Formed in the aftermath of Second Boer War as part of the County of London Yeomanry, the WDs fought in the Battle of Gallipoli and led British forces onto the beaches during the Normandy Invasion in 1944.

[2][3] Following a string of defeats during Black Week in early December 1899, the British government realised that it would need more troops than just the Regular Army to fight the Second Boer War.

The 2nd County of London Imperial Yeomanry was formed on 24 August 1901 with four squadrons and a machine gun section, perpetuating the 24th (Metropolitan Mounted Rifles) Battalion.

[15][16] As an urban regiment, the yeomen were unable to supply their own horses, so the senior Westminster officers made use of their links to the highest ranks of Society to borrow mounts from the Household Cavalry for summer training camps.

[16][30] All squadrons were then withdrawn for security duties at Bethlehem, then operated on the right flank of the army, where on 27 December C Sqn repulsed a serious attempt by the Turks from Deir Ibn Obeid to recapture Jerusalem.

Among them was Captain Philip John Gardner VC MC, who had joined as a trooper before the war, commissioned and then transferred to the RTR, going on to win the Victoria Cross for saving the life of a badly wounded officer of the King's Dragoon Guards whose armoured car was out of action and under heavy fire.

To break through these defences at the start of the Normandy Invasion, the British produced a number of novel armoured fighting vehicles under Hobart's ingenious direction, including the Sherman Crab.

The Crab bore a rotating drum with dozens of chains attached; these detonated mines in its path to produce a beaten passage through the thickest of minefields.

Later in the month the regiment concentrated in camp at Stanswood in Hampshire, ready to embark for Normandy with 56 Crabs, 26 Shermans, 3 Armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) and 13 Scout cars; it still had 6 Scorpions on charge, but these were left behind, as were the 'Rollers'.

The Crabs were to form composite breaching teams with Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVREs) fitted with a variety of devices to make lanes through the enemy's beach defences.

He was then stopped by a large crater (probably from a British shell or bomb), but this was quickly bridged by an AVRE and Pear continued to flail a lane up the hill so that the DD tanks go move inland.

[43] In Z Bridging Sqn, Captain Roger Bell, leading No 6 Breaching Team, suffered a burnt-out starter motor, had to be towed off the LCT by an AVRE and was late on the beach.

Major Stanyon therefore took to his feet to direct the mass of Crabs, AVREs and DD tanks, despite heavy machine gun fire: he was awarded a Military Cross (MC).

Congestion on the beach was so bad that the Staffordshire Yeomanry only linked up at 13.00; the RE squadron was ineffective after heavy casualties in the landing and B Trp 22nd Dragoons had just two flails left to join the WDs in preparing the route.

It overtook the infantry at the Périers-sur-le-Dan ridge and reached Beuville by 14.30, but the flails had to wait while the mobile column fought off a large-scale counter-attack by 21st Panzer Division from Caen.

The following day A Sqn and a troop of AVREs helped 1st East Riding Yeomanry and 2nd Bn Royal Ulster Rifles in an attempt to advance beyond Périers.

They had 1,000 yards (910 m) of open country to cross under shell, mortar and machine gun fire, the 2nd Bn RUR losing almost 200 men and the 1st EYR four tanks.

[43][59][60] The Westminster Dragoons continued to serve as part of 79th Armoured Division throughout the campaign in Normandy and North West Europe, usually detached to assist other formations of 21st Army Group as required.

[41][61] For example, during Operation Constellation to capture Overloon and Venray, the Crabs of A and C Sqns deployed with the AVREs 617 Assault Sqn, RE, to support 3rd British Division and 6th Guards Tank Brigade.

By 18 October the squadron was down to five serviceable tanks, but Cooper and Carter pushed on into Venray, flailing the town's main street and piles of rubble ahead of the Guards' Churchills.

The rest of C Sqn (three Crabs under Capt Bell, Lt Pear and Sjt Birch) helped 1st Bn Herefordshire Regiment in an attack north-east of Deurne on 17 October, under heavy fire.

Lieutenant Brian Pear was killed the following day while supporting 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division in an attack on Meijel: when Sjt Birch's Crab was hit and the crew unable to bale out he placed his tank between them and the enemy.

[66][67] In a further small action at the end of November 1944, 12 flail tanks of A Squadron assisted units of the 11th Armoured Division in clearing a path through a minefield at the Battle of Broekhuizen.

By now the Crabs were being used as normal gun tanks: on 15 April C Sqn provided armoured support to 3rd Division at Wildeshausen, where they repelled a number of enemy counter-attacks as well as carrying out a minor offensive operation of their own.

[86] The squadron's most recent deployment was as a troop in support of the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards on Operation Cabrit in 2020/21 for a six month rotation in Estonia and Poland as part of NATO Enhanced Forward Presence.

[87][88] Since its resubordination the Squadron continues to contribute to and support 1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team operations by providing contingents or individual augmentees.

The unique plume was changed to white in 1910, shortly after King Edward's funeral, when a detachment of Westminster Dragoons lined the street at Marble Arch: it is thought that the purple dye had run in the rain.

[11] At Gallipoli in 1915 the dismounted 1/2nd CoLY wore khaki serge infantry uniforms and webbing equipment with a Wolseley helmet carrying the regimental flash; the only concession was that the puttee tapes were fastened at the bottom, cavalry style.

When the regiment rode into Palestine in 1917 the serge tunic was replaced in hot weather with a blue-grey shirt, and brown leather cavalry equipment was worn.

[g] The following officers have served as Honorary Colonel of the unit:[3][18] The 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons) have been awarded the following battle honours:[3] South Africa 1902 Courtrai, France and Flanders 1918, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915–17, Gaza, El Mughar, Jerusalem, Palestine 1917–18 Normandy Landing, Villers Bocage, Venraij, Meijel, Venlo Pocket, Roer, North-West Europe 1944–45