Yorkshire Regiment

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The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)
Cap badge of the Yorkshire Regiment
Active	6 June 2006-
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	1st Battalion - Air assault 2nd Battalion - Light Role 3rd Battalion - Armoured 4th Battalion - TA Reserve
Size	Four battalions
Part of	King's Division
Garrison/HQ	RHQ - York 1st Battalion - Catterick 2nd Battalion - Chepstow 3rd Battalion - Warminster 4th Battalion - York
Nickname	Yorkshire Warriors
Motto	Fortune Favours The Brave
March	Quick - Ça Ira Slow - The Duke of York
Anniversaries	Regimental Day D Day (6 June) Battalion Days Waterloo Day (18 June) Imphal Day (22 June) Yorkshire Day (1 August) Quebec Day (13 September) Alma Day (20 September)
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief: Deputy Colonel-in-Chief	HRH The Duke of York KG KCVO ADC(P) HG The Duke of Wellington KG LVO OBE MC DL
Colonel of the Regiment	Lt Gen JNR Houghton CBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) is one of the large infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of the following areas:

East Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
South Yorkshire Parts of South Yorkshire also form part of the recruiting area of The Rifles.

1 Formation
2 Battle honours
3 Courts Martial
4 Alliances
5 Order of Precedence
6 External links

[edit] Formation

The regiment's formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon and General Sir Mike Jackson as part of the restructuring of the infantry - it was formed from the merger of three regular battalions, plus a TA battalion:

1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (ex 1st Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire)
2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) (ex 1st Battalion, The Green Howards)
3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke Of Wellington's) (ex 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding))
4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (ex Prince of Wales's Own company of the East and West Riding Regiment, Green Howards company from the Tyne-Tees Regiment and two companies of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment from the East and West Riding Regiment)

The regiment was officially formed on the 6 June 2006. The TA battalion re-badged in TA Centres on the same day but later paraded publicly to rebadge in York on Saturday 10 June in the Museum Gardens, York. That same afternoon the affiliated Army Cadet Forces and Combined Cadet Forces detachments (approx 50) rebadged in Imphal Barracks, York.

HRH The Duke of York KCVO ADC has been appointed Colonel-in-Chief and His Grace The Duke of Wellington KG LVO OBE MC DL the Deputy Colonel-in-Chief by HM The Queen.

The 1st Battalion, initially serving as Air Assault Troops, is based at Somme Barracks in Catterick Garrison as part of 19 Light Brigade, before moving to Germany as a light role battalion in 2008. In Nov 2006 the Battalion was deployed on operations in Iraq (Op TELIC 9). The current Battalion Commanding Officer is Lieutant Colonel AT Jackson.

The 2nd Battalion, serving as light role infantry, is based at Beachley Barracks in Chepstow under the command of 52 Infantry Brigade. It will be moving to Weeton in June 2007. This is the first Regimental amalgamation The Green Howards have undergone in their 308 year history. The current Battalion Commanding Officer is Lieutant Colonel SJ Downey MBE.

The 3rd Battalion, serving as armoured infantry, is based at Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster, as the Land Warfare Centre Battle Group until 2008, then indefinitely at a new barracks within the same area. They retain the set of honorary colours presented to the 76th Foot, for service in India; however, these will only be on parade when the 3rd Battalion is in attendance. This is the only British battalion to carry two stands of colours. The current Battalion Commanding Officer is Lieutant Colonel AM Pullman.

The 4th Battalion (Territorial Army Reserve Infantry) has it's headquarters in Worsley Barracks, York. The TA Battalion supports the Regular Army on mobilisation and also forms the Civil Contingency Reaction Force (CCRF) in support of the emergency services if required. The headquarter company has also taken onto strength an assault pioneer platoon, based in Scarborough, re-rolled from 'A' Company of the Tyne-Tees Regiment. The battalion has personnel currently deployed on:- OP TELIC (IRAQ), OP OCULUS (BOSNIA) and OP HERRICK (AFGHANISTAN). The current Battalion Commanding Officer is Lieutant Colonel PA Simpson.

The 4th Battalion carries the Colours of the antecedent units of the:- 3rd Bn The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire (formerly the 2nd Bn The Yorkshire Volunteers), 4th/5th Bn The Green Howards (formerly the 1st Bn The Yorkshire Volunteers) and both the 3rd and 4th Bns of The Yorkshire Volunteers clearly demonstrating it's recent changing but ultimately circular recent history. All these Colours will be replaced along with the regular battalions Colours by 2010.

Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) on formation day

[edit] Battle honours

[edit] Second World War

Otta, Norway 1940, Withdrawal to Escaut, Defence of Arras, French Frontier 1940, Ypres-Comines Canal, Dunkirk 1940, St. Valery-en-Caux, Normandy Landing, Tilly sur Seulles, Odon, Fontenay Le Pesnil, Caen, Bourguebus Ridge, Troarn, Mont Pincon, St Pierre La Vielle, Cheel, Nederrijn, Aam, Venraij, Rhineland, Schaddenhof, Brinkum, Bremen, North-West Europe 1940 and 1944-45, Jebel Defeis, Keren, Ad Teclescan, Abyssinia 1940-41, Gazala, Cauldron, Mersa Matruh, Defence of Alamein Line, El Alamein, Mareth, Wadi ZigZaou, Akarit, North Africa 1940-42, 1942-43 and 1943, Banana Ridge, Medjez Plain, Gueriat el Atach Ridge, Tunis, Djebel Bou Aoukaz 1943, North Africa 1943, Primasole Bridge, Landing in Sicily, Lentini, Sicily 1943, Minturno, Anzio, Campoleone, Rome, Monte Ceco, Italy 1943-44 and 43-45, Sittang 1942, Pegu 1942, Paungde, Yenangyaung 1942, North Arakan, Maungdaw, Defence of Sinzweya, Imphal, Bishenpur, Kanglantonbi, Kohima, Meiktila, Capture of Meiktila, Defence of Meiktila, Rangoon Road, Pyawbwe, Arakan beaches, Chindits 1944, Sittang 1945, Burma 1942-45.

[edit] Post War

The Hook 1953, Korea 1952-53, Iraq 2003

[edit] Courts Martial

In December 2006, four members of the 3rd Battalion were court martialed for attempting to smuggle two deactivated (replica) pistols illegally out of Iraq to Osnabruck, Germany, in order to convert them back to use and sell them. The four men, who were all from the same platoon, were on their second, six month, tour of Iraq during Operation TELIC 5, as part of the 1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding). All pleaded guilty to various charges. Their platoon commander had been become aware of the issue and reported it to the commanding officer. At which point the matter was immediately placed in the hands of the Royal Military Police to investigate. A further four soldiers will be dealt with, in relation to the same incident in 2007. BBC News. - Courts Martial explained, BBC Q&A

In March 2007, six members of the 2nd Battalion may be court martialed at Catterick for the use and possession of drugs IC Wales Online. They tested positive during compulsory random screening tests at Beachley Barracks in Chepstow. Prior to the regiment formation, in June 2006, two previous drug screening tests showed 8 members of the 2nd battalion tested positive for Class B and C drugs in November 2005. A further 14 tested positive in September 2005.