East and West Riding Regiment

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The East and West Riding Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army.

[edit] History

The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of the 3rd Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire (Yorkshire Volunteers), the 3rd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Yorkshire Volunteers) and the King's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry (Light Infantry) due to the reforms implemented in consequence of the Strategic Defence Review. The RHQ was based at Pontefract and the regiment, part of 15 (North East) Brigade, comprised one small Headquarter Company and 5 Rifle Companies:

• Waterloo Company

• Minden (Light Infantry) Company

• Quebec (Prince of Wales's Own) Company

• Imphal (Prince of Wales's Own) Company

• Ypres (Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Company

• Fontenay (Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Company

No new cap badge was created for this regiment, soldiers wore their former regimental cap badge or were badged according to the company they joined. Headquarter Company was a composite company with new recruits badged Light Infantry or according to their chosen trade. The regimental crest was a combination of the Light Infantry and the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire cap badges and crest from the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. During the summer of 2004 the regiment adopted a new Regimental Tactical Recognition Flash (TRF) of the White Rose of Yorkshire on a black background (this design was previously used by the 49 West Riding Division between the WWI and WWII).

In November 2004 the regiment dispatched a composite company (Normandy Company) to Basra, Iraq as part of 4 Armoured Brigade of the Multi-National Division (South East) for a 6-month tour-of-duty. The regiment contributed soldiers to each of the operation TELIC deployments during the life of the regiment.

As part of the Future Infantry Structure (FIS) restructuring of the army announced in 2004, the Light Infantry company was replaced by a company of Green Howards. The regiment became the Territorial battalion of the newly created Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) on 6th June 2006. The LI Company was reduced to a platoon and attached to D (RIFLES) Company, 5th (V) Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.