With the British Cavalry in 1914

The opening months of the First World War were the golden sunset for the horsed regiments of the British army. Whether they were Lancers, Hussars or Dragoons, their names were redolent of glory and grandeur. Trained for shock tactics as well as scouting and reconnaissance, several times in 1914 they clashed dramatically with their German counterparts on the battlefields of France. Yet at the same time, the role of the cavalry was shifting inexorably away from these romantic charges, with trumpets, gleaming lances and swirling sabres. In the new warfare of the Twentieth Century, the true value of these regiments was as an intensively trained, highly mobile reserve. Despite their misgivings about the role, the Regular cavalry (latterly with Yeomanry alongside them) were also a highly effective force when fighting on foot. Able to arrive quickly at trouble spots, they were equally skilled with the rifle, and on more than one occasion in 1914 they were able to retrieve a critical situation. AUTHOR: Matthew Richardson is Curator of Social History at Manx National Heritage and was formerly Assistant Keeper of the Liddle Collection at the University of Leeds. He has a long-term interest in military history and has published several outstanding books on the subject including 1914: Voices from the Battlefields, The Hunger War: Food, Rations and Rationing 1914-1918 and Eyewitness on the Somme 1916. He also has an interest in the history of the Isle of Man TT and worked with Dave Molyneux on The Racer's Edge: Memoirs of an Isle of Man TT Legend. 50 b/w illustrations