2nd County of London Yeomanry (The Westminster Dragoons)
In World War I, the regiment was attached to the London Mounted Brigade. It served in the Middle East from September 1914 until August 1917 and then reformed, first as XX Corps Cavalry Regiment then, in April 1918 as "F" Battalion, Machine Gun Corps.
During World War II, 2nd CLY served as a unit in the 79th Armoured Division.
The regimental history goes back to 1779, when it was formed as the London and Westminster Light Horse. It was repeatedly disbanded and reformed over the following fifty years as the Westminster Volunteer Cavalry.
It was reformed on 24 August 1901 as the 2nd County of London Imperial Yeomanry from South African war veterans with four squadrons and a machine gun section and in 1902 the name became 2nd County of London Imperial Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons), to continue the 1779–1829 regiment. On 1 April 1908, the regiment transferred to the Territorial Forces and then in 1920 to the Territorial Army.
On 26 March 1920, the regiment transferred to the Tank Corps as 22nd (London) Armoured Car Company (Westminster Dragoons), in 1939 changing its name to 22nd (Westminster Dragoons) Battalion in the Royal Tank Corps. After a short spell as 2 Officer Cadet Training Unit, on 30 November 1940, the regiment renamed as 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons), converted and transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps.
After the war, in 1947, it was reconstituted in the Territorial Army, based in London and in 1951 it became The Westminster Dragoons (2nd County of London Yeomanry). The regiment was amalgamated, on 1 May 1961, with "R" (Berkshire Yeomanry) Battery, 299 (Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, Berkshire Yeomanry, and The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars) Field Regiment RA, to form The Berkshire and Westminster Dragoons.
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