Royal Tank Regiment

Royal Tank Regiment
Cap badge of the Royal Tank Regiment
Active	28 July 1917–present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Armoured
Role	1st Regiment—CBRN 2nd Regiment—Armoured
Size	Two regiments
Part of	Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	RHQ—Bovington 1st Regiment—Warminster/RAF Honington 2nd Regiment—Tidworth
Motto	Fear Naught
March	Quick: My Boy Willie Slow: The Royal Tank Regiment Slow March
Anniversaries	World War I *Cambrai, 20 November World War II Korean War Iraqi War
Battle honours	see Battle Honours
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HM The Queen
Colonel-Commandant	Lieutenant General A D Leakey CMG CBE
Notable commanders	Hugh Elles Percy Hobart
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Tartan	Hunting Rose (1st Regt pipers kilts and plaids)
Arm Badge	Tank
Abbreviation	RTR

The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1RTR) and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2RTR). On 5 July 2012, it was announced that these two regiments will be amalgamated to form a single regiment, to be called The Royal Tank Regiment. The official regimental motto is Fear Naught; while the unofficial motto (signified also by the colours of the tactical recognition flash) is "From Mud, Through Blood to the Green Fields Beyond."

Nomenclature

In the 19th-century (and before) British Army, regiments of infantry raised several battalions, which were often deployed separately. This practice remained into the modern era—in the First World War, it was common to see twenty or more battalions with a single regimental title. However, this practice did not hold for the cavalry regiments, which traditionally were only of limited size; in the modern era, this meant that each regiment would only constitute one battalion.

As a result, it became traditional for a battalion-level unit of cavalry to be referred to as a "regiment". This was not as confusing as it may seem, since where other armies would use "regiment" for a unit of two to four battalions, the British Army used "brigade". Hence, an infantry brigade could consist of three battalions of infantry, but a cavalry brigade of equivalent size would have three regiments.

In the inter-war period, the British Army began to mechanise, with cavalry regiments giving up their horses in favour of armoured cars or light tanks - the first to do so was the 11th Hussars, in 1928; the last was the Royal Scots Greys in 1941. As a result, it became common to refer to any armoured unit as a "regiment" rather than a "battalion" - the 11th Hussars were not merely an armoured-car battalion, but the whole of the regiment. In 1945, this usage became formal; all armoured battalions were henceforth referred to as regiments.

The Royal Tank Regiment is itself a regiment of the British Army, part of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). However, as a result of the above, both of its "battalions" are formally titled regiments. This can cause some confusion, with the regiment currently being composed of two regiments.

World War I

The formation of the Royal Tank Regiment followed the invention of the tank. Tanks were first used at the battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. At that time, the six tank companies were grouped as the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC).

In November 1916 the eight companies then in existence were each expanded to form battalions (still identified by the letters A to H); another seven battalions, I to O, were formed by January 1918, when all the battalion were changed to numbered units. On 28 July 1917 the Heavy Branch was separated from the rest of the Corps by Royal Warrant and given official status as the Tank Corps. The formation of new battalions continued and, by December 1918, 26 had been created though there were only 25 battalions equipped with tanks, as the 17th had converted to armoured cars in April 1918. The first commander of the Tank Corps was Hugh Elles.

The Corps saw heavy action through 1917 and 1918, with special note being given to the Battle of Cambrai, where Arthur George Griffiths's tank squadron became the 5th Royal Tank regiment after the huge success of the tanks. The regiment continues to commemorate this annually. During the war, four members of the Corps were awarded the Victoria Cross. However, heavy losses and recurrent mechanical difficulties reduced the effectiveness of the Corps, leading the Bovington Tank School to adopt a doctrine that emphasized caution and high standards of maintenance in equal measure.

Interwar period

After the war, the Tank Corps was trimmed down to a central depot and four battalions: the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Battalions.

During the early 1920s, the Tank Corps was augmented by 20 Armoured Car Companies: twelve Regular Army, created using MGC elements; and eight Territorial Army (TA) created by the reduction and conversion of Yeomanry Regiments. Eight of the Regular Army Companies were later converted into independent Light Tank Companies; all twelve Companies had been disbanded by the outbreak of the Second World War.

On 18 October 1923, it was officially given the title Royal making it the Royal Tank Corps (RTC) by Colonel-in-Chief King George V. It was at this time that the motto, "Fear Naught", the black beret, and the unit badge were adopted.

In 1933, the 6th Battalion, RTC was formed in Egypt by combining the personnel of the 3rd and 5th Regular Army Armoured Car Companies. In 1934, the 1st (Light) Battalion, RTC was formed in England with personnel drawn from the 2nd, 3rd & 5th Battalions.

With the preparations for war in the late 1930s, two more Regular Army Battalions were formed: the 7th in 1937 and the 8th in 1938. In the latter half of 1938, six TA Infantry Battalions were converted to Tank Battalions; with a further six created in 1939 following the "duplication" of the TA.

