1916.02.16 Tank Detachment, Machine Gun Corps
1916.03 Armoured Car Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps
1916.05 Heavy Section, Machine Gun Corps
1916.11.16 Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1917.07.28 Tank Corps
formed by withdrawal of Heavy Branch from Machine Gun Corps
1923.10.18 Royal Tank Corps
1939.04.04 Royal Tank Regiment
became a wing of Royal Armoured Corps

Note: Tank Corps units were called battalions. When the RTC became RTR in 1939, battalions were called regiments when part of an armoured formation. From 19 Sep. 1945 all battalions were termed regiments.

Battle Honours WW1
The Great War: Somme 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Cambrai 1917, St. Quentin 1918, Villers Bretonneux, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Selle, France and Flanders 1916-18, Gaza

The Second World War: Arras Counter Attack, Calais 1940, St. Omer-La Bassée, Somme 1940, Odon, Caen, Bourguébus Ridge, Mont Pincon, Falaise, Nederrijn, Scheldt, Venlo Pocket, Rhineland, Rhine, Bremen, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45, Abyssinia 1940, Sidi Barrani, Beda Fomm, Sidi Suleiman, Tobruk 1941, Sidi Rezegh 1941, Belhamed, Gazala, Cauldron, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Mareth, Akarit, Fondouk, El Kourzia, Medjez Plain, Tunis, North Africa 1940-43, Primosole Bridge, Gerbini, Adrano, Sicily 1943, Sangro, Salerno, Volturno Crossing, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Coriano, Lamone Crossing, Rimini Line, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Greece 1941, Burma 1942

Korea 1951-53, Al Basrah, Iraq 2003

 

Royal Armoured Corps Museum & Royal Tank Regiment Museum, Bovington (Army Museums Ogilby Trust)

The Tank Museum, Bovington (Museum site)

Deployment
1st Battalion

1934.04.01 1st (Light) Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
formed at tidworth from one company each of 2nd Bn , 3rd Bn, and 5th Bn
1934.01 England: Tidworth
1938.07 Egypt
1939.04 1st Royal Tank Regiment
1939.09 Egypt: Gerwala Hy Armd Bde (Egypt)
1940.04.10 7 Armd Bde
1941.04.09 3 Armd Bde
1941.09.18 32 Army Tank Bde
1942.01.21 1 Armd Bde
1942.06.03 4 Armd Bde
1942.09.17 22 Armd Bde
1945.05 Germany: Gluckstadt
1945.07 Belgium: Moll
1945.07 Germany: Schleswig Holstein
1945.08 Berlin 7 Armd Div
1946.07 Germany: Detmold 7 Armd Bde
1950.11 Detmold 33 Armd Bde
first regiment equipped with Mk3 Centurion
1952.09 UK
1952.10.27 at sea( embarked at Liverpool )
1952.12.06 Korea 1 Commonwealth Div
1954.01 Egypt: Suez Canal Zone
1955.08 England: Tidworth
1956.08 England: Tidworth 34 Armd Bde
1956.11 Malta [diverted from Suez] 34 Armd Bde
1956.12 England: Tidworth
1957.06 Hong Kong
last regiment equipped with Comet
1960.05 Germany: Hohne 5 Inf Bde (Centurion)

