Roger Holgate

In 1927, mounted cavalry was still a powerful and effective force in the mountains and plains of Northern India, where it policed and protected the border of the British Empire. When, in 1939, the world was engulfed in the flames of a second world war, horsed transport was still vital to the success of all armies involved, but the rapid advance of military technology meant that the men of the British Cavalry would have to learn new skills if they were to be effective against the steel monsters that were starting to dominate the battlefield.From Yorkshire to the Northwest Frontier of India, from France to Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Italy, THE LAST CAVALRYMAN recounts the experiences of an ordinary man who along with so many others, was thrown into the turmoil of an extraordinary time. Although he also served as a hussar, and an infantryman, he was always proud to be a member of The Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons, and this is his story.Richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and military documents, the memoirs of Quartermaster Sergeant Harry Holgate provide a vivid and fascinating insight into the changing role of a British cavalryman from 1927 to 1944. His letters home offer an intimate glimpse of a time when warfare was changing out of all recognition, and when the cost of defeat would be unimaginable.

From 1939 to 1945, units of The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry were involved in some of the fiercest battles of the Second World War. From the snowy wastes of Scandinavia to the deserts of North Africa, and from the mountains of Italy to the steaming jungles of Asia, the men of the KOYLI fought against the forces of all three of the dictatorships that came so close to conquering the world.Before taking part in the fighting, three battalions of KOYLI had left the regiment to become 53rd, 57th, and 94th Anti-Aircraft Regiments within the Royal Artillery, and 149th Armoured Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps. Thus, the KOYLI comprised five infantry battalions during the period of the world conflict. They were ordinary men from the quiet towns and villages of Yorkshire, who suddenly found themselves thrown into a deadly fight against the mightiest military machine the world had ever seen, and their story is one of incredible hardship, bravery, and sacrifice in some of the most daunting and inhospitable places on Earth.Illustrated throughout with over 100 photographs and maps, this new history offers a unique and detailed look at one of the Second World War’s most extraordinary regiments.