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Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

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Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
(Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
Cap Badge of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
Active9 September 1992 – present
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeLine Infantry
Role1st Battalion — Light infantry
3rd Battalion — Army Reserve
4th Battalion — Army Reserve
SizeThree battalions[a]
Part ofQueen's Division
Garrison/HQRHQ - London
1st Battalion - Woolwich, London, and Episkopi Garrison
3rd Battalion - Canterbury
4th Battalion - Redhill
Nickname(s)The Tigers
Motto(s)"Unconquered, I serve"
MarchQuick - The Farmer's Boy/Soldiers of the Queen
Slow - The Minden Rose
Engagements
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major General James Martin
Insignia
Tactical recognition flash
Arm badge
Tiger
From Royal Hampshire Regiment
AbbreviationPWRR
PWRR marching during Liberation Day, 9 May 2010 on Jersey

The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), also known as the Tigers, is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Queen's Division.

History

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The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was formed on 9 September 1992 by the amalgamation of the Queen's Regiment and the Royal Hampshire Regiment and holds the earliest battle honour in the British Army (Tangier 1662–80).[1] Through its ancestry via the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (2nd Regiment of Foot), the PWRR is the most senior English line infantry regiment. The current regiment was named in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales.[2]

Upon its creation, the Princess of Wales[3] and the Queen of Denmark[4] were Allied Colonels-in-Chief of the PWRR. When the Princess divorced the Prince of Wales, she resigned as Colonel-in-chief and the Queen of Denmark was appointed its Colonel-in-Chief.[4]

The 1st Battalion served a seven-month tour of Iraq in 2004 with a second tour following in 2006, and finally a tour in 2009 where the battalion was split between Afghanistan and Iraq (last combat operation in Iraq). Many of the operations carried out by the battalion during the first tour were named after stations on the London Underground.[5] Elements of 1 PWRR helped train the Iraqi National Army and oversaw the withdrawal of UK Forces from Basra.[6] 1st Battalion was deployed to Afghanistan again in August 2011 to form the nucleus of the Police Mentoring Advisory Group (PMAG) with individual companies detached to other battlegroups around Helmand province.[7] During this time in Afghanistan, 1st Battalion would also achieve the most recent case in history of a successful bayonet charge, when Corporal Sean Jones lead a successful charge during an ambush in the village of Kakaran, for which he was award the military cross.[8][9] The 1st Battalion under Army 2020 will move from Paderborn, Germany to be stationed at Bulford Camp.[10][11][12]

The regiment's 2nd Battalion were based in Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland, the last resident battalion deployed in this role under Operation Banner. After two years at Alexander Barracks in Dhekelia in Cyprus, they moved to Woolwich Garrison, London, to take up a public duties role in August 2010, a role they performed for three years.[13] 2nd Battalion deployed to Cyprus again in 2014.[14] It remains one of the infantry units rotating between the UK and British Forces Cyprus.[15] In August 2017, the battalion returned to the UK, based at Kendrew Barracks in Cottesmore, where they reconfigured two companies into a Light Mechanised Infantry force.[16]

The regiment's 2nd battalion re-subordinated to the Ranger Regiment on 1 December 2021.[17]

In October 2023, 200 soldiers from the 1st Battalion were deployed to northern Kosovo following increased tensions and the build-up of Serbian military in the region.[18]

The Queen of Denmark served as the Colonel-in-Chief until her abdication on 14 January 2024. A new Colonel-in-Chief has not yet been appointed.[19]

Since August 2024, the 1st Battalion has been based at Episkopi Garrison, replacing the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment as the Regional Standby Battalion.[20]

Recruitment

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The regiment recruits its soldiers from London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and the Channel Islands.[21]

Structure

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The regimental headquarters (RHQ) is at the Tower of London, whilst the regiment itself comprises three battalions:[a]

Regimental museum

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The Queen's & Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Regimental Museum is in Dover Castle.[26]

Victoria Cross and other decorations

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Medals and awards awarded to the regiment's 1st Battalion for their service during operations in Iraq in 2004 included a Victoria Cross, two Distinguished Service Orders, two Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses, one Member of the Order of the British Empire for gallantry, ten Military Crosses, and seventeen Mentions in Despatches.[5]

Private Johnson Beharry of the 1st Battalion, PWRR was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during his unit's deployment to Amarah, near Basra.[27]

Whilst attached to the 1st Battalion, Michelle Norris of the Royal Army Medical Corps became the first woman to be awarded the Military Cross following her actions on 11 June 2006.[28]

