Queen's Own Yeomanry

Queen's Own Yeomanry
Queen's Own Yeomanry
	File:Qoy badge.png Cap Badge of The Queen's Own Yeomanry
Active	1 April 1971 - Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Territorial Army
Type	Yeomanry
Role	Formation Reconnaissance
Size	One Regiment
Part of	Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	RHQ - Newcastle; A Squadron - Ayr & Motherwell; B Squadron - Belfast ; C Squadron - Cupar & Forfar ; D Squadron - Newcastle & Sunderland ; Y Squadron - York & Hull
Colors	Blue & Gold
March	D'ye Ken John Peel
Commanders
Royal Honorary Colonel	General HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB OM AK QSO ADC
Honorary Colonel	Major General The Duke of Westminster KG CB OBE TD CD DL
Notable; commanders	The Duke of Westminster

The Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY) 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(T) family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, including Scimitar and Spartan.

On mobilisation, it provides squadrons to reinforce the regular formation reconnaissance regiments. It has provided personnel to both Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan and Operation TELIC in Iraq, who have served with their regular counterparts in the Royal Armoured Corps and other arms and services.

Organisation

The Regiment is part of 15 (North East) Brigade within the Army's 2nd Division.

It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and consists of five squadrons:

A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron
B (North Irish Horse) Squadron
C (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse) Squadron
D (Northumberland Hussars) Squadron
Y (Yorkshire Yeomanry) Squadron

Because of the geograpic spread of the regiment A and C Squadrons are administered by 51st (Scottish) Brigade and B Squadron is administered by 38 (Irish) Brigade, part of HQ Northern Ireland.

History

The Queens Own Yeomanry was initially formed on 1 April 1971 as the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment from five of the yeomanry units across the North and Middle of England and South West Scotland.

During the Cold War The Queen's Own Yeomanry were a BAOR Regiment with an Armoured Reconnaissance role in Germany.

With the Strategic Defence Review in 1999 the geographical locations of the QOY changed to encompass East Scotland and Northern Ireland and remains as such now.

Order of Precedence

For the purposes of parading, the Regiments of the British Army are listed according to an order of precedence. This is the order in which the various corps of the army parade, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme right being the most senior.

Preceded by Royal Mercian & Lancastrian Yeomanry	British Army Order of Precedence	Succeeded by Royal Regiment of Artillery (Volunteers)

Guidon

The Guidon, which is awarded by The Queen, is a flag of crimson silk damask embroidered and fringed with gold with the Regimental Battle Honours emblazoned upon it and the Regimental emblem embroidered in the centre.

On 22 September 2007 HRH Prince Charles, in his capacity as Royal Honorary Colonel of The Queen's Own Yeomanry, presented a new Guidon to the Regiment in an hour long ceremony in the grounds of Alnwick Castle.

Before the Parade each of the five Squadrons had their own Guidons reprenting them and their antecedent Regiments. This is the first Guidon the QOY has received since its formation. The old Guidons of the five Squadrons were marched off parade for the last time during the Alnwick Castle ceremony.

Armoured Vehicles

Initially equipped with Ferret, Saladin and later CVR(W) Fox armoured cars and CVR(T) armoured personnel carriers.

This changed in 1992 when Fox was withdrawn and they became equipped with the CVR(T) Sabre. This vehicle was created from the body of the Scorpion, and the turret of the Fox. This combination combined a 30 mm Rarden Cannon with the tracks.

Today, the CVR (T) Sabre has gone and the Regiment operates a in the similar Scimitar and Spartan armoured reconnaissance vehicles. These vehicles are from the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family.