The Royal Yeomanry

[GriffMJ]

Originally Posted by Alan O

Griff,

very interesting. I don't suppose you have a spare old type?

Alan

Hi Alan

I will consider a swap for all things LY or LDY

I do know that the lads at B squadron and the other squadrons are "losing" the old badge so they can get a new issue ......... so you might find that it becomes a rare item over the next few years

[GriffMJ]

Here is a pic of the "new" RY O/R badge on ebay (£8.99)

eBay No. : 310203255671



Still bloody awful as a regimental badge..... should have been a horse like the Northants Yeo.... something like that.

[Alan O]

Griff,

What is the height of the old badge?

Alan

[GriffMJ]

The first issued cap badge was looped N/S and large; Height = 44mm Width = 45mm

The Second issued cap badge was looped N/S and smaller; Height = 35mm Width = 35mm

There is now third issue, a slidered version made by Firmin I think?

RY, in No2 Dress, now wear Rifleman SD Caps (all green) ......in No1 Dress the scarlet Cavalry SD Cap is still worn. The Green cap is for no other reason than we get them "free" from the MOD. I can see the first issued large cap badge being worn as an NCOs arm badge/Pouch Badge in the future....watch this space. Still no news on the RY button yet.....

[Alan O]

Thanks, It is the first pattern one that I have then. That is good news if they have now stopped making them.

Alan

[GriffMJ]

Here are the first and second issue side by side (along with the third FIRMIN issue)....... the first issue was considered too big and therefore the smaller badge was made. Its not a popular badge amongst the ranks ....... its bland and is considered "Corporate" not Regimental........ it draws on no history from any of the Yeomanry Regiments that make up the RY.

[GriffMJ]

B (LDYPAO) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry marching through South Wigston on the freedom of the Borough parade, yesterday. Note the "Free" MOD Rifles Caps that have been issued for the new No2 dress....... please note the heanous mistake in dress code for the officers..... the junior Officers are all wearing "Field Officer" silver peaked caps (apparently purchased in ignorance of dress code )

[Peter Brydon]

Griff,

Reading your comments on the photo in the previous post rang a bell. In "Uniforms of the Royal Armoured Corps" by Malcolm Dawson,in the chapter on The Queens Own Hussars it says "Officers also wear the gold braided peak ( on their caps ) "

It would appear therefore that in some Cavalry regiments it was not unknown for all officers to wear the distinction reserved for Field Officers in other regiments.

Peter

[GriffMJ]

Originally Posted by 8thfoot

Griff,

Reading your comments on the photo in the previous post rang a bell. In "Uniforms of the Royal Armoured Corps" by Malcolm Dawson,in the chapter on The Queens Own Hussars it says "Officers also wear the gold braided peak ( on their caps ) "

It would appear therefore that in some Cavalry regiments it was not unknown for all officers to wear the distinction reserved for Field Officers in other regiments.

Peter

Peter

Not ours though.... thats the point Nevermind... some of us just find going against tradition a bit like fingernails on a blackboard.

Any way..... below is the Sqn Leader A (RWYPWO) Sqn and a corporal in Blues. It was said that in Blues the scarlet caps would be retained, but that was a selling point to get the green caps in No2s. Still no RY buttons yet and the Other Ranks Green caps are "Rifles" with the RY badge in it.

"Change" will always happen...... I suppose its for the good blah blah blah...... but we dont have to like it.

[Anodisedbob]

What cap buttons do they wear? plain hussars??

Originally Posted by GriffMJ

Peter

Not ours though.... thats the point Nevermind... some of us just find going against tradition a bit like fingernails on a blackboard.

I have actually air brushed the Guidon party back to scarlet LDY caps..... because it looked so hideous (Blue and Green must not be seen and all that - I will change the photo back... but I am having a mini protest at the moment!). Any way..... below is the Sqn Leader A (RWYPWO) Sqn and a corporal in Blues. It was said that in Blues the scarlet caps would be retained, but that was a selling point to get the green caps in No2s. Still no RY buttons yet and the Other Ranks Green caps are "Rifles" with the RY badge in it.

"Change" will always happen...... I suppose its for the good blah blah blah...... but we dont have to like it.

