City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders)

The City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders)
Active	23 July 1901-1 May 1961
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Yeomanry
Role	Cavalry (1901) Artillery (1920) Anti-aircraft (1938) Armour (1947) Infantry (1956) Signals (1969)
Garrison/HQ	The Guildhall, Finsbury Square
Nickname	Rough Riders
Motto	Domine Dirige Nos (Lord, direct us)
Mascot	The Lobster
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1952)
Notable commanders	R.B. Colvin; Frederick Colin Maitland, 14th Earl of Lauderdale

The City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) was a yeomanry regiment of the British Territorial Army, formed in 1901 and amalgamated in 1961.

It was originally formed in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War as the 20th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. The battalion's adopted nickname of "Rough Riders" originated from a US cavalry regiment that fought in the Spanish-American War. An additional battalion, the 22nd Rough Riders, was formed in 1901 from the 20th.

After the 20th Battalion was disbanded in 1901, a new regiment was formed from Boer War veterans. The regiment was entitled the City of London Imperial Yeomanry (Rough Riders), with headquarters at the Guildhall. The HQ later transferred to Finsbury Square and the regiment, upon joining the newly established Territorial Force in 1908, retitled as the 1st City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders). At the beginning of the First World War, the regiment consisted of four squadrons attached to the London Mounted Brigade. Two duplicate battalions were raised in 1914 and 1915, designated as the 2/1st and 3/1st respectively. The 2/1st served with the 2/2nd Mounted Division.

The original 1/1st initially served as dismounted infantry in Gallipoli, where it fought in the Battle of Scimitar Hill. The yeomanry suffered heavy casualties before it was evacuated to Egypt, after which it moved to Salonika in 1916. Following its return to Egypt in 1917, the regiment participated in the Allied advance into Ottoman-controlled Palestine. In 1918, it formed E Battalion, Machine Gun Corps, which served on the Western Front.

After reconstitution in the Territorial Force in 1920, the regiment was reduced to a battery of the 11th (Honourable Artillery Company and City of London Yeomanry) Regiment, RHA. In 1938, as World War II approached, the battery was split off to form the 11th (City of London Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, part of which served in a defensive role at Bentley Priory, the RAF's Fighter Command headquarters in Stanmore, Middlesex. The remainder of the regiment was in London during the Blitz. Service in North Africa and Italy followed from 1942 to the end of the war.

The City of London Yeomanry was reconstituted in 1947 as an armoured regiment within the Royal Armoured Corps. A further conversion to infantry occurred in 1956, when it became a battalion of the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). On 1 May 1961, the Rough Riders amalgamated with the Inns of Court Regiment, to form the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry.

In April 1967, the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve replaced the old Territorial Army. The unit was then reduced in size to form 68 (Inns of Court & City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron, within the 71st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals. Although the new squadron did not inherit the freedoms of the boroughs that its predecessors had been awarded, it has maintained the Rough Riders' annual tradition of providing an escort to the Lord Mayor of London at the annual Lord Mayor's Show. Its heritage can also be seen in both the officers' metal cap badge (which shows the four Inns of Courts' coats of arms overlaid by those of the City of London); and in the cloth cap badge (which shows the Inns of Court Regiment's Devil holding the Rough Riders' cavalry spur).

In 2009, the IC&CY in turn merged with The Essex Yeomanry to form The Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry (ICCEY).

Battle honours

• South Africa 1900-02
• The Great War: Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18, Macedonia 1916-17, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Rumani, Egypt 1915-16, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Palestine 1917-18
• The Second World War: As battle honours are not awarded to the Royal Artillery, the honour of "1942-45", with scrolls "Italy" and "North Africa", was conferred upon the regiment as part of its RA cap badge.

References

External links last verified on 19 January 2009

• The Long, Long Trail (1914-18)
• The Royal Artillery 1939-45
• Official British Army site - 71st Signals Regiment