Queen's Royal Lancers

Last updated

The Queen's Royal Lancers
Cap badge of The Queen's Royal Lancers.jpg
Badge of the regiment
Active25 June 1993 (25 June 1993)–2 May 2015 (2015-05-03)
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
TypeLine Cavalry
RoleFormation Reconnaissance
SizeOne regiment
Part of Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQRHQ - Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, Grantham
Regiment - Catterick
Nickname(s)The Death or Glory Boys
Motto(s)Death or Glory
MarchQuick - Stable Jacket
Slow - Omdurman
Engagements Battle of the Boyne
War of the Spanish Succession
American Revolution
Napoleonic Wars
Crimean War
*Battle of Balaclava
Indian Mutiny
Mahdist War
South Africa
World War I
World War II
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Current
commander
None (regiment defunct)
Colonel-in-Chief HM The Queen
Colonel of
the Regiment
Major-General Patrick Marriott CB CBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash QRL TRF.svg
AbbreviationQRL

The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 and amalgamated with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers.

Contents

History

Queen's Royal Lancers providing security for Operation Eagle's Summit QRL Helmand 2.JPG
Queen's Royal Lancers providing security for Operation Eagle's Summit
Queen's Royal Lancers, in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, 2008. Queen's Royal Lancers-Helmand.JPG
Queen's Royal Lancers, in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, 2008.

The regiment was formed in 1993 by the amalgamation of the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers with the 17th/21st Lancers. [1]

From its formation, the regiment served in the armoured role with first Challenger 1, then Challenger 2. However, in 2005, as part of the re-organisation of the army, the regiment started converting to the formation reconnaissance role, re-equipping with the Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle. [1]

As part of the Army 2020 reforms intended to reduce the size of the British Army in line with the Strategic Defence and Security Review, it was announced that the 9th/12th Royal Lancers would amalgamate with the Queen's Royal Lancers to form a single regiment, the Royal Lancers, on 2 May 2015. [2]

Organisation

The regiment was organised into four squadrons, each of which perpetuates one of the antecedent regiments:

Regimental museum

The Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum is based at Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire. [3]

Traditions

The regiment's nickname, the 'Death or Glory Boys', came from their cap badge and was known as "the motto". [4] This was the combined cap badges of the two antecedent regiments, and features a pair of crossed lances, from the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers, together with a skull and crossbones, below which is a ribbon containing the words 'Or Glory'. This comes from the 17th/21st Lancers, and was the cap badge of the 17th Lancers (the original 'Death or Glory Boys'). [1]

Battle honours

The battle honours are:
16th/5th battle honours [5]

Combined honours before amalgamation of 16th and 5th Lancers:

After amalgamation of 16th and 5th Lancers:

17th/21st battle honours [6]

Combined honours before amalgamation of 17th and 21st Lancers:

After amalgamation of 17th and 21st Lancers:

Queen's Royal Lancers

After amalgamation of 16th/5th Lancers and the 17th/21st Lancers into the Queens' Royal Lancers:

Alliances

Affiliated Yeomanry

Colonel-in-Chief

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were: [8]

Commanding Officers

Regimental Commanding Officers included: [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Dragoon Guards</span> Cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is based at Waterloo Lines, Leuchars Station, as part of 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, a light adaptable force brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Tank Regiment</span> British Army tank unit

The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps, it is part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Green Jackets</span> Military unit

The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Wessex Yeomanry</span> Military unit

The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is a reserve armoured regiment of the British Army Reserve consisting of five squadrons. Formerly part of 43 (Wessex) Brigade, the regiment joined 3rd Division in July 2014, to provide armoured resilience to the three armoured regiments within the Reaction Force. In 2015 the regiment was moved from the operational command of 3rd Division to 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade, and later to 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, but members of the regiment still wear the 3rd Division formation badge to reflect their role in supporting the three armoured regiments in the division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lancers to form the 17th/21st Lancers in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Royal Irish Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 21st Lancers (Empress of India's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1858 and amalgamated with the 17th Lancers in 1922 to form the 17th/21st Lancers. Perhaps its most famous engagement was the Battle of Omdurman, where Winston Churchill (then an officer of the 4th Hussars), rode with the unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th/12th Royal Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 9th/12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1960 by the amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. In the later years of its existence, the regiment served as a formation reconnaissance regiment, equipped with the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family of vehicles and was attached to the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats. The regiment was based in South Wigston, Leicestershire, along with its affiliated Territorial Army unit, B Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry. It was amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards</span> Military unit

The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World War and the Korean War. In August 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, the regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Queen's Royal Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but was amalgamated with the 12th Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th/21st Lancers</span> Military unit

The 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers to form the Queen's Royal Lancers in 1993.

The 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 16th The Queen's Lancers and the 5th Royal Irish Lancers in 1922. The reason for the uniquely atypical regimental title was that the 5th had been re-raised in 1858 almost 60 years after being disbanded, and when re-raised took precedence after the 17th Lancers. After service in the Second World War and the Gulf War, the regiment amalgamated with the 17th/21st Lancers to form the Queen's Royal Lancers in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Royal Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but was slated for reduction in the 1957 Defence White Paper, and was amalgamated with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northamptonshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment, which was amalgamated with the 1st East Anglian Regiment, the 3rd East Anglian Regiment and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment to form the present Royal Anglian Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th The Queen's Lancers</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Horse (Probyn's Horse)</span> Military unit

The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) and the 12th Cavalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15th Lancers</span> Pakistan Army unit

The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th Lancers</span> Military unit

The 13th Lancers is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1923 as 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers by the amalgamation of 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers and 32nd Lancers. On Partition of India in 1947, the regiment was allotted to Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Lancers</span> Cavalry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed by an amalgamation of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) and the Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015. It serves in the 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team. The Royal Lancers are part of the 3rd (UK) Division.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Queen's Royal Lancers: History". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  2. "Amalgamation". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  3. "Charge of the Light Brigade bugle stars at new museum". BBC. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  4. "Queen's Royal Lancers Gift Shop". Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. QRL Motto (Cap badge of The Queen's Royal Lancers).
  5. "16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  6. "17th/21st Lancers". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  7. "Battle Honour Awards (Operation Telic)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Commons. 10 November 2005. col. 21WS–22WS. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. "The Queen's Royal Lancers". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960–.