20th Company, Imperial Yeomanry

The Fife cavalry were raised as the Fife Mounted Rifles in 1870, and the Forfars started life as the Forfar Light Horse Volunteers, in 1876. They were the only units of this type to survive into the 20th century. In 1901 they amalgamated to become the 20th Company of the 6th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry. The painting, by W Skeoch Cumming shows a private in the mounted infantry role on the veldt, minus sword, but armed with rifle and bayonet. In the first World War they were landed at Gallipoli in Sep 1915 and then served in Palestine as the 14th (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry) Battalion Black Watch.