Fife and Forfar Yeomanry#Honorary Colonels and Commanding Officers

The Kirkcaldy Troop was raised in 1797 but, after becoming the Fife Yeomanry Cavalry in 1803, it was disbanded in 1828.{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fife.htm|title=Fife Yeomanry Cavalry|publisher=Regiments.org|access-date=13 November 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416023727/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fife.htm|archive-date=16 April 2007}} The unit was re-raised as the Fife Yeomanry Cavalry in 1831 but was disbanded again in 1838. It was raised again as the 1st Fifeshire Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1860.

Meanwhile, the Forfar Yeomanry was raised in 1794 but it was also disbanded in 1828.{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/forfar.htm|title=Forfarshire Yeomanry Cavalry|publisher=Regiments.org|access-date=13 November 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070419073427/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/forfar.htm|archive-date=19 April 2007}} The unit was re-raised as the Forfarshire Yeomanry in 1856 but disbanded again in 1862. It was raised again as the 1st Forfarshire Light Horse Volunteer Corps in 1876.

On 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces to serve in the Second Boer War was made. Due to the string of defeats during Black Week that same month, the British government realised they were going to need more troops than just the regular army, thus issuing a Royal Warrant on 24 December. This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry (IY). The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide service companies of approximately 115 men each. In addition to this, many British citizens (usually mid-upper class) volunteered to join the new regiment. The two regiments co-sponsored the 20th (Fife and Forfarshire Light Horse) Company, IY, which served in 6th (Scottish) Battalion, IY.{{cite web | title=Boer War Notes | url=http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Regiments/BoerWarNotes.html | access-date = 11 June 2007}}

In 1901 the 1st Fifeshire Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps and the 1st Forfarshire Light Horse Volunteer Corps amalgamated to form the Fifeshire and Forfarshire Imperial Yeomanry.{{London Gazette |issue=27317 |date=24 May 1901 |page=3561}} The word "Imperial" was dropped from the title on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908.

{{command structure

|name= The Fife and Forfar Light Horse
and
Fife and Forfar Imperial Yeomanry

|date=1895–1915

|parent=

|subordinate="A" Sqn – Cupar
"B" Sqn – Dunfermline
"Forfarshire" Sqn – Dundee

}}

The regiment was based at Hunter Street in Kirkcaldy at this time.{{cite web|url=http://marksrussianmilitaryhistory.info/BRIT14.html|title=The British Army 1914|publisher=Mark Conrad|access-date=24 June 2017}}

{{Highland Mounted Brigade}}

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9), which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.{{harvnb|Rinaldi|2008|p=35}}

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 moving to France in 1918.{{cite web|url=http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-yeomanry-regiments-of-1914-1918/fife-forfar-yeomanry/|title=Fife & Forfar Yeomanry|publisher=The Long, Long Trail|access-date=13 November 2017}}

The 2nd Line regiment was formed in September 1914 and in January 1915 was assigned to the 2/1st Highland Mounted Brigade.{{harvnb|James|1978|p=19}} On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence;{{harvnb|James|1978|p=36}} the brigade was numbered as 1st Mounted Brigade and joined the 1st Mounted Division in Norfolk. In July 1916, the 1st Mounted Division was reorganised as the 1st Cyclist Division and the regiment was transferred as a mounted unit to the 2nd Mounted Brigade in the new 1st Mounted Division (the former 3rd Mounted Division) in the Brentwood area.

In November 1916, the regiment was converted to a cyclist unit in 6th Cyclist Brigade at Ashington in Northumberland. By July 1917, it was at Acklington and it remained there until early 1918 when it went to Ireland with the 6th Cyclist Brigade. It was stationed at The Curragh until the end of the war.

The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915; that summer, it was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Aldershot. In June 1916, it was at Perth. The regiment was disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line or to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Black Watch at Ripon.

