| The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
Cap Badge of The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry |
|
| Active | 1793-1956 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Role | Armoured |
| Size | One Regiment |
| Nickname | The Fifes Knife and Forkers[1] |
| Motto | Pro Artis Et Focis Latin: "for Hearth and Home" |
| March | Quick March(band) - Wee Cooper of Fife; Slow March(band) Bonnie Dundee |
| Insignia | |
| Regimental Colours | |
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (FFY) was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse.
It was raised to counter a the threat of invasion by France in the late 18th Century but first saw service in the Boer War. The Regiment saw heavy fighting in both the Great War and World War II.
Today the combined regiments are perpetuated by "C" (FFY/SH) Squadron of The Queen's Own Yeomanry based in Cupar in Fife.
At the start of the Boer War volunteers from the Fife and Forfar Light Horse whose regiment could not be sent overseas volunteered to form The 20th (Fife and Forfar) Company Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa.
The Company served in South Africa from early 1900 and during it campaign received a total of 500 officers and men from the Fife and Forfar Light Horse.
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In 1901 the regiment became the Fife and Forfar Imperial Yeomanry.
The "Imperial" was dropped from the title on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908.
They were dismounted and eventually became The 14th (FFY) Battalion, of The Black Watch As part of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division they served in Egypt and Palestine in 1917 and 1918 before being moving to France in 1918.
After the First World War, the FFY converted to armoured cars and became the 20th (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps.
The 1st FFY
51st (Highland) Infantry Division
The 2nd FFY
When the Territorial Army was re-formed in May 1947, the FFY resumed their pre-war role as an Armoured Car Regiment.
On 1 November 1956 the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse was formed by the amalgamation of the FFY with The Scottish Horse both Regiments were in the Royal Armoured Corps and had neighbouring recruiting areas. The Fife and Forfar retained two squadrons and the brass band under the new structure, but a new combined cap badge was designed and the new regiment would wear the Atholl Bonnet of The Scottish Horse as their head dress.
The Scottish National War Memorial, which was built after a proposal in 1917 by the Duke of Atholl in Edinburgh Castle contains a memorial and book of remembrance to all Scottish Regiments.
There is a carved stone plaque dedicated to 'To the memory of all ranks - The Fife Light Horse and The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 1860–1918' inside the ruined church building at Tulliallan Old Churchyard (also known as Woodlea Old Cemetery) Kincardine on Forth. See The Scottish War Memorial Project external link below.
A Fife and Forfar Memorial Font together with a book of remembrance is housed at Cupar Old Parish Church. The font was dedicated on the 6th May 1951.
Another memorial was gifted by The Regiment to the Parish Church of Forfar (Old) on Sunday 28 October 1951.
On the 7th September 2001 the South-of the Border Group of the Regimental Association dedicated a plaque, tree and bench in Yeomanry Avenue at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas near Lichfield, to those of the 1st and 2nd FFY who gave their lives 1939-1945.
The battle honours of the FFY are displayed on the guidon which was laid up at Cupar Old Parish Church when the Regiment was amalgamated. After amalgamation the battle honours were carried on to the Guidon of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse and today are represented on the Guidon of the Queen's Own Yeomanry.
The FFY's 1st Guidon which displayed the Regiments Boer War battle honours was presented on 17 July 1909 at the Carthaugh, Cupar by the 9th Earl of Elgin, Lord-Lieutenant of Fife.
On the 2nd October, 1955 a new Guidon with World War I battle honours added was presented again at the Carthaugh, Cupar by Lieutenant-General Horatius Murray (standing in for Field-Marshal Sir John Harding who had just been assigned to the job of Governor of Cyprus). The 1909 guidon was laid up on the 25th July, 1956 in the Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle.