1960 - May - June - Munster
1962.03 Germany: Fallingbostel? 7 Armd Bde
1965.11 Aden (A Sqn)
Hong Kong (B Sqn, detach to Malaya)
Bahrain (C Sqn)
1966.01 Aden (A Sqn & C Sqn ) (armd cars)
1967.01 England: Catterick [A Sqn - Berlin]
1969.01 Germany: Osnabrück 12 Mech Bde
1973.05 Northern Ireland: Omagh
1974.11 England: Tidworth 5 Inf Bde (recce)
1974.11 [sqns in Cyprus and Hong Kong
1976.05 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1977.01 Germany: Hohne 1 Armd Div
1981.01 Germany: Hohne 22 Armd Bde
1977.04 (Northern Ireland)
1977.08 Germany: Hohne? 22 Armd Bde
1983.01 England: Bovington RAC Centre Regiment
1983.01 [Sqn- Cyprus]
1985.01 Germany: Hildesheim 6 Armd Bde
1993.09 England: Tidworth 1 Mech Bde (last Chieftain regt)
1993.10 amalgamated at Tidworth with 4th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title, and squadrons redesignated as A, D, G, H (HQ), commemorating original Heavy Branch MGC Coys, and successor to 1st RTR, 4th RTR , 7th RTR and 8th RTR
1996.08 Germany: Paderborn 20 Armd Bde
1999.04 G Sqn disbanded; D Sqn and H Sqn amalgamated as G Squadron, Joint Nuclear Biological and Chemical Regiment
1999.04 England: Warminster (A Sqn) Combined Arms Training Centre

2nd Battalion

1916.05 B Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 2nd Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 B Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1917.07.28 B Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.01.06 2nd Battalion, Tank Corps

1919.10.04 aborbed personnel of 8th Bn, 13th Bn, 16th Bn, 20th Bn

1923.10.18 2nd Battalion, Royal Tank Corps

Farnborough
1938.07 Perham Down 1 Tank Bde
1939.04 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
1939.09 Farnborough 1 Hy Armd Bde
1940.08 North Africa
1940.10.13 4 Armd Bde
1941.04.16 7 Armd Bde
1941.07.10
1941.09.06 7 Armd Bde
1943? A, B, C, D, and HQ Sqns redesignated Ajax, Badger, Cyclops, Huntsman and Nero respectively

Austria
1945 Italy: Palmanova
1947 Germany BAOR
1948.04 England: Church Crookham 56 Armd Div [TA support = reduced to HQ and one sqn]
1951.05 UK 20 Armd Bde
1952.02 Germany: Detmold 20 Armd Bde
1956.04 Germany: Detmold 6 Armd Div
1958 Germany: Detmold 6 Armd Bde
1959.09 Libya
1962.09 Northern Ireland: Aldergrove
1965.05 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1970.08 England: Bovington RAC Centre Regt
1973.01 Germany: Minden 11 Armd Bde
1977.01 Germany: Minden 3 Armd Div
1979.05 Northern Ireland: Omagh
1980.11 Germany: Wolfenbüttel 1 Armd Div (recce)
1982.11 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1984 Germany: Fallingbostel converted to Challenger tanks
1990.04 England: Bovington (2 sqns) & Catterick (2sqns) RAC Centre Regts
1992.06 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1992.09 amalgamated at Fallingbostel with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment without change of title, and squadron titles omitted
1992.09 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1993 A, B, C, D Sqns redesignated as B, C, E, F (HQ), commemorating original Heavy Branch MGC Coys, and successors to 2nd RTR, 3rd RTR , 5th RTR and 6th RTR
1993.07 Cyprus UNFICYP
1993.12 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1997 (Northern Ireland)
1997 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1998 second regiment to convert to Challenger 2 tanks
1998.04 Bosnia (C Sqn) OP Palatine
2001 England: Tidworth 1 Mech Bde
2001 (Kosovo)
2001 England: Tidworth 1 Mech Bde
2001.10 fourth sabre squadron raised and designated Falcon Squadron
2002 England: Tidworth 1 Mech Bde
2001.12 other squadrons redesignated: Badger (B), Cyclops (C), Egypt (E), Nero (HQ)
2003.02 Persian Gulf 7 Armd Bde
2003.03 Iraq 7 Armd Bde
2003.05 UK
2003.06? (Iraq) (det) 19 Mech Bde
2003.12? UK

3rd Battalion

1916.05 C Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 3rd Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 C Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1917.07.28 C Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.01.06 3rd Battalion, Tank Corps