On 7 February 1920, the Regiment was reconstituted in the Territorial Army with HQ still at Kirkcaldy. Following the experience of the war, it was decided that only the fourteen most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry,{{harvnb|Mileham|1994|p=48}} with the rest being transferred to other roles.{{harvnb|Mileham|1994|p=50}} As a result, on 6 January 1921, the Regiment was one of eight{{efn|The eight yeomanry regiments converted to Armoured Car Companies of the Royal Tank Corps (RTC) were:{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/RTR.htm |title=The Royal Tank Regiment at regiments.org by T.F.Mills |access-date=3 January 2006 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503004203/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/RTR.htm |archive-date=3 May 2007 }}

• 19th (Lothians and Border) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from Lothians and Border Horse
• 20th (Fife and Forfar) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
• 21st (Gloucestershire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
• 22nd (London) Armoured Car Company (Westminster Dragoons), Royal Tank Corps from Westminster Dragoons
• 23rd (London) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
• 24th (Derbyshire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from Derbyshire Yeomanry
• 25th (Northamptonshire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from Northamptonshire Yeomanry
• 26th (East Riding of York Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps from East Riding Yeomanry

}} converted and reduced to 2nd (Fife and Forfar) Armoured Car Company, Tank Corps, later renumbered as 20th (Fife and Forfar) Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps. On 30 April 1939, it was transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps.{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fifefor.htm |title=The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills |access-date=1 March 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301012514/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fifefor.htm |archive-date=1 March 2007 }}

By 1939, it had become clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit forming a duplicate.{{cite web | url=http://www.army.mod.uk/reserve/31793.aspx | title=History of the Army Reserve | publisher=MOD | access-date=2 April 2014}} The Lothians were expanded to an armoured regiment in August 1939 as the 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and formed a duplicate 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in the same month.{{harvnb|Bellis|1994|p=18}}

File:ChurchillTank.jpg as used by the 1st FFY in World War II ]]

The 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry landed in France as reconnaissance regiment for the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division in the British Expeditionary Force in September 1939 and then took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7r-F7FxtrYC&q=%22Fife+and+Forfar+Yeomanry%22+Dunkirk&pg=PR306|title=Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man|first=Hugh |last=Sebag-Montefiore|year=2015|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0241972267}} The battalion later served in the United Kingdom with the 28th Armoured Brigade in the 9th Armoured Division[http://www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitSubordinates?UniX=3273 Ordersofbattle.com 9th Armoured Division subordinates] until August 1944 when it moved to North West Europe and saw action at the crossing of the Rhine with the 31st Armoured Brigade in the 79th Armoured Division in March 1945.{{cite web |url=http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/939BXAC.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702060839/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/939BXAC.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 July 2015 |title=Organization of British Tank Brigades 1939–1945 |work=Combined Arms Research Library |publisher=U.S. Army |access-date=30 November 2016}}

The 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry took part in the Normandy landings with the 29th Armoured Brigade in the 11th Armoured Division in June 1944.{{harvnb|Joslen|1990|p=180}} It subsequently saw action in Operation Epsom in June 1944, Operation Goodwood in July 1944, Operation Bluecoat in August 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.{{cite web|url=http://www.battleofthebulgememories.be/en/stories/british-army/203-the-british-in-the-battle-of-the-ardennes.html|title=The British in the Battle of the Ardennes|publisher=Battle of the Bulge Memories|access-date=13 November 2017}}

When the Territorial Army was re-formed in May 1947, the regiment resumed its pre-war role as an Armoured Car Regiment. It amalgamated with the Scottish Horse to form the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse in 1956. Although The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse was disbanded in 1975, the linage is maintained by "C" Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse Squadron of The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry based in Cupar in Fife.{{cite web | url=http://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/28480.aspx | title=The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry | publisher=MOD | access-date=6 November 2015}}

A book of remembrance is housed at Cupar Old Parish Church{{cite web|url= http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/57984 |title= Fife and Forfar Yeomanry|publisher=Imperial war Museum|access-date=13 November 2017}} and 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) at Kincardine on Forth.{{cite web|url= http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-post-29013.html|title= Tulliallan Old Churchyard (also known as Woodlea Old Cemetery)|publisher= The Scottish Military Research Group – Commemorations Project|access-date=13 November 2017}}

File:Comet tanks of the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, crossing the Weser at Petershagen, 7 April 1945. BU3198.jpg

The battle honours of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 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 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was awarded the following battle honours (honours in bold are emblazoned on the regimental colours):

The regiment's guidon is laid up in Cupar Old and St Michael of Tarvit Parish Church.{{cite web|url= https://scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/cupar-old-st-michael-of-tarvit-parish-church/|title= Cupar Old and St Michael of Tarvit Parish Church|date= 4 July 2017|publisher=Scotland’s Churches Trust|access-date=13 November 2017}}

