then on to Warfusée. In March the German Army began withdrawing to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) and on 20 March the Surrey Yeomanry squadron was ordered forward to cross the Somme and discover where the Germans were. Next day its patrols skirmished with German rearguards at Vermand, suffering a few casualties. It then held a line around Bernes until relieved on 24 March, remaining at Vraignes thereafter under occasional shellfire. The squadron underwent training in April before relieving D Sqn DoLOY attached to 48th (South Midland) Division, later 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, manning the front line at Villers-Faucon. It returned to Roisel in mid-May. On 1 July 1917, III Corps Cavalry Regiment was ordered to be dismounted and sent for infantry training; all the horses had been sent away by 24 July. The Surrey Yeomanry squadron was rejoined by Maj the Hon Eric Thesiger, a prewar officer of the regiment. In September 1917 it was drafted into 10th (Service) Bn (Battersea), Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), originally a 'Pals battalion' of Kitchener's Army, in 41st Division (the DoLOY squadrons were posted to a battalion of the Manchester Regiment). On 7 October Maj Thesiger was promoted to command the battalion, later transferring to the 10th (Service) Bn (Kent County), Royal West Kent Regiment. 41st Division went to the Italian Front in November, then returned to France in early 1918 and fought through the German spring offensive and the final Allied Hundred Days Offensive. 2/1st Surrey Yeomanry The 2nd Line regiment was formed at Clapham in September 1914 and moved to Dorking. By May 1915 it was at Maresfield, in September at Wrotham and in the winter of 1915–16 it was at Hastings, possibly in 1/1st South Western Mounted Brigade which became 2/1st Southern Mounted Brigade. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence; the brigade was numbered as 16th Mounted Brigade and joined a new 4th Mounted Division in the Manningtree area. In July 1916, 4th Mounted Division became 2nd Cyclist Division and the regiment was converted to a cyclist unit in 7th Cyclist Brigade at Woodbridge. In November 1916 the division was broken up and the regiment was merged with the 2/1st Sussex Yeomanry to form 8th (Surrey and Sussex) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment in 3rd Cyclist Brigade at Ipswich. In March 1917 it resumed its identity as 2/1st Surrey Yeomanry