Territorial Army Battalions of the Royal Tank Corps	Origin
40th (The King's)	conversion of 7th Btn, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment
41st (Oldham)	conversion of 10th Btn, The Manchester Regiment
42nd (7th (23rd London) Btn, The East Surrey Regiment)	conversion of 7th (23rd London) Btn, The East Surrey Regiment
43rd (6th (City) Btn, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers)	conversion of 6th Btn, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
44th	conversion of 6th Btn, The Gloucestershire Regiment
45th (Leeds Rifles)	conversion of 7th (Leeds Rifles) Btn, The West Yorkshire Regiment
46th (Liverpool Welsh)	duplicate of 40th RTC
47th (Oldham)	duplicate of 41st Btn
48th	duplicate of 42nd Btn
49th	duplicate of 43rd Btn
50th	duplicate of 44th Btn
51st (Leeds Rifles)	duplicate of 45th Btn

On 4 April 1939, the Royal Tank Corps was renamed the Royal Tank Regiment and became a wing of the newly-created Royal Armoured Corps.

The eight Yeomanry Armoured Car Companies of the RTR were activated and transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps.

Before the Second World War, Royal Tank Corps recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall. They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve. They trained at the Royal Tank Corps Depot at Bovington Camp, Dorset for about eight months.

World War II

At the outbreak of war, the regiment consisted of 18 battalions, 8 regular and 10 territorial.

• Regular Army
  • Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt): 1st RTR & 6th RTR
  • 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade: 2nd RTR, 3rd RTR & 5th RTR
  • British 1st Army Tank Brigade: 4th RTR, 7th RTR & 8th RTR
• Territorial Army
  • 21st Army Tank Brigade: 42nd RTR, 44th RTR & 48th RTR
  • 23rd Army Tank Brigade: 40th RTR, 46th RTR & 50th RTR
  • 24th Army Tank Brigade: 41st RTR, 45th RTR & 47th RTR
  • 25th Army Tank Brigade: 43rd RTR, 49th RTR & 51st RTR

During the course of the war, four "hostilities-only" battalions were formed: the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

11 RTR formed part of 79th Armoured Division (a specialist group operating vehicles known as "Hobart's Funnies"), initially equipped with "Canal Defence Light" tanks, it converted to "Buffalo" (the British service name for the US Landing Vehicle Tracked) not long after D-Day and participated in the assault crossing of the Rhine. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was ferried across the Rhine in a Buffalo from 'C' Squadron, 11RTR.

The Regiment's numerous units took part in countless battles in World War II, including the Battle of Dunkirk, El Alamein and D-Day. Field Marshal Montgomery would frequently wear the regiment's beret, with his Field Marshal's badge sewn on next to the regimental cap badge, as it was more practical whilst travelling on a tank than either a formal peaked hat or the Australian slouch hat he previously wore.

Post-war period

After World War II, the RTR was reduced through various amalgamations, firstly, in 1959-60:

• 3RTR and 6RTR amalgamated as 3RTR
• 4RTR and 7RTR amalgamated as 4RTR
• 5RTR and 8RTR amalgamated as 5RTR

In 1969, 5RTR was disbanded, while, under Options for Change, 4RTR amalgamated with 1RTR, and 3RTR amalgamated with 2RTR.

The current Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment is Queen Elizabeth II.

Current status

Today, there are two regiments, the 1st and 2nd Royal Tank Regiments (1RTR and 2RTR). Currently, half of 1RTR is located with No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment) at RAF Honington after recently handing over their CBRN role, with the other half as a training unit at Harman Lines, Warminster; while 2RTR retains its role as an armoured regiment as part of 1 Mechanized Brigade at Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth. This CBRN role has shifted solely to the RAF as of 2011.

The Royal Tank Regiment has continued to see action, including missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Elements of 1RTR were deployed to Afghanistan in 2002; and both regiments were involved in the invasion of Iraq, with the 2RTR battlegroup playing an important role in the capture of the city of Basra. Squadrons of both Regiments have continued to deploy in Afghanistan and Iraq carrying out both Armoured and Infantry taskings.

In July 2012, under the Army 2020 reorganisation following the SDSR, it was announced that 1RTR and 2RTR would merge to form a single Royal Tank Regiment in 2014. This would bring the RTR into line with the structure of the rest of the Royal Armoured Corps, i.e. having the administrative and operational parts as a single regiment. The full RTR will be based at Tidworth and slated to be part of the Reaction Force, coming under 1st Armoured Brigade.

