Scottish Yeomanry
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Yeomanry was a Yeomanry
Regiment
of the British Territorial Army formed in 1992. It served until 1999 when it was amalgamated with the Queen's Own Yeomanry
(QOY).
with Headquarters at Inchdrewer House, Colinton Road, Edinburgh
. It was a Land Rover
based reconnaissance
regiment with a home defence role. The Regiment consisted of a Headquarters and three Sabre Squadrons.
Headquarters Squadron (Edinburgh) was named for the Lothian and Border Horse
Yeomanry and was formed by the re-roling of 225 Squadron, 154 (Lowland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport
.
"A" (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
) Squadron (Ayr
) was transferred into the new regiment from the QOY where they had been serving on both CVR(W) Fox and other CVR(T) variants.
"B" Squadron (East Kilbride
) was named for both The Lanarkshire Yeomanry
and The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
and was formed by the re-roling of 222 Squadron, 154 (Lowland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport.
"C" Squadron (Cupar
) was named for the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and Scottish Horse
and was formed by the re-roling of 239 (Highland Yeomanry) Squadron, 153 (Highland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport. Until 1999 "C" Squadron also maintained part of the lineage of the Lovat Scouts
.
The regiment served in its home defence role with annual exercises in the UK but many of its members also seized on the opportunities opening up to the TA to serve on operational tours in the Balkans.
On 27 June 1998 The Scottish Yeomanry paraded at the Racecourse in Ayr
to celebrate the Bicentenary
of The Ayrshire Yeomanry. The parade was reviewed by Major General
Mark Strudwick, GOC
Scotland.
On 1 July 1999, after nearly seven years of service, the Regiment was amalgamated with the QOY as result of the Strategic Defence Review
. "A" Squadron returned to the QOY and were joined by "C" Squadron. HQ Squadron was disbanded and its building taken over by the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
. "B" Squadron was re-roled to become 52 Squadron of 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment
.
. This was also worn by personnel attached from other arms and services such as Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
tradesmen, Royal Logistic Corps
Chefs or a Commanding Officer from a regular cavalry Regiment.
The scarlet hussar
cap of the Ayrshire Yeomanry was adopted for wear with ceremonial uniforms with subalterns wearing silver peaks, as worn in the QOY, and field officers and above wearing gold peaks as would have been correct for the Ayrshire Yeomanry.
In "C" Squadron a red-white-green diced balmoral bonnet
with cock feather was often worn in place of the scarlet cap.
The cap badge of the regiment consisted of the Lion Rampant of Scotland upon crossed lances under the Scottish Crown
. It was the only British Army cap badge, at the time, to show the Scottish Crown. The cap badge of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland is very similar.
Upon establishment of the Regiment the "Mailed Fist" badge of the Royal Armoured Corps
was worn which was superseded by cloth patch badges bearing the new Regiment's approved badge. Metal badges arrived later and were worn on a black cloth backing on the grey beret, and without backing on No 1 and No 2 Dress caps. Officers wore wire embroidered badges on their berets and side-caps, and the metal badge on No 1 and No 2 Dress caps.
There were initially no specific collar badges for Regimental Staff such as the Honorary Colonel or a TA Commanding Officer and they continued to wear the accoutrements of their own Squadrons. Lieutenant General Sir Norman Arthur, a regular officer of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, wore the collar badges of the Headquarters Squadron (Lothians & Border Horse) whilst he was Honorary Colonel. Subsequently small, inwards facing, variants of the capbadge were produced as collar badges, in metal for No 2 Dress and in wire embroidery on a scarlet backing for No 1 Dress and Mess Kit.
Mess Kit in the patterns of the predecessor regiments could be worn but the accepted pattern was again that of the Ayrshire Yeomanry, with each squadron wearing distinctive embroidered collar badges (Gold Griffon's head on scarlet for A Sqn, Lanarkshire Eagle on scarlet for B Sqn, FFY/SH on scarlet for C Sqn, and Wheatsheaf on French Grey for HQ Sqn).
In No 1 Dress a Shoulder Belt was produced for officers in gold thistle lace, which was a copy of the Glasgow Yeomanry pattern. The Pouch was based on the Ayrshire Yeomanry pattern and was embroidered in gold and silver wire on a scarlet backing, the "AY" cypher being replaced by "SYC"
This basis of uniform upon the Ayrshire Yeomanry made the Scottish Yeomanry a "Gold Regiment" in that its accoutrements and lace were gold and not silver as is normally the case with Yeomanry regiments.
which was adopted was a reversed version of the Ayrshire Yeomanry belt. This was the colour of the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
' belts and with their pending amalgamation a ready stock was available.
