5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
military unit
The 5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment was a mobile coast defence unit of Britain's Territorial Force. It was formed in 1908 from a nucleus provided by a Volunteer battalion first raised in 1859. It carried out its defence duties along the East Coast throughout World War I and after the war it was incorporated into a unit of the new Royal Corps of Signals.
Volunteer Force
The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. A public meeting to form an RVC in Kingston upon Hull (Hull) in the East Riding of Yorkshire was held in February 1859, but the proposal was defeated by an active minority on political grounds. However, another meeting held on 21 May resolved to raise the East Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers, and 10 independent company-sized RVCs were quickly formed, their officers receiving their commissions the following year. In 1860 these were formed into two battalions: the 1st (Consolidated) Battalion, comprising all the RVCs in Hull, and the 2nd (Administrative) Battalion East York Rifle Volunteers incorporating those outside the town:
3rd (Howdenshire) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC, 28 March 1860 – replacing an earlier 3rd (Hull) RVC absorbed into 1st Bn
5th (Bridlington) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC, 19 January 1860
6th (Beverley) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC, 28 February 1860
8th (Driffield) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC, 11 May 1860
9th (Market Weighton) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC – formed as a sub-division 12 May 1860, increased into a full company in 1865 when it replaced a short-lived 9th (Hull) RVC
10th (Hedon) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC, 8 November 1860 – disbanded 1876
11th (Pocklington) Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC – formed 8 August 1868 under the command of Lord Muncaster, formerly of the Rifle Brigade
The first commanding officer (CO) of the 2nd (Admin) Battalion was Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) P. Saltmarshe, formerly of the 8th Hussars, with his headquarters (HQ) at Beverley. After the consolidated battalion became the 1st Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC the administrative battalion took the number 1 (though there were no others in the East Riding). It consolidated as the 2nd Yorkshire (East Riding) RVC in 1880 when the constituent RVCs became A to F Companies. The two corps became the 1st and 2nd Volunteer Battalions (VBs) of the East Yorkshire Regiment in 1883.
The public source identifies “5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment” as military unit. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cyclist, Battalion and East.
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