Vehicles

The Royal Tank Regiment uses a variety of vehicles, including:

• Challenger 2 (introduced in 1998; the regiment's primary vehicle)
• FV107 Scimitar
• FV105 Sultan
• FV103 Spartan
• FV104 Samaritan
• HGV
• Land Rover
• Fuchs

Battle honours

Royal Tank Regiment memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

The Great War

• Somme 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Cambrai 1917, St. Quentin 1918, Villers Bretonneux, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Selle, France and Flanders 1916-18, Gaza

The Second World War

• North-West Europe 1940

Arras Counter Attack, Calais 1940, St. Omer-La Bassée, Somme

• North Africa 1940-43

Sidi Barrani, Beda Fomm, Sidi Suleiman, Tobruk 1941, Sidi Rezegh 1941, Belhamed, Gazala, Cauldron, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Mareth, Akarit, Fondouk, El Kourzia, Medjez Plain, Tunis

• Sicily 1943

Primosole Bridge, Gerbini, Adrano

• Italy 1943-45

Sangro, Salerno, Volturno Crossing, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Coriano, Lamone Crossing, Rimini Line, Argenta Gap

• North-West Europe 1944-45

Odon, Caen, Bourguébus Ridge, Mont Pincon, Falaise, Nederrijn, Scheldt, Venlo Pocket, Rhineland, Rhine, Bremen

Abyssinia 1940, Greece 1941, Burma 1942

Post War Years

Centurion tank in Korea, May 1953.

Korea 1951–53

Al Basrah, Iraq 2003

Notable former members

• Jack Hargreaves
• John Le Mesurier
• Keith Floyd
• Chris Bonington
• Percy Hobart
• Frederick Hotblack DSO & Bar, MC - first Intelligence officer

Colonels-Commandant

Name	Colonel Commandant	Representative
Major General Sir John Capper KCB KCVO	1917-1923 (Director General)
Major General Sir John Capper KCB KCVO	1923–1934
Major General Sir Ernest Swinton KBE CB DSO	1934–1938	1934–1938
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd GCB KCMG LLD ADC	1934–1939
General Sir Hugh Elles KCB KCMG KCVO DSO	1934–1945	1939
Major General G M Lindsay CB CMG DSO	1938–1947	1940–1943
Lieutenant General Sir Charles Broad KCB DSO	1939–1948	1944–1947
Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein KG GCB DSO DL	1939–1948	1944–1947
Major General Sir Percy Hobart KBE CB DSO MC	1947–1951	1948–1951
General Sir John Crocker GCB KBE DSO MC	1949–1961
Major General N W Duncan CB CBE DSO	1952–1959	1952–1957
Major General H R B Foote VC CB DSO	1957–1964	1958–1961
Lieutenant General Sir Harold Pyman KCB CBE DSO	1959–1965
Major General H M Liardet CB CBE DSO DL	1961–1967	1962–1967
Major General Sir Alan Jolly CB CBE DSO	1965–1968
General Sir Michael Carver GCB CBE DSO MC ADC	1968–1973	1970–1971
Major General P R C Hobart CB DSO OBE MC	1968–1978	1971–1974
General Sir Richard Ward CB DSO MC	1970–1976	1974–1976
Lieutenant General Sir Allan Taylor KBE MC	1973–1980
Major General J G R Allen CB	1976–1981	1977–1980
Major General R L C Dixon CB MC	1978–1983	1982–1983
Lieutenant General Sir Richard Lawson KCB DSO MC	1980–1982	1980–1982
Major General I H Baker CBE	1981–1986
Major General R M Jerram MBE	1982–1988	1983–1985
General Sir Antony Walker KCB	1983–1987	1985–1991
Major General Sir Laurence New CB CBE	1986–1992
General Sir Jeremy Blacker KCB	1988–1994
Name	Deputy Colonel Commandant	Colonel Commandant
Major General R W M McAfee CB	1993–1994	1995–1999
Brigadier A C I Gadsby	1994–2000
Lieutenant General A P Ridgway CB CBE	1995–1999	1999–2006
Lieutenant General A D Leakey CMG CBE	1999–2006	2006–2010
Major General P Gilchrist CB	2000–2008
Major General C M Deverell MBE	2006–2010	2010-
Brigadier S Caraffi MBE ADC	2008-
Brigadier P J Allison	2010-

Order of precedence

Preceded by The Queen's Royal Lancers

Cavalry Order of Precedence

Succeeded by Last in the Cavalry Order of Precedence

Alliances

• Canada: 12^e Régiment blindé du Canada
• Australia: 1st Armoured Regiment
• New Zealand: Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps
• New Zealand: Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
• India: 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
• Pakistan: 13th Lancers
• Royal Navy: HMS Kent

• France: 501 Régiment de Chars de Combat (Bond of Friendship)

Affiliated Yeomanry

• The Dorset Yeomanry
• The Westminster Dragoons (2RTR)
• The Royal Devon Yeomanry (2RTR)

The Ash Plant

Walking sticks came to be carried by Tank Corps Officers during the 1st World War to probe for soft ground in which tanks might get bogged. The Ash Plant is now a part of every Officer's dress.

See also

• History of the tank
• 'The British Garrison Berlin 1945-1994' W. Durie, ISBN 798-3-86048-0685-5, Vergangenheits Verlag, Berlin 2012.

External links

• Royal Tank Regiment Association
• 1RTR homepage (Official Army site)
• 2RTR homepage (Official Army site)
• History of 4th and 7th RTR
• History of 4 and 7 Royal Tank Regiments revised 2011
• 3RTR - Armoured Farmers
• Merseyside RTR (Brian Gills website)
• British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
• Military Genealogy
• RTR Engagements 1946-2005