s in the First World War each of the Squadrons could claim the rights to a Regimental tartan
; Hunting Erskine tartan from the Royal Scots Fusiliers
for the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire Yeomanries, Mackenzie of Seaforth tartan from the Highland Light Infantry
for the Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry and Government tartan from the Black Watch
for the Fife & Forfar Yeomanry. After the Second World War, in recognition of the strong links between them and the Royal Scots Greys, the Ayrshire Yeomanry's pipers wore Royal Stewart tartan, a prvilege confirmed by HRH the Duke of Rothesay (Earl of Carrick). However the Scottish Horse had a direct claim to the Murray of Atholl tartan, through their historic linkage with the Dukes of Atholl
, and this became the regimental tartan. As a Cavalry Regiment there would be little opportunity to wear tartan in uniform but a patch of Murray of Atholl tartan was often worn on the upper arm of combat dress in a precursor of today's TRFs
.
in Edinburgh Castle
contains a memorial and book of remembrance to all Scottish Yeomanry's antecedent Regiments.
units who were affiliated to A & C Squadrons of the Scottish Yeomanry.
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Territorial Army formed in 1992. It served until 1999 when it was amalgamated with the Queen's Own Yeomanry
Queen's Own Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army. The Queen's Own Yeomanry is the only Yeomanry regiment that serves in the formation reconnaissance role, equipped with the CVR family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar and Spartan.On...
(QOY).
History
The Scottish Yeomanry was raised on 1 November 1992 as a result of Options for ChangeOptions for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
with Headquarters at Inchdrewer House, Colinton Road, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. It was a Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
based reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
regiment with a home defence role. The Regiment consisted of a Headquarters and three Sabre Squadrons.
Headquarters Squadron (Edinburgh) was named for the Lothian and Border Horse
Lothian and Border Horse
The Lothians and Border Horse was a Yeomanry regiment, part of the British Territorial Army. It was ranked 36th in the Yeomanry order of precedence, and based in the Scottish Lowland area, recruiting in the Lothian and along the border with England.-Origins:...
Yeomanry and was formed by the re-roling of 225 Squadron, 154 (Lowland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
.
"A" (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
The Ayrshire Yeomanry was a Regiment of the British Yeomanry and is now an armoured Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry , part of the British Territorial Army...
) Squadron (Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
) was transferred into the new regiment from the QOY where they had been serving on both CVR(W) Fox and other CVR(T) variants.
"B" Squadron (East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
) was named for both The Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Lanarkshire Yeomanry
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in...
and The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
The Queen's Own Glasgow can trace their formation back to the late 18th century, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its...
and was formed by the re-roling of 222 Squadron, 154 (Lowland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport.
"C" Squadron (Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
) was named for the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and Scottish Horse
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse is a Yeomanry Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry part of the British Territorial Army. It was formed following the amalgamation of the The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and The Scottish Horse regiments....
and was formed by the re-roling of 239 (Highland Yeomanry) Squadron, 153 (Highland) Regiment Royal Corps of Transport. Until 1999 "C" Squadron also maintained part of the lineage of the Lovat Scouts
Lovat Scouts
The Lovat Scouts were a British Army unit. The unit was first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army and is the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit...
.
The regiment served in its home defence role with annual exercises in the UK but many of its members also seized on the opportunities opening up to the TA to serve on operational tours in the Balkans.
On 27 June 1998 The Scottish Yeomanry paraded at the Racecourse in Ayr
Ayr Racecourse
Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland, was opened on 1907. The track is a left-handed, oval track, thirteen furlongs in circumference, with a straight run-in of half a mile. There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing...
to celebrate the Bicentenary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of The Ayrshire Yeomanry. The parade was reviewed by Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Mark Strudwick, GOC
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
Scotland.
On 1 July 1999, after nearly seven years of service, the Regiment was amalgamated with the QOY as result of the Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
. "A" Squadron returned to the QOY and were joined by "C" Squadron. HQ Squadron was disbanded and its building taken over by the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instructions of Scottish bagpipe music to military pipers, drummers and pipe bands.-History:...
. "B" Squadron was re-roled to become 52 Squadron of 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment
32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment
The 32nd Signal Regiment is a British Territorial Army regiment of the Royal Corps of Signals.- Regimental heritage :The 1st Lanarkshire Engineer Regiment were raised in Glasgow on 5 December 1859 as part of the Volunteer Force. The regiment was formally registered with the War Office on 27...
.
Headdress & Cap badge
In working dress the regiment wore the grey beret of the Royal Scots Dragoon GuardsRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...
. This was also worn by personnel attached from other arms and services such as Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
tradesmen, Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
Chefs or a Commanding Officer from a regular cavalry Regiment.
The scarlet hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
cap of the Ayrshire Yeomanry was adopted for wear with ceremonial uniforms with subalterns wearing silver peaks, as worn in the QOY, and field officers and above wearing gold peaks as would have been correct for the Ayrshire Yeomanry.
In "C" Squadron a red-white-green diced balmoral bonnet
Balmoral bonnet
The Balmoral is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Dating back to at least the 16th century, it takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown...
with cock feather was often worn in place of the scarlet cap.