1919.11.01 reduced to cadre at Bovington with personnel of 3rd Bn, 6th Bn, 9th Bn
1920.05 re-formed at Dublin with 17th Battalion
1920 Ireland: Dublin
1922.12 reduced to cadre at Lydd (Experimental Mechanised Force, 1927)
1934.04 3rd Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
re-formed at Wareham from disbanding 1st Battalion, Machine Gun Corps
1934 Tidworth
1938.07 Perham Down 1 Tank Bde
1939.04 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
<1939.09> Warminster 1 Hy Armd Bde
1942.05.22 France: Calais 30 Inf Bde
1940.06.19 UK
1940.08.11 1 Armd Bde
1940.10.29 3 Armd Bde
1941.02.13 1 Armd Bde
1941.03.07 Greece 1 Armd Bde
1941.04.29 at sea
1941.05.01 Egypt 1 Armd Bde
1941.08.08 4 Armd Bde
1942.06.07
1942.07.07 3rd/5th Royal Tank Regiment
amalgamated with 5th Royal Tank Regiment
1942.07 2 Armd Bde
1942.08.01 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
reconstituted
1942.08.12 8 Armd Bde
1944.02.06 29 Armd Bde

1945 Germany BAOR
1948.01 England: Gosport
1948.03 England: Warminster [A Sqn] School of Infantry
1948.09 England: Bovington [strategic reserve]
1949.07 Hong Kong & Korea
1952.10 Germany: Detmold 33 Armd Bde
1956.04 Germany: Detmold 12 Inf Bde
1958.04 Germany: Detmold 5 Inf Bde
1957.03 Germany: Detmold 20 Armd Bde
1959.10.31 amalgamated at Sennelager with 6th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title
1962.08 England: Catterick
1964.02 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde [first Chieftain regt]
1968.01 England: Tidworth
1969.12 Germany: Wolfenbüttel I Corps (recce)
1973.01 (Northern Ireland)
1973.05 Germany: Wolfenbüttel I Corps (recce)
1974.07 (Northern Ireland)
1974.11 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1976.05 England: Tidworth 5 Inf Bde
1978.01 England: Tidworth 8 Field Force
1979.05 Germany: Paderborn 3 Armd Div
1981.01 Germany: Paderborn 11 Armd Bde
1986.01 England: Bovington RAC Centre Regt
1988.02 Germany: Hemer 11 Armd Bde
1992.06 Germany: Fallingbostel?
1992.09 amalgamated at Fallingbostel with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment

4th Battalion

1916.05 D Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 4th Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 D Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1917.07.28 D Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.01.06 4th Battalion, Tank Corps

1920.02 reduced to composite company, absorbing 19th Battalion
1920.02.28 re-formed at Bovington with personnel of 4th Bn, 7th Bn, 11th Bn, and 15th Bn
1920 England: Bovington
1922 Catterick
1923.10.18 4th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
Aldershot 1 Tank Bde
1939.04 4th Royal Tank Regiment
<1939.09> Farnborough 1 Army Tank Bde
1939.09.18 France & Belgium GHQ, BEF
1940.04.30 France & Belgium 1 Army Tank Bde
1940.05.25 4th/7th Royal Tank Regiment
amalgamated with 7th Royal Tank Regiment
1940.06 UK
1940.09 4th Royal Tank Regiment
reconstituted
1940.12 North Africa
1941.04.16 7 Armd Bde
1941.05 4 Armd Bde
1941.09.18 32 Army Tank Bde
1942.06.21 captured by the Germans at Tobruk
1945.03.01 4th Royal Tank Regiment
re-formed by redesignation of 144th Regiment RAC
1945.03 33 Armd Bde
1945.03.30 30 Armd Bde
1945.04.24 31 Armd Bde
1945.06.09 Germany 34 Armd Bde
1946.01 Italy & Austria
1946.08 Palmanova
1947.06 Egypt
1948.05 Palestine
1948.07 Egypt
1954.01 UK
1954.08 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1956.04 Hohne 7 Armd Div
1959.04.03 amalgamated at Hohne with 7th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title
1959.04 Hohne 11 Inf Bde Bde
1960.11 Hohne [Sqns - Celle/Lemgo/Berlin] APC Regt
1963.08 Aden (sqn in Sharjah)
1964.08 Far East
1966.06 Germany: Herford recce
1969.01 Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1973.01 England: Catterick RAC Centre Regt
1975.01 Germany: Münster 4 Armd Bde
1976.04 (Northern Ireland)
1976.07 Germany: Münster 4 Armd Bde
1977.01 Münster 2 Armd Div
1978.02 (Northern Ireland)
1978.06 Germany: Münster 4 Armd Bde
1982.08 England: Tidworth 1 Inf Bde (tank)
1984 Germany: Osnabrück 12 Armd Bde
1993.07 England: Tidworth?
1993.10 amalgamated at Tidworth with 1st Royal Tank Regiment

