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

HQ (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 HQ 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 HQ 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 HQ 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, HQ 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 HQ (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry, visit the squadron’s official site by clicking here..