1919-1939

Between the wars

From the end of World War 1 to early 1919 the Regiment was demobilised and although it was not officially reformed until 1921, Sergent major H Steel maned Elverton Street to deal with enquiries, pay and correspondence from Whitehall. Also, in April of that year Lord Howard de Walden was called to the War office and was informed that the four London Yeomanry regiments would be reformed as Artillery, Signals, machine gunners and an armoured company and would Lord Howard agree to take command of his old Regiment. His choice was reform as an Armoured Car Company and gave his decision to the War office that the Westminster Dragoons were prepared to accept immediate conversion to an armoured car regiment. In a War Office letter 9/Yeomanry/964 off the 5th of May 1920 it is shown as having elected to convert forthwith. Lord Howard consented to take command of the Regiment.

After almost a year of much activity by Lord Howard behind the scenes, firstly as to being reformed at all, secondly, of retaining the Regiment's identity and, thirdly, the possible role. Having won the first two, he had wisely chosen the role of an armoured car unit in preference to gunner or signals since it was more in keeping with the previous role of mobility and reconnaissance.

On the 11th March 1920, the regiment was reformed as the 4th London Armoured Car Company (Westminster Dragoons.). Under the command of Lord Howard de warden with captain E Rowe as his second in command and adjutant

For the first few months after the reformation recruits only trickled in; but within a year the Regiment had begun to fill out. One can imagine the regiment at this time, still keen, although somewhat depressed by lack of support, without regular army affiliation, wearing the cavalry service dress of the period with khaki breaches and stiff caps and with official training aids limited to the cylinder block of a lorry and a miniature 30 yard range nevertheless the spirit was there. Also, in 1920 the riding arena floor was replaced with a wooden one.

By 1922 much enthusiasm had been aroused, and the regiment, now styled the 22nd London Armoured Car company (Westminster Dragoons) became affiliated to the Tank Corps which in turn on 18th October 1923 was created the Royal Tank Corps.

This affiliation lasted in a direct way till 1967. It was to have many repercussions and was to prove of infinite value to the regiment in the inter war years. Apart from changes in dress which occurred, the regular permanent staff were now found by the Royal Tank corps, which sponsored many of the annual camps held in this inter war period. The black beret became the official headgear of the Royal Tank corps in 1926 and was thereafter adopted also by the regiment. The dress then became the rather unusual mixture of beret Khaki SD jacket, breeches, putties, worn in cavalry fashion with the tapes at the ankles, and black ammunition boots. A white lanyard was also worn initially but was discontinued in 1927.

The Armoured Car

To begin with in the early twenties the regiment had no vehicles but was equipped only with rifles and a certain number of Hotchkiss machine guns. Later, and until 1929, the regiment was armed with large, cumbersome, and very lethargic Peerless armoured cars.

These rather prehistoric vehicles had twin turrets with Hotchkiss guns and ran on solid tyres. The crew consisted of a commander, two Gunners, driver, and rear driver.

They were a very slow and un-manoeuvrable vehicles and the provision for reversing in emergency was in the form of a complicated mechanism which transferred the steering to a second steering wheel facing aft. The normal running speed seldom achieved was seven mph but all out speed of 12 mph.

The Regiment remained as an Armoured Car unit for nearly twenty years until 1938, firstly equipped with Peerless and later with Rolls Royce Armoured cars (some of which were still operating in the M.E. in 1941).

The "Regiment" gained a high reputation for itself both military and socially during these years with training carried out both at weekends and annually with Royal Tank Corp units, and a high standard of training was achieved. The unit often took part on manoeuvres with regular units acting as the 'Enemy'.

During this period the establishment was, O.C. (Major), four captains, six subalterns and one hundred and seventy-five O.R.'s.

In 1926 the annual camp was restricted due to the general strike which took place during this year and completely disorganised the life of the country. Volunteers from the Territorial Army were asked to join the regular army for 90 days. No officers were permitted to volunteer.

A number of men from the Westminster Dragoons volunteered and eight peerless crews join the royal tank corps taking the regiments armoured cars with them.

They were stationed with regular royal tank corps troops in the Tower of London with the Scots Guards, and they provided armoured car escorts for the food convoys which ran between the London docks and Hyde Park the whole of high park was turned into a vast food dump with armed sentries.

In the year 1929 the day of the Peerless armoured Car came to an end, and the regiment was re equipped with the new and far superior Rolls Royce armoured cars.

Some of the new technical details; “the vehicles were built on a standard 4 by 2 silver ghost shadow chassis which had the 40 to 50 horsepower engine a pressure fuel system with a coil and Magneto ignition.

The body was built of quarter inch plate steel and bolted throughout, a bulkhead divided the hull to separate the engine compartment and the fighting compartment which was surmounted by a circular turret at the rear of the chassis. The turret mounted a .303 Vickers machine gun with opened sites.

To lay the machine gun initially for line of shot, the turret was rotated by “swinging” by means of two hand grips fitted to the rear wall. A limited traverse of the machine gun mounting permitted final adjustment. These cars were fast quiet and mechanically excellent.

1930 - adoption of the tank arm badge, the uniform was also altered to conform to the parent corps.

1933 – Re-titled the 22nd London Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps (Westminster Dragoons)

In May 1935 the regiment took part in the silver jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary was celebrated. One of the main events in the week of rejoicing being a state drive from Buckingham Palace to St Pauls for a service of thanksgiving and then return to the palace. On the day of the Royal drive the regiment paraded at 2:00am in the morning and marched to Northumberland Avenue, where it lined part of the route on the north side at the embankment end. On the opposite side of the road the regimental armoured cars were put in position across Whitehall place.

In January 1936 King George V died. It was the first time that a bulletin from the palace had been broadcast on the wireless and the whole nation was hushed and still, it broadcast “The life of the king is peacefully drawing to its close”. The funeral was held towards the end of January and the cortege followed along a route from the royal palace, through the West End to Paddington station and then onwards to Windsor and St. Georges Chapel. The regiment again had to parade very early in the morning and lined part of the route at Marble Arch, whereas last year during the silver jubilee the crush was enormous but this time the crowds were no longer exultant but very quiet and very still.

In October 1936 officers of the regiment attended their first Infantry tank Tactical Exercise Without Troops (T. E.W.T.) at Farningham in Kent, to those used to the fast moving rather loose, armoured car tactics, the slow set piece attack and the battle drills, which became more and more of a ritual had little appeal.

In 1937 in accordance with the Government's policy of expansion, an officer producing group, under command of Brigadier W.A.F.L Fox-Pit, DSO, MVO, MC, was formed. It consisted of;

- The Inns of Court Regiment

- The Westminster Dragoons

- The infantry battalion of the Honourable Artillery Company,

- The Artists Rifles.

As a result of this the establishment was raised to that of a battalion with an increase in strength of officers and men and a Lt/Colonel’s Command and then train them in armoured warfare, and so the unit was equipped as a mixed tank regiment.

Much rebuilding and alterations were made at H.Q. to accommodate for the new role, and selected and enthusiastic recruits soon had the unit up to its new strength.

The new CO. was Lt/Col. E. ('Baron') Munt, M.C., and he and the new adjutant, Capt. C. Tirnmis, were excellent regular tank officers who worked ceaselessly for the good of the Regiment and left their mark upon it.

The effect of this was to be far-reaching, for whilst officers trained by the regiment were to take part in almost every major action of the Second World War, it’s active participation as a Regiment was to be long delayed to the over-riding importance of its officer producing capacity.

Once again in May 1937, the regiment was again on parade for the coronation of King George the VI. It was another busy time for the regiment, with the same crowd, the same early parades, and the same long day as previously.