Westminster Dragoons The Westminster Dragoons ( WDs ) are central London ’ s only Territorial Army cavalry unit . One of the Royal Yeomanry ' s five squadrons , their current role is to support the Formation Reconnaissance Regiments and the Joint Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Regiment on operations by providing skilled CBRN reconnaissance soldiers . 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 . The squadron most recently saw action on Operation Telic , when was it was mobilised for the 2003 war in Iraq and again in 2006 for peace support operations there . Since 2007 , soldiers and officers of the squadron have deployed as individual reinforcements on Operation Herrick in Afghanistan . Current Role . Following the lessons learned from the Iraq conflict in 2003 , the Westminster Dragoons ’ role is expanding with an increased emphasis on the light CBRN reconnaissance role using a range of cutting - edge detection equipment . In particular , it is planned that the WDs will follow the move made by the Joint CBRN Regiment towards working with the air assault infantry and the commandos . The Westminster Dragoons use Fuchs and FV 103 Spartan armoured reconnaissance vehicles along with other high mobility transportation and specialist CBRN detection equipment . History . Formation . The Westminster Dragoons were formed in 1901 as the 2nd County of London Imperial Yeomanry , to meet the need identified during the Second Boer War for a body of trained mounted infantry ( see dragoon ) . The unit was from the start a smart regiment filled with wealthy gentlemen from the City and the West End . Their attitude and attire was such that , as they strutted across West London , members became known as the ' Piccadilly Peacocks ' . The unit ' s first officers were posted to the WDs from the 1st Royal Dragoons , one of the forerunners of the Blues and Royals ; one of the first troop leaders was a Maharajah . They brought with them the Royals ' then - current capbadge , which was later adopted by Colonel s and Brigadier s , which is why , until a common Royal Yeomanry capbadge was adopted in 2006 , young WD officers often found themselves amused at being saluted by officers of higher rank . The WD stable belt ( worn in barracks ) bears the Royal racing colours – the imperial hues of purple , gold and scarlet . Even at this time the WDs were at the forefront of using new equipment , being the second unit in the British army to be equipped with mobile wireless . First World War . The First World War broke out while the WDs were on annual camp and they were immediately mobilised . Their first taste of action was in the Battle of Gallipoli , where they fought dismounted , taking heavy casualties in the August 1915 amphibious landing at Suvla Bay ( see Battle of Suvla Bay ) and in the Battle of Scimitar Hill . They were transferred to Egypt and then to Palestine where they served in the campaign against the Turks . The WDs were involved in fierce fighting , both mounted and dismounted . As they were the first formed body of troops to enter Jerusalem , they bear the liberation of that city as a battle honour . See General Allenby ' s account of the fall of Jerusalem and Battle of Jerusalem ( 1917 ) . In 1917 the WDs were re - roled as machine gunners and served on the western front until the Armistice . See a timeline of the WDs ' actions in World War I . 1920s – 1930s . After the first world war the WDs once again embraced new technology , making the decision to become an armoured car unit at a time when many yeomanry units were determined to remain mounted . It was at this time , as well , that the Regiment formed its link with the Royal Tank Regiment , becoming the only other unit in the British Army to wear the black beret to this day . The two units worked closely together in the interwar years as new armoured tactics were developed , a relationship which continues in the 21st Century in the nuclear , biological and chemical reconnaissance role . Just before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 , the Westminster Dragoons became an Officer Cadet Training Unit , with over 90 per cent of pre - war WDs gaining their commissions and transferring into units throughout the British Army before the Regiment reverted to an armoured role in 1940 . Among them was Captain Philip John Gardner VC MC , who transferred to the Royal Tank Regiment and went 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 . Second World War . The Germans planted over four million mines along the French coast to hinder the Allied landings in 1944 . To break through these defences at the start of the Normandy Invasion , the British produced a number of novel armoured fighting vehicles under the ingenious direction of Major General Percy Hobart , 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 . The WDs were trained in this vital task , as part of 79th Armoured Division , led by Hobart . They were the first unit ashore on D - Day on Gold Beach in the British sector , clearing paths off the beach and using their tank guns to destroy defences holding up the assault . They went on to fight across northwest Europe and into Germany . The Cold War . During the Cold War the WDs ' role evolved . At first , the Regiment was equipped with tanks , later with armoured cars and tracked reconnaissance vehicles . As the threat facing the United Kingdom altered , the WDs underwent a number of changes , including being temporarily amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry and being reduced from regiment to squadron size to become HQ Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry . In 1995 the Royal Yeomanry became the first NBC ( Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence ) unit in the British Army . In 1998 this role was taken over by a combined Army and RAF unit , the Joint NBC Regiment ( Jt NBC Regt ) . However , the WDs ( now renamed W ( Westminster Dragoons ) Squadron ) and their counterparts in A ( Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry ) Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry retained their NBC role and continued to train closely with the Joint NBC Regiment , including supporting them on exercise in Kuwait in 2001 . Operation Telic – Iraq 2003 . In January 2003 , the WDs and A ( Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry ) Squadron were mobilised ( along with a handful of augmentees from the Royal Yeomanry ' s three other squadrons and from the Royal Logistic Corps ) for the impending war in Iraq , the first call - out of a formed unit of the Territorial Army ( TA soldiers under TA command ) for combat operations since the Suez Crisis in 1956 . Together , these mobilised elements became a much - enlarged squadron of the Jt NBC Regiment . WDs found themselves serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade , 7 Armoured Brigade ( the Desert Rats ) and 3 Commando Brigade as NBC specialists , before switching roles to infantry “ peace support ” operations once Saddam Hussein ’ s regime had collapsed . On Armistice Day 2005 , the Royal Yeomanry received the first battle honour awarded to the Territorial Army since the Second World War as a consequence " of all that the Regiment and soldiers achieved in fighting in Iraq in 2003 . " ( Major General S J L Roberts OBE ) Six WDs were mobilised for the eighth roulement of Operation Telic ( OP TELIC 9 ) in November 2006 . Operation Herrick – Afghanistan . Two members of the WDs were mobilised in July 2007 for service on Op Herrick 7 with C Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment . They returned from a successful tour of duty in May 2008 . A further three WDs deployed on Op Herrick 8 , two with the Queen ' s Royal Lancers and one ( as infantry ) with A Company of the Royal Highland Fusiliers , 2nd Battalion , The Royal Regiment of Scotland . Three went with the Queen ' s Dragoon Guards on Op Herrick 9 . Future Army Structures 2006 . As a consequence of the FAS review , all five squadrons of the Royal Yeomanry adopted the formation CBRN reconnaissance role : providing CBRN detection capability to the British Army ' s formation reconnaissance regiment s . In addition to their existing link with the Jt NBC Regiment ( renamed the Joint CBRN Regiment in 2005 ) , the WDs acquired formal affiliation with the Light Dragoons and the Household Cavalry . To reflect the expanded role and variety of potential taskings , the established size of each squadron of the Royal Yeomanry was increased to 90 soldiers and officers . Westminster Dragoons Museum . The regiment ' s museum is located at 87 Fulham High Street , Fulham , London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The items are currently in storage while the building is being refurbished , and the museum is expected to reopen in 2011 . < br >