Lothian and Border Horse

The Lothians and Border Horse  was a Yeomanry regiment, part of the British Territorial Army. It was ranked 36th in the Yeomanry order of precedence and was based in the Scottish Lowland area, recruiting in the Lothian and along the border with England.

Origins
Raised in 1797, the Regiment comprised five troops among which the "East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry" and the "Berwickshire Yeomanry". After several disbandments and re-risings, "The East Lothian and Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry" was formed in 1880 and became "The East Lothian and Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry" in 1900. In 1908, the regiment was named "The Lothians and Border Horse TF (Dragoons)".

Second Boer War
In the Second Boer War, the regiment sponsored the 19th Company of the Imperial Yeomanry, which served in the 6th (Scottish) Battalion in South Africa from 1900 until 1902.

World War I
In August 1914, at the start of World War I, the Lothian and Border Horse Yeomanry was based in Edinburgh. The regiment was renamed the 1/1st Lothians and Border Horses; second and third line regiments were created, which were named the 2/1st and 3/1st Lothians and Border Horse respectively. which together formed part of the Lowland Mounted Brigade.

1/1st Lothians and Border Horse
In the Summer of 1915, the 1/1st was split up as follows:
 * Regimental Headquarters and B Squadron joined the 25th Division. In May 1916, it moved to become V Corps cavalry regiment but, in July 1917, due to manpower shortages, it was dismounted and transferred to the infantry. In September 1917, after infantry training, they were redesignated the 17th Battalion Royal Scots.
 * A Squadron first went to the 26th Division, then, in November 1916, it joined the 8th Mounted Brigade.
 * D Squadron initially joined the 22nd Division. In November 1916, it was reunited with A Squadron in the 8th Mounted Brigade.

On May 11, 1917, A and D Squadrons formed the XII Corps cavalry regiment in Salonika, where they remained until the end of the war.

2/1st Lothians and Border Horse
The 2/1st Regiment was formed in September 1914, and attached to the Lowland Mounted Brigade. In July 1916, it converted into a cyclist unit. It remained in Scotland until May 1918, when it moved to Ireland.

3/1st Lothians and Border Horse
The 3/1st Regiment was formed in 1915 and remained in the United Kingdom until absorbed by 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in early 1917.

Inter War
In 1922, the regiment joined the Territorial Army and became the "19th (Lothians and Border Horse) Armoured Car Company RTC TA". In 1936, it is converted into an armoured regiment and was renamed "Lothians and Border Horse RAC TA".

World War II
Officially, the 1st Regiment was named (1st) Lothians and Border Yeomanry, whereas the 2nd Regiment was called the (2nd) Lothians and Border Horse.

1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry
The 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry was part of the 51st Highland Division, which had been sent to reinforce the French Maginot Line and was serving there when the Germans started their offensive.

Together with the rest of the Division, the regiment attempted to rejoin the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Moving around the south of Paris, the regiment engaged the German Army south of the River Somme near Abbeville. Outnumbered, it fought a retreat of sixty miles in six days to the fishing port of St. Valery-en-Caux, where, having run out of food, ammunition and other supplies, they surrendered on June 12.

Prior to this, some of the regiment's personnel were evacuated during Operation Ariel, and went on to re-form the 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry, which was attached to the 30th Armoured Brigade, 79th Armoured Division and returned to France on D Day, June 6, 1944. The regiment remained with 79th Armoured in North West Europe until the end of the war.

Casualties, from D-Day up to the end of the war, consisted of 17 men killed, 90 officers and other ranks wounded, and 16 officers and other ranks missing in action. Equipment losses were four Sherman Gun Tanks and 36 Sherman Crab Tanks destroyed.

While part of 79th Armoured Division, the 1st Lothians and Border Yeomanry took part in the following battles:
 * Battle of Normandy
 * Battle of the Scheldt
 * Geilenkirchen salient
 * Rhine crossing
 * Elbe crossing

2nd Lothians and Border Horse
The 2nd Lothians and Border Horse was from June 1940 - October 1940 part of the British 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade an interim formation formed due to the shortage of Tanks and Armoured Vehicle after the retreat from Dunkirk, then in October 1940 it was renamed the British 26th Armoured Brigade, which went on to form part of the British 6th Armoured Division

While part of 6th Armoured Division, the 2nd Lothians and Border Horse took part in the following battles:
 * 18–25 January 1943—Bou Arada
 * 7–11 April 1943—Fondouk
 * 22–26 April 1943—El Kourzia
 * 5–12 May 1943—Battle of Tunis
 * 18–20 May 1944—Liri Valley
 * 4–17 July 1944—Arezzo
 * 17 July–10 August 1944—Advance to Florence
 * 25 August–22 September 1944—Gothic Line
 * 13–21 April 1945—Argenta Gap

World War II
On assuming the role of divisional cavalry in 1939, the 1st Lothians lost the privilege of wearing the cloth tank insignia. When the unit went to France in 1940, the only permissible ornamentation on the blouse was the sign of the 48th (T.A.) Division, the blue macaw on a red background. Later, it was decided that collar badges would be worn, at least by WOs and NCOs, during the period that the regiment served with the 51st (Highland) Division.

The reformed 1st Lothians chose the much greener shade of blanco for webbing equipment and collar badges were also issued to all ranks. Sleeve badges made a reappearance, worn on the chevrons (rather than above as in earlier times) by corporals and sergeants as an 'optional' extra, Those WOs who accepted the privilege, wore the gold-wire garb beneath their rank insignia. French-grey cloth shoulder titles, bearing 'LOTHIANS & BORDER YEOMANRY' in yellow lettering further distinguished the unit for a short period after it was reformed. On joining the 79th Armoured Division, these were displaced, as Divisional Orders stipulated that Royal Armoured Corps cloth titles would be worn by all R.A.C. regiments in the division. In late 1944, this order was rescinded and the regimental cloth titles restored.

The 2nd Lothians also adopted the French grey shoulder titles, in this case bearing 'LOTHIANS & BORDER HORSE'; but nothing else, apart from the divisional sign of the 6th Armoured Division, the mailed fist on a black background, was used to embellish the battle-dress blouse. During the period of the unit's service as a mobile machine gun unit, peaked or forage caps were worn by sergeants and above, whilst khaki field service caps were worn by other ranks. Only in the 2nd Lothians was the practice continued of having this traditional colour on the head-band of the peaked or forage cap. A number of officers also sported a French grey field service cap, edged with gold piping on off-duty occasions.

Post war
Battledress features show little change from their wartime originals, except that other ranks were now permitted to wear collar and tie on off-duty periods. The practice of wearing regimental sleeve badges with rank insignia adopted by the 1st Lothians corporals and above in the early 1940s, was discontinued. Officers' service-dress reverted to the pre-war pattern with box-pleated pockets reappearing on the skirts of the tunic. With the return of peacetime conditions, a No. 1 Dress in dark blue was re-adopted, similar in form to that worn before the war. The officers' version was set-off with a French-grey stand-up collar. By the time of the Coronation in 1953, the features of this No. 1 Dress had altered considerably and illustrated, in the case of other ranks, both the horsed and mechanized eras of the regiment's history. Shoulder-straps were replaced by chains and the twin bands of scarlet separated by piping were restored to the trouser-seams. In the case of officers, the black beret was displaced by a peaked forage cap, similar in appearance to that worn around the start of the 20th century. This had a shiny peak, a head-band faced in scarlet and the seam on the crown was enhanced with piping in the same colour. Overalls were re-introduced, worn over Wellingtons with spurs.

Contacts
Regimental Secretary, RHQ RTR, Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6JA Tele: 01929 40 3331, Ext 3331