File:Ffy belt.png

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.thaneofife.org.uk/|title=Introduction|publisher=The Thane of Life|access-date=13 November 2017}} The black beret of the Royal Tank Regiment was worn as regimental headdress.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/84/a2766684.shtml|title=The Impressive Uniform: 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 November 2017}} The regiment wore a stable belt in the regimental colours of crimson and yellow with a dark blue stripe.As shown in the photograph

The Quick March of the Regiment was "Wee Cooper of Fife".{{cite web|url=http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiCOOPFIFE;ttCOOPFIFE.html|title=The Wee Cooper of Fife|access-date=13 November 2017}}

Affiliated regiments and formations were as follows:

• {{UK}} – 1st The Royal Dragoons

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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4t8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT433 |title=British Rail Main Line Locomotives Specification Guide|first= Pip|last= Dunn |year= 2013|publisher=Crowood|isbn=978-1847976420}}

{{Portal|United Kingdom}}

• Imperial Yeomanry
• List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
• Yeomanry
• Yeomanry order of precedence
• British yeomanry during the First World War
• Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Bellis | first = Malcolm A.

| year = 1994

| title = Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Armour & Infantry)

| publisher = Military Press International

| location = London

| isbn = 0-85420-999-9

}}

• {{cite book

| last = James | first = Brigadier E.A.

| year = 1978

| title = British Regiments 1914–18

| publisher = Samson Books Limited

| location = London

| isbn = 0-906304-03-2

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Joslen | first = Lt-Col H.F.

| year = 1990

| orig-year = 1st. Pub. HMSO:1960

| title = Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939–1945

| publisher = London Stamp Exchange

| location = London

| isbn = 0-948130-03-2

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Mileham | first = Patrick

| year = 1994

| title = The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition

| publisher = Canongate Academic

| location = Edinburgh

| isbn = 1-898410-36-4

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Rinaldi | first = Richard A

| year = 2008

| title = Order of Battle of the British Army 1914

| publisher = Ravi Rikhye

| isbn = 978-0-97760728-0

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hzUZ-26KYQ4C

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Anstruther-Thomson | first = Colonel, FLH

| year = 1892

| title = A History of the Fife Light Horse

| publisher = William Blackwood

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Burgoyne | first = Captain Gerald

| year = 1904

| title = The Fife and Forfar Imperial Yeomanry and its Predecessors

| publisher = J and G Innes

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Dewar | first = Thomas

| year = 1901

| title = With the Scottish Yeomanry

| publisher = Buncle

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Gilmour | first = Capt John

| author-link = Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet

| year = 1994

| title = Clearly My Duty

| publisher = Tuckwell Press

| isbn = 978-1898410348

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Ogilvie | first = Major D.D.

| year = 1921

| title = The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 1914-1919

| publisher = John Murray

| url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18468

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Sellar | first = R.J.B.

| year = 1960

| title = Fife & Forfar Yeomanry 1919–1956

| publisher = William Blackwood & Sons

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Sturrock | first = Corporal JP

| year = 1903

| title = The Fifes in Africa

| publisher = A, Westwood

}}

{{Commons category|Fife and Forfar Yeomanry}}

• {{cite web | publisher=The Long, Long Trail | access-date=6 April 2015 | last=Baker | first=Chris | title=The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry | url=http://www.1914-1918.net/fifeyeo.htm }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fifefor.htm |title=The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills |access-date=1 March 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140005/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vcav/fifefor.htm |archive-date=15 July 2007 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071112044957/http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/amot-search/default.asp?Category=Amot&Service=Museum-Display&reference=0000000033 FFY Collection Details With Ogilby Trust]
• [http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-post-29013.html The Scottish War Memorials Project]

{{British Cavalry Regiments World War I}}

{{RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fife And Forfar Yeomanry}}

Category:Yeomanry regiments of the British Army

Category:Yeomanry regiments of the British Army in World War I

Category:Regiments of the British Army in World War II

Category:Scottish regiments

Category:Highland regiments

Category:Military units and formations in Dundee

Category:Military units and formations in Fife

Category:Military units and formations in Forfarshire

Category:Military units and formations established in 1793

Category:1794 establishments in Scotland

Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1956