[GriffMJ]

Originally Posted by Anodisedbob

What cap buttons do they wear? plain hussars??

RWYPWO (A Sqn RY) wear their own small button, Crown over feathers.
LDYPAO (B Sqn RY) wear plain hussars.

I think the rest of the Squadrons wear their own pattern.

[GriffMJ]

The Royal Yeomanry Officers cap is bottle green and the Other Ranks have been issued with "The Rifles Regiment" SD Cap. I have put forward the suggestion that the black "detacheable" central band is removed from the ORs SD cap as this is a "Rifles" attribute. Removal of the band will reveal the green cloth underneath ....... making the cap more "Royal Yeomanry" The black welts would still remain but at least the body of the cap would be bottle green and a difference from "the black mafia".

The RY intend to "uniform" all the Squadrons into one identity, the Green cap represents the "Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry". The SRY traditionally had a plain green SD Cap for the Other Ranks and the SRY Officers had a yellow welt in top of their green hat.

I cant help but think of the "3rd (QAO) Gurkha Rifles"....... but there you go.

[charlie_cong]

@ Griff MJ

Has RHQ RY approached any tailors with patterns for Officers' No1 dress and side hats?

I recently approached Herbie Js to be told they had none. Perhaps the regiment has commissioned another tailor?

Grateful for any help

[Dr_Evil]

Originally Posted by GriffMJ

B (LDYPAO) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry marching through South Wigston on the freedom of the Borough parade, yesterday. Note the "Free" MOD Rifles Caps that have been issued for the new No2 dress....... please note the heanous mistake in dress code for the officers..... the junior Officers are all wearing "Field Officer" silver peaked caps (apparently purchased in ignorance of dress code )

From current RY dress regs, ref the forage cap:

"Head Dress: Forage Cap – Rifle Green, Black Peak. Black Chinstrap, 2 Silver Buttons as per Ser 2 (ie, dome silver, embossed with Princess Alexandra's Cypher), (size 22 line). Officers to have silver braid on front edge of peak."

[Dr_Evil]

Originally Posted by GriffMJ

There is no regimental significance to this design....... its the usual bland "corporate" choice from the usual bland Officers that made the choice.

The broad "chunter" amongst the rank & file would have been happy with a more equestrian badge..... something that reflected our collective yeomanry cavalry heritage.

The badge is the heraldic badge of Princess Alexandra...... an unheard of Royal that became honorary Colonel on the demise of the Queen Mum. Its a very "sicofantic" choice of badge.

The Royal Yeomanry capbadge is based on the royal monogram of Princess Alexandra:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...ra_of_Kent.svg

Whether or not it was a sycophantic choice is not for me to say. But perhaps a real spotter out there might be able to tell us whether it is heraldically correct for a regiment bearing the designation "Royal" to swap out the monarch's crown (as was visible in the capbadges of A (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Squadron, B (Leicester and Derbyshire Yeomanry) Squadron, C (Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry), S (Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry) Squadron and W or HQ (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron) with that of a minor royal.

BTW the badge was introduced "after" service in theatre....... all attached men that go out now wear the cap badge of the regiment they are attached to. So the RY badge has no real significance now anyway........

That's not correct. The proper form is for IRs to retain two items of their regimental accoutrements, one of which is their capbadge. See, for example, the fine fellow on the cover of the document linked to here:

http://www.westminsterdragoons.co.uk...0Feb%20PDF.pdf

He was serving with 2RTR but wearing the WD capbadge (cheeky, as by then the RY had adopted the new one). I wore the RY capbadge on my tam o'shanter when serving with 2 SCOTS in Afghanistan in 2008, like a good boy.

I agree with your view that the RY capbadge is bland. Your main point, that a link to county or even region is better than an utterly generic identity, is even more bang-on. The primary motive for the adoption of the single capbadge was the RY's lack of recognisability. But (in my view) that is the result of its utterly generic name rather than a problem with the badge. The classic capbadge-related conversation goes like this:

"Nice croquet-hoop capbadge. What regiment are you in?"
"The Royal Yeomanry."
"What, the Royal Wessex Yeomanry?"
"No."