The First Royal Tank Regiment
1 RTR is an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). At 62 tonnes with 120mm gun and capable of 45 mph, this is one of the most powerful tanks in the world.
However, the Regiment still remember their beginnings as all the Challengers have 'Chinese Eyes' painted on their turrets. These were originally awarded to the regiment in World War I to enable the tanks to 'see their way through adversity'.
1 RTR recruits from Scotland and the North West of England, giving the regiment a very distinct character, unlike any other in the Royal Armoured Corps. With the majority of our soldiers coming from Liverpool and Glasgow, football is a passion! To reflect the Scottish links there is a Pipes and Drums as well as a band. The Pipes and Drums are primarily tank soldiers who decide that they would like to try their hand a something different.
A Brief History of The First Royal Tank Regiment
Tanks first went into action on Friday 15 September 1916 at Flers in Belgium. The arrival of the Tank Corps on the battlefield heralded a new age of warfare. The Corps was to break the deadlock of trench warfare that had up until then suffocated both sides. The Tank Corps became the Royal Tank Corps and in turn this became the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) in 1939. The regiment was to serve throughout World War II, fighting in all theatres (most notably at El Alamein and North West Europe) gaining the most battle honours of any RAC regiment.
After the war the RTR served with distinction in Korea (1951-1953) and since 1953 soldiers of the regiment have served in Cyprus, the Gulf and Northern Ireland.
A Brief History of The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment was the 1st unit in the British Army to wear berets which were later adopted by the rest of the Army.
Black is the colour - the regiment wear black berets, black coveralls (for use on tank maintenance) and officers wear black shoes, gloves and a black Sam Brown cross-belt. They also carry an ashplant, a tradition stemming from World War I when officers used to walk in front of their tanks testing the going with one.
The present day 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was formed from the Heavy
Machine Gun Corps in 1916 and first saw action in tanks of the Battle of the Somme in August 1916. Cambrai in November 1917 saw the newly formed 'Tank Corps' in action en masse for the first time and gaining ground in one day that had been fought over for years. The Tank Corps saw service until the end of the war on all fronts. After the war, the Tank Corps became The Royal Tank Corps (1928) and then later The Royal Tank Regiment in line with cavalry terminology; it formed a large part of the newly formed Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) in 1939.
In World War II, elements of the present 2 RTR saw action in Europe (3 RTR), the Western Desert (2 & 3 RTR), Burma (2 RTR), Italy (3 RTR) and NW Europe after D Day (3 RTR). In 1992, 2 and 3 RTR amalgamated to form the present 2 RTR.
Royal Tank Regiment with a Challenger tank in Bosnia.
Regimental march - "My Boy Willie".
