16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers

16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
Active	1922–1993
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Cavalry
Size	Regiment
Part of	Royal Armoured Corps
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	The Queen

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 (with a higher number preceding a lower) 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.

History

Second World War

The regiment was formed at

Siege of Tunis in May 1943, before landing in Naples in January 1944 and taking part in the Battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944.^[2]

Post-war

The regiment was posted to Flug Marine Barracks in

12th Infantry Brigade and moved to Imphal Barracks in Osnabrück in April 1959.^[3]

The regiment deployed squadrons to

11th Infantry Brigade and moved to Lumsden Barracks at Bad Fallingbostel in January 1968.^[3] It became resident battalion at Lisanelly Camp in Omagh in November 1971 at the height of the Troubles and then returned to Aliwal Barracks in Tidworth in May 1973.^[3] From there it deployed squadrons to Cyprus and to Hong Kong.^[3] It returned to West Germany in a recce role and took up residence at Northampton Barracks in Wolfenbüttel in October 1974.^[3] From there it deployed units to Northern Ireland again.^[3]

In November 1980 the regiment moved to

19th Infantry Brigade based at Carver Barracks at Debden in July 1991.^[3] From there it deployed units to Cyprus.^[3]

In 1993, as part of the reduction in forces after the end of the Cold War, it amalgamated with the 17th/21st Lancers to form the Queen's Royal Lancers.^[1]

Battle honours

Battle honours were:^[1]

For battle honours won by predecessor regiments see 16th The Queen's Lancers and 5th Royal Irish Lancers.

Second World War:
Italy 1944–45
Gulf War: Gulf 1991

Commanding Officers

The Commanding Officers have been:^[5]

1959–1961: Lt.-Col. Robert A. Simpson
1961–1964: Lt.-Col. Peter C. Bull
1964–1966: Lt.-Col. Peter J. Holland
1966–1969: Lt.-Col. Henry A. G. Brooke
1969–1971: Lt.-Col. John L. Pownall
1971–1974: Lt.-Col. Alistair W. Dennis
1974–1976: Lt.-Col. Richard Q. M. Morris
1976–1979: Lt.-Col. Hon. Nicholas C. L. Vivian
1979–1982: Lt.-Col. Charles J. Radford
1982–1984: Lt.-Col. John A. Wright
1984–1986: Lt.-Col. Derek M. O’Callaghan
1986–1989: Lt.-Col. Mark F. C. Radford
1989–1991: Lt.-Col. Philip E. Scott
1991–1993: Lt.-Col. Peter M. Campbell

Colonels-in-Chief

1922–1941: Field Marshal
Alfonso XIII, King of Spain
, KG, GCVO
1947–1993:
Queen Elizabeth II^[6]

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were:[1]

16th/5th Lancers

1922–1936 (16th Lancers): Lt-Gen. Sir
16th Lancers
)
1922–1936 (5th Lancers): F.M. Sir
Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (ex 5th Royal Irish Lancers
)

1936–1943: Gen. Sir

Hubert de la Poer Gough

, GCB, GCMG, KCVO

1943–1950: Col. Henry Cecil Lloyd Howard, CB, CMG, DSO

1950–1959: Brig. Philip Ernest Bowden-Smith, CBE

16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers (1954)

1959–1969: Col. Dennis Douglas Pilkington Smyly, DSO
1969–1975: Lt-Col. Anthony Stanley Bullivant, MBE
1975–1980: Maj-Gen. James Dorian Lunt, CBE
1980–1985: Col. Henry Arthur Gunning Brooke, MC
1985–1990: Brig. John Lionel Pownall, OBE
1990–1993: Maj-Gen. Alastair Wesley Dennis, CB, OBE (to
The Queen's Royal Lancers
)
1993: Regiment amalgamated with
The Queen's Royal Lancers

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "16th/5th Queens Royal Lancers". regiments.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History of the 16th/5th Lancers". qrl.uk.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
^ "Queen Elizabeth II at the Banquet and Ball of the 16th/5th Royal Lancers Regiment". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
^ "Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
^ @RoyalFamily (June 8, 2023). "When Princess Elizabeth, the late Queen was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 16th/5th Lancers by her father on her 21st birthday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

Preceded by 16th The Queen's Lancers 5th Royal Irish Lancers	16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers 1922–1993	Succeeded by The Queen's Royal Lancers

[regiments-1] "16th/5th Queens Royal Lancers". regiments.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.

[history-2] "History of the 16th/5th Lancers". qrl.uk.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009.

[bau-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 September 2016.

[4] "Queen Elizabeth II at the Banquet and Ball of the 16th/5th Royal Lancers Regiment". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2016.

[5] "Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

[6] @RoyalFamily (June 8, 2023). "When Princess Elizabeth, the late Queen was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 16th/5th Lancers by her father on her 21st birthday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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