| Lothians and Border Horse | |
|---|---|
Cap Badge of The Lothians and Border Horse |
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| Active | 1797-1956 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Size | World War I, 3 Regiments World War II, 2 Regiments |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Engagements | Battle of Normandy Battle of the Scheldt Geilenkirchen salient Rhine crossing Elbe crossing Bou Arada Fondouk El Kourzia Battle of Tunis Liri Valley Arezzo Advance to Florence Gothic Line Argenta Gap |
The Lothians and Border Horse was a Yeomanry regiment, part of the British Territorial Army. It was ranked 36th in the Yeomanry order of precedence, and based in the Scottish Lowland area, recruiting in the Lothian and along the border with England.
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Raised in 1797, the Regiment comprised five battalions among which the "East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry" and the "Berwickshire Yeomanry". After several disbandments and re-risings, "The East Lothian and Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry" is formed in 1880 and becomes "The East Lothian and Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry" in 1900. In 1908, the regiment is named "The Lothians and Border Horse TF (Dragoons)".
Served as 19th Company 6th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa from 1900 until 1902 in the Second Boer War.
In August 1914 during World War I the Lothian and Border Horse Yeomanry was based in Edinburgh , they formed second and third line regiments named the 1/1st, 2/1st and 3/1st Lothians and Border Horse which together formed part of the Lowland Mounted Brigade.[1]
In the Summer of 1915, the 1/1st was split up as follows:[1]
Then on the May 11, 1917, A and D Squadrons formed the XII Corps cavalry regiment in Salonika, where they remained until the end of the war.[1]
The 2/1st Regiment was formed in September 1914, and atached to the Lowland Mounted Brigade.In July 1916, they converted into a cyclist unit and remained in Scotland until moving to Ireland in May 1918.[1]
The 3/1st Regiment was formed in 1915 and remained in the United Kingdom until absorbed by 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in early 1917.[1]
In 1922, the regiment joins the Territorial Army and becomes "19th (Lothians and Border Horse) Armoured Car Company RTC TA". In 1936, it is converted into an armoured regiment and is named "Lothians and Border Horse RAC TA".
Officially, the 1st Regiment is named (1st) Lothians and Border Yeomanry when 2nd Regiment is called (2nd) Lothians and Border Horse.
The 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry was part of the 51st Highland Division, that had been sent to reinforce the French Maginot Line and was serving there when the Germans started their offensive. Together with the rest of the Division, they attempted to rejoin the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), moving around the south of Paris they engaged the German Army south of the River Somme near Abbeville. Outnumbered, it fought a retreat of sixty miles in six days to the fishing port of St. Valery-en-Caux, where having run out of food, ammunition and other supplies they surrendered on June 12.[2]
Prior to this some of the regiment were evacuated during Operation Ariel, and went on to re-form the 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry which were attached to the 30th Armoured Brigade, 79th Armoured Division and returned to France on D Day, June 6, 1944. The regiment remained with 79th Armoured in North West Europe until the end of the war.
Casualties, from D-Day up to the end of the war, consisted of 17 men killed, 90 officers and other ranks wounded, and 16 officers and other ranks missing in action. Equipment losses were 4 Sherman Gun Tanks and 36 Sherman Crab Tanks destroyed.[3]
While part of 79th Armoured Division the 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry took part in the following battles:
The 2nd Lothians and Border Horse was from June 1940 - October 1940 part of the British 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade an interim formation formed due to the shortage of Tanks and Armoured Vehicle after the retreat from Dunkirk , then in October 1940 it was renamed the British 26th Armoured Brigade , which went on to form part of the British 6th Armoured Division[4]
While part of 6th Armoured Division the 2nd Lothians and Border Horse took part in the following battles
On assuming the role of divisional cavalry in 1939, the 1st Lothians lost the privilege of wearing the cloth tank insignia and when the unit went to France in 1940, the only permissible ornamentation on the blouse was the sign of the 48th (T.A.) Division, the blue macaw on a red background. Later it was decided that collar badges would be worn, at least by WOs and NCOs, during the period when the regiment served with the 51st (Highland) Division.
The reformed 1st Lothians chose the much greener shade of blanco for webbing equipment and collar badges were also issued to all ranks. Sleeve badges made a reappearance, worn on the chevrons (rather than above as in earlier times) by corporals and sergeants as an 'optional' extra, Those WOs who accepted the privilege, wore the gold-wire garb beneath their rank insignia. French-grey cloth shoulder titles, bearing 'LOTHIANS & BORDER YEOMANRY' in yellow lettering further distinguished the unit for a short period after it was reformed. On joining the 79th Armoured Division, these were displaced, as Divisional Orders stipulated that Royal Armoured Corps cloth titles would be worn by all R.A.C. regiments in the division. In late 1944, this order was rescinded and the regimental cloth titles restored.
The 2nd Lothians also adopted the French grey shoulder titles, in this case bearing 'LOTHIANS & BORDER HORSE'; but nothing else, apart from the divisional sign of the 6th Armoured Division, the mailed fist on a black background, was used to embellish the battle-dress blouse. During the period of the unit's service as a mobile machine gun unit, peaked or forage caps were worn by sergeants and above, whilst khaki field service caps were worn by other ranks. Only in the 2nd Lothians was the practice continued of having this traditional colour on the head-band of the peaked or forage cap. A number of officers also sported a French grey field service cap, edged with gold piping on off-duty occasions.[5]
Battledress features show little change from their wartime originals, except that other ranks were now permitted to wear collar and tie on off-duty periods. The practice of wearing regimental sleeve badges with rank insignia adopted by the 1st Lothians corporals and above in the early 1940s, was discontinued. Officers' service-dress reverted to the pre-war pattern with box-pleated pockets reappearing on the skirts of the tunic. With the return of peacetime conditions, a No. 1 Dress in dark blue was re-adopted, similar in form to that worn before the war. The officers' version was set-off with a French-grey stand-up collar. By the time of the Coronation in 1953, the features of this No. 1 Dress had altered considerably and illustrated, in the case of other ranks, both the horsed and mechanized eras of the regiment's history. Shoulder-straps were replaced by chains and the twin bands of scarlet separated by piping were restored to the trouser-seams. In the case of officers, the black beret was displaced by a peaked forage cap, similar in appearance to that worn at the turn of the century. This had a shiny peak, a head-band faced in scarlet and the seam on the crown was enhanced with piping in the same colour. Overalls were re-introduced, worn over Wellingtons with spurs.[5]
Regimental Secretary, RHQ RTR, Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6JA Tele: 01929 40 3331, Ext 3331