5th Battalion

1916.05 E Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 5th Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 E Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1917.07.28 E Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.01.06 5th Battalion, Tank Corps

1919.05.24 disbanded
1919.09.04 re-formed at Bovington with personnel of 5th Bn, 10th Bn, 14th Bn, 18th Bn
1919 England: Bovington
1922.04 Tidworth
1923.04 Perham Down
1923.10.18 5th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
1927 Perham Down Exp Mech Force
1934.04 Perham Down 1 Tank Bde
1939.04 5th Royal Tank Regiment
<1939.09> Perham Down 1 Hy Armd Bde
1941.02.18
1941.03.24 3 Armd Bde
1941.05.04 4 Armd Bde
1942.06.07
1942.07.07 amalgamated with 3rd RTR to form 3rd/5th Royal Tank Regiment
1942.08.01 reconstituted
1942.09.17 22 Armd Bde

1945 Germany: Hohne 7 Armd Bde
1953.08 UK
1953.11 Korea 1 Commonwealth Div
1954.12 Libya
1957.03 England: Catterick
1959.11 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1960.07.01 amalgamated at Fallingbostel with 8th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title
1960.11 Germany: Fallingbostel 11 Inf Bde
1965.02 England: Tidworth recce
1966.01-09 Borneo (H Sqn)
1967-05 - Aden (B Sqn)
B Sqn in Aden. Left Tidworth, landing in Khormaksar in early May 1967, leaving from Khormaksar in late August, just prior to the British withdrawal. The Sqn was a composite sqn, B sqn in name only , made up mostly of B sqn soldiers, but with considerable numbers from H, C, and HQ Squadrons. We were equipped with Ferret scout cars and Land Rovers which we begged, borrowed or stole from wherever we could, hence some of our vehicles having RAF numbers. Our role was mostly light armoured escort for the infantry, and motorised infantry patrols in our own right. Information supplied by Mick Wilby 5 RTR - 1964/9

1968.01 Germany: Wolfenbüttel recce
1969.12.07 disbanded in Germany

6th Battalion

1916 F Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 6th Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 F Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1917.07.28 F Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.01.06 6th Battalion, Tank Corps

1918.05.24 disbanded (personnel to 3rd Battalion)
1933.04.01 6th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
re-formed (two companies only) in Egypt by regimenting 3rd Armoured Car Company and 5th Armoured Car Company
1933.04 Egypt: Cairo
1939.03 expanded to battalion
1939.04 6th Royal Tank Regiment
<1939.09> Egypt: Gerwala Hy Armd Bde (Egypt)
1941.02.26 3 Armd Bde
1941.06.08 7 Amrd Bde
1942.02.05 1 Armd Bde
1942.06.07 4 Armd Bde
1942.07.07 2 Armd Bde
1942.08.01 Iraq, Syria and Egypt GHQ
1942.12.30 7 Armd Bde
1945.05 Austria
1945.10 Italy & Austria
1947.07 Egypt
1948 England: Worksop 49 Armd Div training regt
1952.01 Germany: Münster 20 Armd Bde
1956.02 UK TA - various locations training regt
1956.08 UK 34 Armd Bde
1956.11 (Suez) 34 Armd Bde
1956.11 Jordan & Libya
1958.06 one sqn to Cyprus
1959? Germany: Sennelager
1959.10.31 amalgamated at Sennelager with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment

