the busby for church parades, scarlet pillbox caps being worn instead.