Military Wiki
1st Royal Tank Regiment
RTR cap badge
Cap badge of the Royal Tank Regiment
Active 1917—2014
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army British Army
Type Armoured
Role Armoured
Size Regiment
Part of Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ Warminster, Wiltshire.
RAF Honington
Nickname(s) 1 RTR
Motto(s) Fear Naught
March Lippe Detmold
Quick: My Boy Willie
Slow: The Royal Tank Regiment Slow March
Anniversaries Cambrai, 20 November
Battle honours see Battle Honours
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief HM The Queen
Colonel-Commandant Major General C M Deverell MBE
Notable
commanders
Hugh Elles
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash Royal Tank Regiment (tactical recognition flash)
Tartan Hunting Rose (Pipers kilts and plaids)

The 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps and operationally under 12th Mechanized Brigade.

Cruiser tank Mk I Egypt May 1940 IWM E 101

Cruiser tank Mk I of 1 RTR at Abbasia, Egypt, 30 May 1940

Organisation[]

The regiment has four squadrons (A, D, G, and H) and a HQ squadron.

History[]

It was originally formed as 1st (Light) Battalion, Royal Tank Corps in 1934. In 1993, it amalgamated with the 4th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title. It incorporated both the original regiment's traditional recruiting areas of Merseyside and Scotland.[1] The new regiment also adopted the strong Scottish connections of the 4th RTR, taking on the former regiment's pipes and drums, which wear the Hunting Rose tartan.

The Regiment Colours symbolise the phrase "From the Mud(brown), Through the blood(red) to the green fields beyond." In 1999, two squadrons were split off as part of the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Regiment (CBRN) amalgamating with No. 27 Squadron, RAF Regiment, and two squadrons of the Royal Yeomanry. In December 2011 the Regiment handed over its responsibility for CBRN to the RAF Regiment. 1 RTR is now back under the command of Army HQ. In 2012 elements of the unit deployed to Afghanistan in various roles. In 2014 the regiment will merge with 2 RTR and form "The Royal Tank Regiment" (RTR). The new regiment will be based at Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth and be one of 3 armoured regiments equipped with the Challenger II tank.[2][3]

In 2014, the regiment merged with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the Royal Tank Regiment.

Associated Cadet Forces[]

  • Mildenhall Detachment of the Suffolk Army Cadet Force. Mildenhall ACF Website
  • Cadbury Heath Detachment of the Bristol Army Cadet Force.

References[]

External links[]

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