68 Signal Squadron
Encyclopedia
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
. It operates out of three locations: a townhouse in Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, Central London; a more barrack-style premises in Whipps Cross
Whipps Cross
Whipps Cross is an area of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It is most famous for Whipps Cross University Hospital.-The environs:...
, Leytonstone
Leytonstone
Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...
some 17 kilometers away in East London; and at the TA Centre housing 907 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Troop at Chelmsford. It is a Close Support Squadron within 71st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment (Volunteers).
As the main hyperlink explains, 68 (ICCEY) Signal Squadron is the current manifestation of two formerly separate units that were merged in 1961 (The Inns of Court Regiment
Inns of Court Regiment
The Inns of Court Regiment was a British Army regiment which existed under that name between May 1932 and May 1961. However, the unit traces its lineage back much further, to at least 1584, and its name lives on within The Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry .-History:The first organised...
, and the City of London Yeomanry (more familiarly known as the Rough Riders); and subsequent merger with The Essex Yeomanry
Essex Yeomanry
The Essex Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army raised in 1797. The regiment recruited volunteers from the county of Essex in the East of England.-Origins:...
in 2009.
The Inns of Court Regiment
Inns of Court Regiment
The Inns of Court Regiment was a British Army regiment which existed under that name between May 1932 and May 1961. However, the unit traces its lineage back much further, to at least 1584, and its name lives on within The Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry .-History:The first organised...
(ICR) can trace its history back at least to Elizabethan times to what became a Volunteer Rifle Corps and is by its name very closely associated with the legal community. In 1584, 95 members of the Inn entered into a solemn pledge to defend Queen Elizabeth I against the threat of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. From then onwards, in times of national peril, volunteers were recruited among the legal community of The Inns of Court. George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
is reputed to have styled such a body as 'The Devil's Own', a title that lives on today.
The City of London Yeomanry was raised from volunteers of the 20th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry which served with distinction in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Its nickname, The Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
was taken from a body of volunteer horsemen who fought in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
of 1898.
During the period of reduction of TA units between 1967 and 1969, the squadron was reduced to the status of a cadre, but its spirit and purpose were kept alive by the active participation of its personnel, until it was re-constituted as a TA unit under its present name, with Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, gracious in her acceptance of the Royal Honorary Colonelcy.
Each year the Squadron still contributes a mounted detachment of five officers and eight other ranks to the Lord Mayor's Show
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
that processes through the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
on the first Saturday of November, as well as providing radio operators and equipment to assist in communications roles.
The unit is also affiliated with a local Army Cadet Force unit - 35 Signal Squadron - from the City of London and North East Sector ACF. They parade at the Whipp's Cross site, and share the same name and cap badge as the squadron.
Members of the squadron have been mobilised for operations in many current theatres. They have worked alongside their regular counterparts and in some cases served with distinction. Back in the mid-1990s, members of 'The Inns' were among the first ever mobilisation of the TA since the Korean War. These personnel served in the Former Yugoslavia during the various Balkans Conflicts.