LANARKSHIRE YEOMANRY
Broomgate, Lanark — The Regimental Home
For the men of the Lanarkshire Yeomanry, the drill hall on Broomgate in the old county town of Lanark was more than a place of duty. It was home — the place where farmers and townsmen became soldiers, friendships were made, and the regiment's proud traditions were kept alive.
LANARK — HEART OF THE REGIMENT
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was always a county regiment at heart. Raised from the farms and towns of Lanarkshire in 1819, its men looked to Lanark — the ancient royal burgh above the River Clyde, where William Wallace is said to have begun his rising against the English in 1297.
In the first half of the twentieth century the regiment made its headquarters at the drill hall at 38–40 Broomgate, in the heart of the town. Here the yeomen enlisted, mustered and trained — first as horsemen and lancers, and later as the gunners of the 155th Field Regiment.
For the men who left for the Far East in 1941, Lanark was the last sight of home many would ever know.
THE DRILL HALL
A History in Stone
Broomgate Drill Hall
38–40 Broomgate — The Regimental Headquarters
The drill hall on Broomgate was not purpose-built. It was formed from two historic houses — one dating from the 17th century and the other from the 18th — which in the 19th century served as the town's poorhouse, before becoming home to the Lanarkshire Yeomanry.
In the first half of the 20th century it was the regiment's headquarters — the place where volunteers enlisted, men and horses were mustered, and the traditions of the regiment were passed from one generation to the next. Today the buildings have been converted back into private homes.
Lanark
The County Town — Home of the Regiment
Lanark, a royal burgh since the 12th century and the historic county town of Lanarkshire, gave the regiment its home. Its yeomen were drawn from the farms of the Clyde valley and the towns of the county, and the regiment was woven into the life of the town.
Lanark's military ties ran deep. On the eve of the Second World War, Winston Barracks was built on the edge of the town, and generations of local men passed through its drill halls and barracks on their way to serve across the world.
1941
Departure for the Far East
In 1941 the men of the 155th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment sailed for India and on to Malaya. For many of these men, Lanark and the Broomgate drill hall were the last connection to home they would carry with them. They departed as soldiers of the Crown — disciplined, proud, and steadfast. Few could have imagined what lay ahead.
1942–45
Empty Drill Hall — Absent Men
When Singapore fell in February 1942 and the Lanarkshire gunners were taken prisoner, the town fell quiet. Families in Lanark and across the county waited for news that often did not come. The men who had drilled on Broomgate were now thousands of miles away, enduring captivity, forced labour on the Death Railway, and suffering beyond imagination.
1945
Homecoming
When the war ended and survivors began to return, coming home to Lanarkshire was bittersweet — a reminder of those who had not made it back, and of the years of their lives lost to captivity. The county welcomed its men home, but the scars — physical and psychological — ran deep.
Legacy
A Regiment Remembered
After the war the Lanarkshire Yeomanry was re-formed, and in 1956 it was amalgamated into The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry. The Broomgate drill hall has since returned to private homes — but the memory of the regiment, and of its Far East Prisoners of War, lives on in the families and communities of Lanarkshire, and in the work of the Scotland FEPOW Trust to ensure their stories are never forgotten.
WHAT THE DRILL HALL MEANT
More Than a Military Base
For the Lanarkshire Yeomanry, the Broomgate drill hall was never just a place of work. It was the foundation of regimental identity — and a constant connection to home.
Training & Tradition
Generations of Lanarkshire yeomen trained here — first as horsemen and lancers, later as gunners — learning the skills, discipline, and traditions that would define them as soldiers and as men.
Community & Brotherhood
Many of the yeomen were neighbours, friends, and family from the same towns and farms. For those who went to the Far East together, that brotherhood sustained them through the darkest days of captivity.
A Place of Memory
For the families of Lanarkshire Yeomanry FEPOWs, Broomgate represents a connection to their loved ones — the last place of home before the long journey to the other side of the world.
“They left from Lanark as soldiers. They returned as survivors. Broomgate stood waiting for both.”
— SCOTLAND FEPOW TRUST