The cap badge of the regiment consisted of the Lion Rampant of Scotland upon crossed lances under the Scottish Crown
Crown of Scotland
The Crown of Scotland is the crown used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. Remade in its current form for King James V of Scotland in 1540, the crown is part of the Honours of Scotland, the oldest set of Crown Jewels in the United Kingdom...
. It was the only British Army cap badge, at the time, to show the Scottish Crown. The cap badge of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland is very similar.
Upon establishment of the Regiment the "Mailed Fist" badge of the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
was worn which was superseded by cloth patch badges bearing the new Regiment's approved badge. Metal badges arrived later and were worn on a black cloth backing on the grey beret, and without backing on No 1 and No 2 Dress caps. Officers wore wire embroidered badges on their berets and side-caps, and the metal badge on No 1 and No 2 Dress caps.
Ceremonial Uniforms
The ceremonial uniforms (No1 and No 2 Dress) were based upon Ayrshire Yeomanry patterns with individual Squadron distinctions such as collar badges. B Squadron only wore the collar badges of the Lanarkshire Yeomanry with every squadron wearing buttons with the badge of The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry in order to represent that regiment's history.There were initially no specific collar badges for Regimental Staff such as the Honorary Colonel or a TA Commanding Officer and they continued to wear the accoutrements of their own Squadrons. Lieutenant General Sir Norman Arthur, a regular officer of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, wore the collar badges of the Headquarters Squadron (Lothians & Border Horse) whilst he was Honorary Colonel. Subsequently small, inwards facing, variants of the capbadge were produced as collar badges, in metal for No 2 Dress and in wire embroidery on a scarlet backing for No 1 Dress and Mess Kit.
Mess Kit in the patterns of the predecessor regiments could be worn but the accepted pattern was again that of the Ayrshire Yeomanry, with each squadron wearing distinctive embroidered collar badges (Gold Griffon's head on scarlet for A Sqn, Lanarkshire Eagle on scarlet for B Sqn, FFY/SH on scarlet for C Sqn, and Wheatsheaf on French Grey for HQ Sqn).
In No 1 Dress a Shoulder Belt was produced for officers in gold thistle lace, which was a copy of the Glasgow Yeomanry pattern. The Pouch was based on the Ayrshire Yeomanry pattern and was embroidered in gold and silver wire on a scarlet backing, the "AY" cypher being replaced by "SYC"
This basis of uniform upon the Ayrshire Yeomanry made the Scottish Yeomanry a "Gold Regiment" in that its accoutrements and lace were gold and not silver as is normally the case with Yeomanry regiments.
Officer's Rank Insignia
In combat dress officers rank insignia were embroidered onto a yellow background with the regimental title also embroidered in yellow.Stable Belt
The regimental stable beltStable belt
A stable belt is an item of uniform used in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. Stable belts or similar derivatives are also worn by the armed forced of other nations such as Denmark....
which was adopted was a reversed version of the Ayrshire Yeomanry belt. This was the colour of the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created as part of the reduction in the cavalry in the aftermath of World War I. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 15th The King's Hussars and the 19th Royal Hussars on 11 April 1922, becoming the...
' belts and with their pending amalgamation a ready stock was available.
Tartan
Through their service as Scottish Infantry BattalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s in the First World War each of the Squadrons could claim the rights to a Regimental tartan
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
; Hunting Erskine tartan from the Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
for the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire Yeomanries, Mackenzie of Seaforth tartan from the Highland Light Infantry
Highland Light Infantry
The Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
for the Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry and Government tartan from the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
for the Fife & Forfar Yeomanry. After the Second World War, in recognition of the strong links between them and the Royal Scots Greys, the Ayrshire Yeomanry's pipers wore Royal Stewart tartan, a prvilege confirmed by HRH the Duke of Rothesay (Earl of Carrick). However the Scottish Horse had a direct claim to the Murray of Atholl tartan, through their historic linkage with the Dukes of Atholl
Duke of Atholl
Duke of Atholl, alternatively Duke of Athole, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray...
, and this became the regimental tartan. As a Cavalry Regiment there would be little opportunity to wear tartan in uniform but a patch of Murray of Atholl tartan was often worn on the upper arm of combat dress in a precursor of today's TRFs
Tactical recognition flash
100px|thumb|Red and blue tactical recognition flash of the [[Royal Artillery]].A Tactical Recognition Flash is a coloured patch worn on the arm of combat clothing by members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force to distinguish their Regiment or Corps in the absence of a cap badge. It...
.
Memorials
Scottish National War Memorial, which was built after a proposal in 1917 by the 8th Duke of AthollJohn Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl
Colonel John George Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl KT GCVO CB DSO PC ADC , styled Marquess of Tullibardine until 1917, was a Scottish soldier and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
in Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
contains a memorial and book of remembrance to all Scottish Yeomanry's antecedent Regiments.
Affiliated Regiments and Formations
- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...
Affiliated Cadets
Now the Scottish Yeomanry's name is only continued by the Army Cadet ForceArmy Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
units who were affiliated to A & C Squadrons of the Scottish Yeomanry.