Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry is a unit of the British Territorial Army . Now forming a squadron of the Royal Signals , it was originally formed as cavalry in 1794 , and has also served in an artillery role . Origins . In March 1794 the government of William Pitt the Younger passed the Volunteer Act in response to the threat of invasion by French revolutionary forces . The act sought to encouarge " gentlemen of weight or property " to establish volunteer military formations . The Prime Minister proposed that the Counties form a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry which could be called on by the King to defend the country against invasion , or by the Lord Lieutenant to subdue any civil disorder within his county . By 1803 there were three Yeomanry Regiments in the Buckinghamshire area collectively known as the 1st , 2nd and 3rd regiments of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry . This lasted until 1827 , when the 1st and 3rd Regiments were disbanded , and the 2nd Regiment was only kept in existence by being privately funded by the Duke of Buckingham . In 1845 , Queen Victoria conferred the title " Royal " on the Regiment , changing the unit ' s name to " The 2nd Royal Bucks Regiment of Yeomanry " . Then in 1889 there was another change in name this time to the " Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry " . Boer War . During the Boer War ( 1900 to 1901 ) , men of the Regiment formed the 37th ( Buckinghamshire ) Company 10th Battalion the Imperial Yeomanry under the command of Lord Chesham , and the battle honour ' South Africa ' was awarded . World War I . In 1908 the reserve forces of the British Army were reorganised , and the Royal Bucks Yeomanry were transferred to the Territorial Force , forming part of the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade , along with the Berkshire and Oxfordshire Yeomanry . On the outbreak of First World War it was decided that each unit of the Territorial Force should form a duplicate or " second line " unit , while a " third line " duplicate was later formed . The existing regiment was redesignated as the 1 / 1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry and the second and third line units were known as the 2 / 1st and 3 / 1st . 1 / 1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry . The 1 / 1st were mobilised in August 1914 and attached to the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade of the 1st Mounted Division . In September 1914 the Brigade was transferred to the 2nd Mounted Division and moved with them to Egypt , until August 1915 when they were dismounted and sent to Gallipoli . After the evacuation from Gallipoli , in December 1915 , they returned to Egypt and in 1916 they and the Brigade became an independent command and were redesignated as the 6th Mounted Brigade . This Brigade joined the Imperial Mounted Division in February 1917 and they were once again moved in June 1917 , this time to the Yeomanry Mounted Division . This last move lasted until April 1918 , when they were amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry , to form C Battalion , the Machine Gun Corps . This new Battalion moved to France in June 1918 . They were then renumbered as 101 Battalion , the Machine Gun Corps . 2 / 1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry . The 2 / 1st Regiment was formed in September 1914 , and would remain in the United Kingdom throughout the war . In August 1917 , they were converted into a cyclist unit . 3 / 1st Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry . The 3 / 1st were formed in 1915 . They also remained in United Kingdom until early in 1917 , when they were absorbed into the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Regiment . Between the wars . On the reforming of the Territorial Army , only the fourteen senior yeomanry regiments remained as horsed cavalry , with the remainder be re - roled as artillery . In 1921 the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry was amalgamated with the Berkshire Yeomanry and re - formed as the 99th ( Bucks and Berks Yeomanry ) Brigade , Royal Field Artillery . The two yeomanry regiments retained their own identities and badges within the amalgamated unit , with each providing two batteries . The Buckinghamshire Yeomanry comprised 393 and 394 ( Royal Bucks Yeomanry ) Batteries . By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out , and the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised , with each unit forming a duplicate . The amalgamation of the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Yeomanry was reversed , with each being reconstituted as separate field regiments of the Royal Artillery , with the Buckinghamshire contingent becoming the 99th Field Regiment . World War II . The 99th ( Buckinghamshire Yeomanry ) Field Regiment , Royal Artillery was mobilised with the outbreak of war in September 1939 . In January 1940 they were sent to France , as part of the BEF , seeing active service in that country and in Belgium . Following the Dunkirk evacuation the Regiment was based in Yorkshire , until in 1942 they were sent out to the Far East and attached to the 2nd Division , seeing service in India and Burma , including the Battle of the Arakan . In 1944 , they were involved in the Allied advance and involved in the Battles of Kohima , Imphal , Rangoon and Mandalay . In 1945 after the end of the war they returned to Calcutta in India for demobilisation . Post war . The Regiment was reformed in 1947 as the " 299th ( Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry ) Field Regiment R . A . " In 1950 they were once again amalgamated , this time with the Queen ' s Own Oxfordshire Hussars , to form the " 299th ( Bucks and Oxfordshire Yeomanry ) Field Regiment , R . A . " In 1954 on the formation of the T . A . V . R . , the Regiment became " P Battery ( Royal Bucks Yeomanry ) The Buckinghamshire Regiment , R . A . ( T ) " and following a further amalgamation , the title changed again to the " 299th ( Royal Bucks Yeomanry , Berkshire Yeomanry and Queen ' s Own Oxfordshire Hussars ) Field Regiment RA ( TA ) " . The Regiment went through a number of changes over the following years . In 1961 " 299th ( Royal Bucks Yeomanry , Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars and Berkshire ) Field Regiment , RA ( TA ) " then in 1967 , 99 Field Regiment RA ( RBY ) ( TA ) was disbanded . In 1971 a new role emerged , this time as infantry , becoming the 2nd Battalion , The Wessex Regiment . On the disbandment of that Battalion the Royal Buckinghamshire title was adopted by the present day army unit 1 ( RBY ) Signal Squadron . The 1 ( Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry ) Signal Squadron ( Special Communications ) is the only British Army Special Communications Unit . They provide operational specialist communications in locations around the world . The unit is made up of Regular and TA soldiers , and has a total strength of approximately 100 . The squadron was formed in 1995 , by the amalgamation of 602 Signal Troop ( Special Communications ) and 1 Squadron 39th Signal Regiment ( Special Communications ) ( Volunteers ) . The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry title was adopted by 1 Signal Squadron ( Special Communications ) in 1996 .