68 (Inns of Court and City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron (Volunteers)

Welcome to the home page of 68 (Inns of Court and City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron (Volunteers), we are a communications Squadron with the Squadron Headquaters based at Lincoln's Inn, we also have a Detachments based in Whipps Cross and Chelmsford.

Our Role

Our role involves providing Information Communication Systems (ICS) to the emergency services and to the local government in the even of an emergency.

In recent years the Brigade has been involved in the Fireman strikes (OP FRESCO), floods, foot and mouth and the fuel crisis, with soldiers and officers of the Squadron and Regiment being involved in a number of these.

In addition to providing support to the emergency services and the local government the regiment also supports the operations with the regular army.

Recently the regiment has seen its soldiers and officers deployed to the Balkans to form a squadron that is built entirely from TA personnel in 2 (NC) Signal Brigade, also many of our soldiers and officers been to Iraq (Op TELIC) and more recently Afghanistan (Op HERRICK)

Trades

The Squadron can offer the following trades:

• Communications Systems Engineer
• Communications Systems Operator
• Royal Signals Electrician
• Chefs
• Vehicle Mechanic
• Medics
• Military Clerks

Squadron History

The Inns of Court Regiment can trace its history back to Elizabethan times to a Volunteer Rifle Corps and is by its name very closely associated with the legal community.

In 1585, 95 members of the Inn entered into a solemn pledge to defend queen Elizabeth against the threat of Spain. From then onwards, in times of national peril volunteers were recruited among lawyers. George III is reputed to have styled such a body as the Devil's Own, a title that lives on today.

The City of London Yeomanry was raised from volunteers of the 20th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry which served with distinction in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Its nickname of "Rough Riders" was taken from a body of volunteer horsemen who fought in the Spanish-American War of 1898.

During the period of reduction of TA units between 1967 and 1969 it had the status of a cadre, but it spirit and purpose was kept alive by the active participation of its personnel, until it was re-constituted as a TA unit under its present name.

The Squadron is now part of  71st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment (Volunteers).