Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry
The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry is a unit of the Territorial Army ('TA') that was formed in 1961 as the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) by the amalgamation of two yeomanry regiments, the 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and the 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).
| Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry | |
| Active | 1 May 1961- |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Role | Reconnaissance (1 squadron) Signals support (1 squadron) |
| Size | 2 Squadrons |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps (1 squadron) Royal Signals (1 squadron) |
| Garrison/HQ | C (KSY) Squadron - Croydon 265 (KCLY) Squadron - Bexleyheath |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Colonel | The Rt Hon. Sir Nicholas Soames MP |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |   |
History
The unit was formed in 1961 as the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) by the amalgamation of two yeomanry regiments, the 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and the 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).[1] It served initially as an armoured reconnaissance regiment until 1967 and the re-organisation of the TA, when it was disbanded and reconstituted as three separate units:[1]
- 'C' Squadron, Royal Yeomanry
- 'R' Battery, The London and Kent Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 'A' Company, 8th Battalion, the Queen's Regiment
In 1969, the artillery battery was converted to (265 London & Kent) Squadron, part of 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment, the Royal Signals.[1] In 1971, this squadron was re-designated 265 (Kent and County of London Yeomanry) Squadron in 1971 and in 1987 the lineage was transferred to HQ (Kent and County of London Yeomanry) Squadron, part of 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment.[1]
Present day
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Today, the two squadrons remain as Sharpshooters, one of several old yeomanry regiments to maintain more than one unit within the Army Reserve:
- 'C' (Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry) Squadron Royal Yeomanry which and wears the cap badge and shoulder flashes of the Royal Yeomanry, and the collar dogs of the KSY.[2]
- 265 (Kent & County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)) Support Squadron, 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment which wears the cap badge of the Royal Signals and shoulder flashes marked 'KCLY'.[3]
Regimental museum
The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Museum is at Hever Castle in Kent.[4]
Honorary Colonels
Honorary colonels have been:[1]
- Colonel John Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny 1961-1962
- Major-General George Philip Bradley Roberts 1962-1970
- Colonel Sir William John Herbert de Wette Mullens 1970-1974
- Major-General The Rt. Hon. Gilbert Monckton, 2nd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley 1974-1979
- Lieutenant Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown 1979-1992
- Brigadier Sir Arthur Gooch 1992-2000
- Lieutenant-Colonel Julian Radcliffe 2000-2013
- Colonel Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames 2013-
See also
Lineage
References
- "Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "C (Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry) Squadron". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- "265 Support Squadron". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- "Hever Castle". Pastscape. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
Bibliography
- Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic. ISBN 1-898410-36-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Mollo, Boris, (1970). The Sharpshooters. The 3rd County of London Yeomanry and successor units 1900-1961. Kent and County of London Yeomanry 1961-1970, Historical Research Unit, London.