Royal Lancers
| The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) | |
|---|---|
 Royal Lancers cap badge | |
| Active | 2 May 2015 – Current |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Line cavalry |
| Role | Armoured reconnaissance |
| Size | One regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ – Prince William of Gloucester Barracks Regiment – Catterick |
| Nickname(s) | The Death or Glory Boys |
| Motto(s) | Death or Glory |
| March | Quick: Wellington Slow: Coburg |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Colonel Richard Charrington[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Arm Badge | Lances and Prince of Wales's feathers from 9th/12th Royal Lancers |
| Abbreviation | RL |
The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed by an amalgamation of 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) and the Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015. It serves as the Formation Reconnaissance Regiment of the 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade.
History[]
The regiment was formed by an amalgamation of 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) and The Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015.[2] The amalgamation was announced in July 2012, and the regiment was formed with an amalgamation parade before the colonel-in-chief, The Queen, at Richmond Castle on 2 May 2015.[3]
On 5 April 2017, to mark her 70th anniversary as colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers and its predecessors, The Queen granted the regiment the honorific suffix "Queen Elizabeths' Own", to recognise their service to Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.[4]
Operational role[]
The regiment is an Armoured Cavalry Regiment,[5] equipped with the CVR(T) family. This will be replaced by the Ajax (Scout SV) from 2019.[6] It will consist of 3 Sabre Squadrons of 16 vehicles each and one Command and Support Squadron. These will be the Scimitar 2 vehicles and later the SCOUT SV.[7]
The Royal Lancers forms part of the Royal Armoured Corps.[7] It is based in Catterick as part of the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade, one of the three Armoured Infantry Brigades of the 3rd Division.[8]
Colonels of the Regiment[]
- 2015–2019: Brigadier Andrew Hughes CBE
- 2019–Present: Col Richard Charrington
Commanding Officers[]
Regimental Commanding Officers included:[9]
- 2015–2017: Lieutenant Colonel Marcus J. Mudd
- 2017–2019: Lt Col Henry L. Searby
- 2019–2021: Lt Col Adam N. B. Foden
- 2021–Present: Lt Col Will Richmond
Order of precedence[]
The regiment retains order of precedence from the more senior antecedent regiment, the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's).
Lineage[]
The Royal Lancers is now the last regiment in the British Army to retain the title of "lancers". It has directly or indirectly inherited the traditions of the six British lancer regiments that were in existence until a series of amalgamations began in 1922.
| 1881 Childers Reforms | 1922 Amalgamations | 1990 Options for Change | 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review – today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th (The Queen's) Lancers | 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers | Queen's Royal Lancers | Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) |
| 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers | |||
| 17th (Duke Of Cambridge's Own) Lancers | 17th/21st Lancers | ||
| 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers | |||
| 9th (The Queen's Royal) Lancers | 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) | ||
| 12th (Prince Of Wales's Royal) Lancers | |||
Traditions[]
The Regimental Cap Badge is referred to as the 'Motto' and stands for 'Death or Glory'.[10]
Alliances[]
Canada – Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Pakistan – 12th Frontier Force (Sam Browne's Cavalry)
Royal Navy – HMS Prince of Wales
Royal Air Force – No. 100 Squadron
References[]
- ^ "No. 62679". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2019. p. 10349.
- ^ Short, J. H. T. (5 July 2012). "Notice of Regimental Amalgamation – 5th July 2012". 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) Charitable Association. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Queen and Duke of York visit Richmond for amalgamation parade". Northern Echo. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Royal Lancers renamed by Queen at Windsor Castle ceremony". BBC. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Regular Army Basing Matrix" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Scout: new eyes and ears on the battlefield". Ministry of Defence. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Transforming the British Army" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Regular Army Basing Plan" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960–.
- ^ "The Royal Lancers". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
External links[]
- Cavalry regiments of the British Army
- Royal Armoured Corps
- Army 2020