W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry (W Sqn RY) are central London’s only Territorial Army cavalry unit.  W Sqn RY provides specialist armoured reconnaissance for the British Army during enduring operations and in time of war.

W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron is one squadron among the five which make up the Royal Yeomanry (RY), Britain’s senior and most prestigious volunteer cavalry regiment.

Every one of W Sqn RY’s part-time soldiers trains to be a Royal Armoured Corps crewman and an infantryman capable of conducting front-line operations.  In addition, every Royal Yeoman specialises in undertaking reconnaissance for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.  In recent years, the regiment’s soldiers have done all three jobs - armoured fighting vehicle crewman, infanteer and CBRN soldier - on operations as part of the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This flexibility has been W Sqn RY’s hallmark since the Westminster Dragoons were formed during the Boer War.  The WDs fought as infantry at Gallipoli and, in specially-adapted tanks, led British forces onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

Closer to the present day, in 2003 the whole squadron was mobilised for the Iraq war.

At the end of 2006, another group of soldiers from W Sqn RY was sent to serve six months’ operational duty on Operation TELIC in south-east Iraq under the command of H Squadron of the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), working in the infantry role.

Since 2007, W Sqn RY has been deploying officers and soldiers to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK as infantry and armoured fighting vehicle crewmen.

For the very latest news about W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry, visit the squadron’s official site by clicking here..