7th Battalion

1916 G Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.25 7th Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 G Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1918.01.06 8th Battalion, Tank Corps

1919.03.21 reduced to cadre (personnel to 12th Battalion), and disbanded 24 May 1919 (personnel to 4th Battalion)
1937.05.21 7th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
re-formed at Catterick
1937.05 England: Catterick 1 Army Tank Bde
1938.07 England GHQ
1939.04 7th Royal Tank Regiment
1939.04 England: Catterick 1 Army Tank Bde
1939.09 England: Catterick 1 Army Tank Bde
1941.01 North Africa XIII Corps
1940.05.25 amalgamated with 4th Royal Tank Regiment, to form 4th/7th Royal Tank Regiment
1940 North Africa
1940.09 reconstituted
1941.05.04 North Africa 4 Armd Bde (D Sqn in 3 Armd Bde)
1941.09.18 North Africa 32 Army Tank Bde
1942.02.21 North Africa
1942.04.10 North Africa 32 Army Tank Bde
1942.06.21 captured at Tobruk by the Germans
1943.02.22 reconstituted by redesignation of 10th Royal Tank Regiment
1943.02 31 Tank Bde
1945.02 re-equipped with flame-thrower tanks
1945.05 Germany
1946.09 England: Barnard Castle
1947.01 India: Sialkot
1947 absorbed personnel of 146th Regiment RAC
1947.03 A Sqn: Lahore
B Sqn: Amritsar
C Sqn: Jullundur
1947.09.09 at sea
1947 England: Tidworth tank training regt
1950.11 (C Sqn - Korea) 29 Inf Bde Gp
1951.07 (C Sqn - Korea) 1 Commonwealth Div
1951.10 England: Tidworth tank training regt
1952.02 Hong Kong
1954.11 England: Catterick tank training regt
1957.09 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Div
1958.04 Germany: Fallingbostel 11 Armd Bde
1959.04.03 amalgamated at Hohne with 4th Royal Tank Regiment

8th Battalion

1916 H Company, Heavy Section, Motor Machine Gun Service, Machine Gun Corps

1916.11.18 8th Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
1916.12.29 H Battalion, Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps

1918.01.06 8th Battalion, Tank Corps

1919.05.24 disbanded (personnel to 2nd Battalion)
1938.05.16 8th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps
re-formed at Perham Down
1938.05 England: Perham Down 1 Tank Bde
1938.07 RTC Depot
1939.04 8th Royal Tank Regiment
1939.09 England: Perham Down 1 Army Tank Bde
1940.04.28 remained in UK when brigade HQ went to BEF
1940.06.24
1941.09.01 1 Army Tank Bde (Served with 4th Indian Div Jan-Feb 1942.)
1942.06.07 4 Armd Bde
1942.07.10 1 Army Tank Bde
1942.09.30
1942.11 handed over tanks to 40 RTR and 46 RTR
1943.05 converted to beach-brick battalion
1943.05 Syria
1944.01? re-equipped with tanks
1944.01.29 7 Armd Bde
1945.05 Italy 7 Armd Bde
1945.07 UK 9 Armd Bde
1946.01 Austria: Graz
1946.05 Egypt
1946.06 Palestine: Lajjun 2 Inf Bde
1946.09 Egypt
1947.08 England: Catterick tank training regt
1951.07 Germany: Paderborn 33 Armd Bde
1956.04 Germany: Paderborn 6 Inf Bde
1959.04 Germany: Fallingbostel 7 Armd Bde
1960.07.01 amalgamated at Fallingbostel with 5th Royal Tank Regiment