The Regiments World War II battle honours were not awarded until after amalgamation with the Scottish Horse in 1956 and so they are displayed on the Guidon of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse presented in 1958. The FFY's 1955 Guidon was laid up on 2 November 1958 in Cupar Old Parish Church.
| List of Honorary Colonels |
List of Commanding Officers/ Officer Commanding |
|
|---|---|---|
| The Fife and Forfar Light Horse (1793–1901) |
Col J Anstruther-Thomson (1793–1797) Sir William Erskine (1797–1798) Earl of Crawford (1798–1803) Lt Col Morison of Naughton 1803-1809 Col J Anstruther-Thomson of Charlton(1809–1823) Col W Wemyss of Cuttlehill 1823-1828 General R Balfour of Balbirnie 1831-1837 Colonel Carnegie of Lour (1838-?) Major Randle Jackson 1875-1886 Lt Gen The Earl of Rosslyn (1860–1866) Lt Col Anstruther Thomson(1866–1895) Col Sir John Gilmour 1st Bt (1895–1901) |
|
| 20th Company of The Imperial Yeomanry (1900–1901) |
Col Sir John Gilmour 1st Bt | Capt Chapel Hodge Capt R Purvis Capt J Gilmour, |
| The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (1901–17) |
Col Sir John Gilmour 1st Bt | Lt Col TH Erskine of Grangemuir VD Lt Col A Mitchell of Luscar (1914–1915) |
| The FFY during The Great War (1914–19) |
Col Sir John Gilmour 1st Bt Col TH Erskine of Grangemuir VD |
Lt Col Sir John Gilmour DSO 2nd Bt Lt Col J Younger DSO Lt Col JM MacKenzie Lt Col DD Ogilvie, |
| 20th (FFY) Armoured Car Coy, Royal Tank Corps (1920–39) |
Col TH Erskine of Grangemuir VD Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet (1931[2]) |
Lt Col Lindsay 1919 Lt Col RGO Hutchison 1937 Lt Col DE Carnegy-Carnegy of Lour 1937 Lt Col WGC Black 1938 |
| 1st FFY, Royal Armoured Corps (Sept 1939 to Jun 1946) |
Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet | Lt Col RG "Ponto" Sharp Sept 1939-May 1940 Lt Col GJ de W Mullens Jun 1940-Mar 1942 Lt Col EL Fanshawe Mar 1942-Aug 1943 Lt Col WGN Walker MC Aug 1943-Jun 1945 Lt Col R de C Vigors DSO Jun 1945-Jun 1946 |
| 2nd FFY, Royal Armoured Corps (Sept 1939 to Jan 1946) |
Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet Col The Viscount Younger DSO TD[3] |
Lt Col AH McIntosh OBE Sept 1939-Dec 1940 Lt Col ES Sword Jan 1941-Oct 1941 Lt Col KC Cooper Oct 1941-Oct 1942 Lt Col ABJ Scott DSO MC Oct 1942-Nov 1945 Maj JD Hutchison MC Nov 1945-Jan 1946 |
| The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (May 1947 to Nov 1956) |
Col The Viscount Younger DSO TD, Col ME Lindsay DSO DL Col WCG Black OBE MC TD |
Lt Col J Murray-Prain DSO OBE TD DL ?-1948 Lt Col Sir John Gilmour, 3rd Bt DSO TD DL 1948-1950 |
The cap badge of the FFY is a mounted knight (The Thane of Fife). It was also worn on the collars of the officers and men of the Squadron and on the arms above the chevrons of all Senior Non- Commissioned Officers.
Unlike all other ranks the Squadron Sergeant Majors, the RSM and the SQMS wore a brown leather cross belt with No 2 Dress, officers cap badges, brown shoes and brown gloves.
The F&FIY wore a brick coloured slouch hat with a short blue plume (Band members wore red plumes)
As a part of the RTC the black beret became regimental head dress in 1924 and was worn up until amalgamation with the Scottish Horse in 1956 when it was replaced by the Atholl Bonnet.
During World War II the 2nd FFY wore a square of Ancient Hunting McIntosh tartan as a badge backing on their berets. The tartan was worn in honour of Lieut Col A.H. McIntosh who had helped raise the 2nd Regiment in April 1939 and was their first commanding officer.
The side hat of the Officers is navy with a red top and silver piping.
The FFY wore a stable belt in the regimental colours of crimson and yellow with a dark blue stripe.
Unusually for Regiment located in Scotland, The FFY regiment had its own brass band rather than a pipe band, which at various times was mounted until the Boer War.
The Quick March of the Regiment was "Wee Cooper of Fife".
The Slow March of the Regiment was "Bonnie Dundee"
A British Rail Class 55 'Deltic' diesel locomotive D9006 (later 55006), built between 1961 and 1962 by English Electric, was named after the Regiment. It was designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. A replica of the Locomotive's name plate is on display in Yeomanry House, Cupar.