77th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery

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The 77th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery was a British Territorial Army unit formed after the outbreak of World War II from the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry, a Lancashire Yeomanry regiment. It was active from 15 January 1940 to 25 February 1946, based in Manchester, and consisted of two batteries. The regiment was part of 8th Army Group Royal Artillery, and its main role was medium artillery support.

Background and formation
The Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (DLOY) traced its roots to 1798 and served with distinction in World War I. In World War II, most Yeomanry regiments were converted to other roles; the DLOY, one of the senior regiments, began the war still operating as cavalry. On 15 January 1940, at Ramsbottom, Manchester, the DLOY transferred to the Royal Artillery and became the 77th (DLOY) Medium Regiment. By 15 April 1940 the unit split into two regiments but retained the DLOY insignia and the “DLO Yeomanry” shoulder title.

Equipment and organization
Medium regiments at the time were equipped with World War I–era 60-pounder guns and 6-inch howitzers, but a modernization program soon followed, and by 1941 the regiment was rearmed with the 5.5-inch gun-howitzer. By the end of 1940 the 77th Medium Regiment, with its signal section, was attached to 53rd (Welsh) Division in Northern Ireland, remaining there for over two years. The batteries were redesignated in 1942 and 1943 (P and Q; then 103 and 104), and the regiment gained its own Light Aid Detachment from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers by 1942.

In 1943 the regiment joined 8th Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA), formed in Essex on 1 May 1943. An AGRA was a mobile group of medium and heavy regiments that could deliver large, concentrated artillery fire in support of Allied armies and corps.

Normandy and Northwest Europe
In 1944–1945, 8 AGRA’s regiments, including the 77th (DLOY), landed in Normandy after D-Day to support VIII Corps in the campaign across Northwest Europe. The 77th Med Rgt provided direct support to frontline divisions, participating in major battles and operations such as:
- Operation Epsom (26–30 June 1944)
- Operation Jupiter (July 1944)
- Operation Spring (25 July 1944)
- Operation Constellation (October–December 1944)
- Operation Guildford (February 1945)
- Operation Plunder (the Rhine crossing, March 1945)

During these actions, the regiment fired thousands of rounds to help break German defenses, support advances, and blunt counter-attacks. It was part of the broader 8 AGRA effort that backed the 11th Armoured Division, 15th (Scottish) Division, and other formations as the Allies pushed into Germany.

Postwar and disbandment
After VE Day, the unit and AGRAs served in occupation duties as part of the British Army of the Rhine. 8 AGRA was disbanded at Lauenburg, Germany, on 20 November 1945. The 77th (DLOY) Medium Regiment and its batteries began ‘suspended animation’ in BAOR on 4 February 1946 and completed this process by 25 February 1946. When the Territorial Army was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry was reformed in the Royal Armoured Corps as the divisional armoured regiment of the 42nd (Lancashire) Division.