Battle honours

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The forebear Regiments of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment were awarded over 550 Battle Honours including "Tangier 1662-80", the oldest on any Colour,[29] the following are emblazoned on the colours:

The Regimental Colour is particularly distinctive. The Colour is yellow and there is a unique combination of five badges displayed; the cap badge, the Naval Crown, the Tiger, the Sphinx and the cypher of Catherine of Braganza all linked to Regimental history:[30]

  • The Naval Crown superscribed "1st June 1794" – from the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
  • The Sphinx superscribed "Egypt 1801" – from the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) & Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
  • The cypher of Queen Catherine "1661", (wife of Charles II), intertwined/reversed letter "C" at the base of the laurel wreath from The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), in memory of the raising of the Regiment in 1661 when sent to garrison Tangier, part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry
  • The Royal Tiger superscribed "India" – from the Royal Hampshire Regiment

Colonels-in-Chief

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Colonels-in-Chief have been as follows:[31]

Order of precedence

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Preceded by Infantry Order of Precedence Succeeded by

Lineage

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1880[32] 1881 Childers Reforms[32] 1921 Name changes 1957 Defence White Paper 1966 Defence White Paper 1990 Options for Change 2003 Delivering Security in a Changing World
2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment The Queen's Regiment The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot The East Surrey Regiment
70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot
3rd (East Kent, The Buff's) Regiment of Foot The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
renamed in 1935:
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) 		The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment
50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot
35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot The Royal Sussex Regiment
107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot
57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)
77th (East Middlesex) (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Regiment of Foot
37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot The Hampshire Regiment
renamed in 1946:
The Royal Hampshire Regiment
67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot

Alliances

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Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The old 2nd Battalion, PWRR (now 2nd Battalion, Ranger Regiment) is affiliated with the regiment, maintaining the traditions and lineage, but does not fall under the structure of the PWRR anymore.

Citations

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  1. ^ "The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment retraces its history". BBC. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. ^ "No. 52834". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1992. p. 2581.
  4. ^ a b "No. 52834". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1992. p. 2582.
  5. ^ a b Mills, Dan (2007). Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7181-4994-9.
  6. ^ "British soldier killed in Basra shooting". The Telegraph. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment sees Afghan Police progress". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Bayonet charge foils enemy ambush". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  9. ^ Stilwell, Blake (19 August 2022). "British Soldiers in Afghanistan Counterattacked a Taliban Ambush with a Bayonet Charge". Military.com. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Regular Army basing" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Basing plan" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Transforming the British Army: An Update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. p. 7. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  13. ^ "2 PWRR soldiers step down from ceremonial duties". Ministry of Defence. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Meeting The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment in Cyprus". Sussex Life. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Transforming the British Army: An Update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. p. 9. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  16. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment proudly holds 57 Victoria Crosses - and they're moving to Rutland". Leicester Mercury. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  17. ^ Message by the Colonel of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment regarding Remembrance Day for 2021 and upcoming Regimental Changes. Regimental Headquarters, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. ^ Hamblin, Andrea (2 October 2023). "Nato confirms 600 British soldiers will be deployed in Kosovo". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  19. ^ "The PWRR's Colonel-in-Chief – PWRR and Queen's Museum". 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  20. ^ Cacoyannis, Sofie (9 August 2024). "End of an era: Duke of Lancaster's Regiment flag lowered in Episkopi after two years". www.forcesnews.com. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  23. ^ "3 PWRR". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Regiments to change bases in major Army restructure". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Information on the Army 2020 refine exercise" (PDF). Gov.uk. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  26. ^ "Queen's & PWRR Regiment Museum". 1st Battalion the Queen's Regiment. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  27. ^ "No. 57587". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2005. pp. 3369–3370.
  28. ^ Bunyan, Nigel (22 March 2007). "Big day for 5ft Army medic who won MC". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  29. ^ "Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment - History". www.pwrr.co.uk.
  30. ^ "The two Colours of the PWRR | Army Tigers". www.armytigers.com. 30 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Connection with The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment". The Danish Royal House. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  32. ^ a b The London Gazette, Page 3300-3301 (1 July 1881). "Childers Reform". No. 24992. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Further reading

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  • Scott, Mike (2017). The Tigers at War: 25 Years in Front Line Modern Conflict. Helion and Company (Warwick). ISBN 9781912174249.
  • Riley, Jonathon; Goulden, Alasdair. (2022). The Longest Stag: The Queen's Regiment in Northern Ireland 1967 - 1992. The Queen's Regimental association, 2022. ISBN 978-1-3999-2591-4. (see Chapter 13 The Tigers In Northern Ireland)
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