Royal Yeomanry

Royal Yeomanry regimental badge

The Royal Yeomanry (RY) is the highest-ranking cavalry regiment in the Army Reserve according to British military tradition . The regiment's headquarters are in the London borough of Fulham , with additional squadrons in Nottingham , Dudley , Croydon (London), Windsor , Telford and Leicester . As a cavalry regiment, it is part of the Royal Armored Corps and serves as a reserve for the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards .

history

The Royal Yeomanry was created in 1967 from the amalgamation of six historically important Yeomanry regiments as tank reconnaissance . She kept this role until 1996, after which she was converted into an NBC protection force . From 1999 three squadrons served with the Challenger 2 as a battle tank reserve.

In January 2003, the regiment's two NBC protection squads were mobilized and used in this role in the Iraq invasion . This was the first deployment of an independent reserve formation since the Suez Crisis in 1956. Accordingly, the regiment received a battle honor for a reserve unit for the first time since World War II (Iraq 2003).

During this mission, the local troops served as ABC specialists for the 16 Air Assault Brigade , the 7 Armored Brigade (Desert Rats) and the 3 Commando Brigade . After the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime , this role changed to support peacekeeping as an infantry force. Since then, the regiment has again served in the role of tank reconnaissance.

The Royal Yeomanry had a continuous presence in Iraq and Afghanistan until the end of the British mission. She subsequently took part in other operations, including the fight against the Islamic State (Operation SHADER).

Equipment and role

The regiment is currently mainly equipped with the RWMIK (Weapons Mount Installation Kit), a variant of the Land Rover Wolf , and the light Saber tank. The former is armed with the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and the Browning M2 .50 caliber (HMG). It also carries the BOWMAN digital military radio and specialized reconnaissance and surveillance optics, etc. a. Thermal imaging .

In its function as light cavalry, the Royal Yeomanry serves as a mobile, powerful reconnaissance force that offers the capacity for reconnaissance, infiltration and commando operations.

Lineup

Saber tanks

Since 2014, the Royal Yeomanry has served as the direct reserve of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, as part of the 7th Infantry Brigade. The regiment consists of six squadrons and a military band:

• HQ Squadron (Westminster Dragoons), London
• A Squadron (Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry), Nottingham
• B Squadron (Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry), Dudley
• C Schwadron (Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry), Croydon (London)
• D Squadron (Shropshire Yeomanry), Telford
• E Squadron (Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry), Leicester
• The Royal Yeomanry Band (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry), London