3rd Royal Tank Regiment
3rd Royal Tank Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | May 1916 – September 1992 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Armoured |
Role | Div Troops/Land Warfare training |
Size | One regiment |
Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
Nickname(s) | The Armoured Farmers |
Motto(s) | Fear Naught |
March | Quick: "On the Quarterdeck" (3RTR) and "My Boy Willie" (all RTR regiments) Slow: "The Royal Tank Regiment Slow March" |
Battle honours | see Battle Honours |
Commanders | |
Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen |
Insignia | |
Tactical Recognition Flash |
The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army in existence from 1917 until 1992. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as C Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917.
History
In 1916 the
Post war, the Tank Corps was trimmed down and received the Royal prefix with the lettered battalions being numbered and "C" became 3rd Tank Corps.[1] In 1939 the 3 RTR was retitled from "3rd Royal Tank Regiment".[1]
With the outbreak of the Second World War the army was once more deployed to France. In 1940, 3 RTR, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Keller, was preparing for deployment as part of 1st Armoured Division when it was diverted at short notice to Calais. Here it fought during the four-day Siege of Calais, part of the Battle of France. All of its tanks were lost, and many personnel were killed or taken prisoner, but some escaped to Dunkirk or were evacuated from Calais before the port fell.[1]
The regiment was subsequently rebuilt in the
After the war in 1959, it amalgamated with the 6th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title.[1] In 1973 and again in 1974 the regiment was deployed to Northern Ireland during the Troubles.[1] In 1992, 3 RTR amalgamated with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment under that name.[1]
Commanding officers
The commanding officers have been:[3]
- 1943-1944: Lt.-Col. David A. Silvertop (died Sint Anthonis, Netherlands)
- 1957–1959: Lt.-Col. Richard Ward
- 1959–1960: Lt.-Col. Peter A.L. Vaux
- 1960–1962: Lt.-Col. Allan Taylor
- 1962–1964: Lt.-Col. John C. Barras
- 1964–1966: Lt.-Col. David T. Grantham
- 1966–1969: Lt.-Col. Michael A. Sanders
- 1969–1971: Lt.-Col. Richard M. Jerram
- 1971–1973: Lt.-Col. John G.R. Dixon
- 1973–1976: Lt.-Col. Gregory Read
- 1976–1978: Lt.-Col. R. Christopher J. Dick
- 1978–1981: Lt.-Col. William A. Allen
- 1981–1983: Lt.-Col. Richard S. Evans
- 1983–1986: Lt.-Col. John Woodward
- 1986–1988: Lt.-Col. Michael J. Napper
- 1988–1991: Lt.-Col. Rodney W. Brummitt
- 1991–1992: Lt.-Col. Andrew Ridgway
See also
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "3rd Royal Tank Regiment". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "No. 30982". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 October 1918. pp. 12801–12802.
- ^ "Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie" (PDF). p. 32. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
References
Further reading
- Patrick Delaforce. 2000 Taming the panzers: Monty's tank battalions: 3 RTR at war, Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-3197-3(2003 pbk)
- Bob Crisp, 1959 The Gods Were Neutral: A British Tank Officer's Very Personal Account of the Ill-Fated Greek Campaign in WWII OCLC 5926883
- Bob Crisp, 1959 Brazen Chariots: An Account of Tank Warfare in the Western Desert, November–December 1941 ISBN 978-0-393-32712-0
External links
- 3RTR - Armoured Farmers
- Merseyside RTR (Brian Gills website)