Post War
The Regiment was to change its title to the 33rd Airborne Light Regiment (Worcestershire Yeomanry) R.A. just prior to the Regiment's posting in January 1948 to Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.
However the Worcestershire Yeomanry had already been reborn in 1947 in Worcestershire as the 300th Anti-tank Regiment R.A. (Worcestershire Yeomanry)
It was equipped with six-pounder anti-tank guns and later 17-pounder self-propelled guns. In 1950 the Regiment became cavalry again as The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars.
Early in 1956 the Government announced its intention to reduce the size of the T.A. due to the high cost. In November 1956 it was announced that the Warwickshire Yeomanry and The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars were to be amalgamated. The new Regiment became "The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry" in 1957. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, agreed to be Honorary Colonel of the Regiment, the only Regiment in the army to have that singular honour.
The Regiment continued as an Armoured Regiment with Comet tanks until 1962 when it became an Armoured Car Reconnaissance Regiment. In 1966 it became a light Reconnaissance Regiment equipped with Dinger Scout cars.
In 1969 the T.A. was dramatically reduced by the Labour Government and except for one Yeomanry Regiment all the others were disbanded but permitted to retain a small cadre of five members for possible expansion in later years. In addition the Regiment was invited to form a Signals Squadron, 67 (QOWWY) Signal Squadron at Stratford-on-Avon and Stourbridge with a Royal Signals role. This Squadron was raised from former members of the QOWWY.
In 1971 with a change of government each Yeomanry cadre was authorised to expand to Squadron strength (120 men). The three squadrons raised from the cadres of the QOWWY, the Staffordshire Yeomanry and the Shropshire Yeomanry were formed into a new Regiment called "The Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry" with a reconnaissance role. With the defence cuts of 1992 The Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry were amalgamated with The Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry to form The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry with H.M. The Queen as its Colonel in Chief. It had a medium reconnaissance role and equipped with Land Rovers. In October 2006, the RMLY became a single cap badge regiment, when the individual cap badges of each squadron were replaced by the newly designed RMLY cap badge. This incorporates the Mercian Eagle from the Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry with the Red Rose from the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry. It serves in the armoured replacement role, providing replacement tank crews for regular armoured regiments.This is also the point at which H-Det (Hereford) joined the regiment, to provide a Recce troop.
Therefore The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry has two serving successor Squadrons in 1994 as follows:-
- A (QOWWY) Squadron of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry based at Stourbridge with 2 Troops at Coventry
- 67 (QOWWY) Signal Squadron of 37 Signal Regiment, based at Stratford-on-Avon and Stourbridge.
Read more about this topic: Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars
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