9th/12th Royal Lancers

9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's)

Cap Badge of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers
Active 11 September 1960 – 2 May 2015
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Type Cavalry
Role Formation Reconnaissance
Size One regiment
Part of Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ RHQ: South Wigston, Leicester
Regiment: Hohne, Germany
Nickname(s) The Delhi Spearmen[1]
Motto(s) Ich Dien (I Serve)
March Quick: God Bless the Prince of Wales
Slow: Men of Harlech, The Coburg March
Anniversaries Mons/Moy
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief HRH The Duke of York
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Major-General J.H.T. Short CB OBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Identification
symbol		 Prince of Wales's feathers
from 12th Dragoons
Abbreviation 9/12 L

The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1960 by the amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. In the later years of its existence the regiment served as a formation reconnaissance regiment, equipped with the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family of vehicles and was attached to the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats. The regiment was based in South Wigston, Leicestershire, along with its affiliated Territorial Army unit, The Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry, which formed B Squadron of The Royal Yeomanry. It amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Lancers on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers

History

Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) vehicle being operated in Afghanistan by soldiers of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers

The amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers took place on 11 September 1960 in Tidworth Garrison Church.[2]
The inscription reads:

"Here on the 11 September 1960, 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was formed by the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) coming together before God. It is not the beginning but the continuing of the same until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory." During 1960 the regiment was assigned centurion tanks. On 10 May 1972 the regiment received the Freedom of Derby and in January 1975 the whole regiment was deployed Armagh for a four-month tour during the Troubles.[2] Squadrons were sent on tours to Cyprus in the late 1980s during the emergency there.[3]

D Squadron deployed to the Middle East in 1991 on Operation Granby to provide Battle Casualty Replacements.[3] The regiment was once again at the forefront in 1992 as part of the deployment to Bosnia on Operation Grapple 1.[4]

In 1999 the regiment was deployed to Canada as the 'opposing force' for training battlegroups.[5]

The regiment took part in Operation Telic in Iraq providing units for Telic 3 in 2004 and then Telic 7 in 2005.[6] It also provided a number of sub units which were deployed on Telic 12 in 2008. In addition, the regiment provided units for Operation Herrick 14 in Afghanistan in 2011.[7]

In 2012, as part of the Army 2020 reforms intended to reduce the size of the British Army in line with the Strategic Defence and Security Review, it was announced that the 9th/12th Royal Lancers would be amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Lancers to form a single regiment, The Royal Lancers, in 2015.[8]

Battle honours

The regiment carries the following battle honours awarded to its predecessors:[9]

Mons Moy

Mons Moy is the weekend that the regiment, both serving and old comrades, remember the fallen of all conflicts. Where commitments allow, it falls between 28 August and 7 September. On 28 August 1914 at Moy, the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) successfully charged against the German Guard Dragoons.[10]

Regimental Collect

"O Eternal God, grant to us, thy servants of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, strength, guidance, courage, and steadfast Faith, that we may ever serve thee truly; and finally by thy mercy attain everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord – Amen".[11]

Regimental Museum

The Regimental Museum Display is housed within the Soldier’s Story gallery at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.[12]

Alliances

Affiliations

References

  1. ↑ Acquired during the Indian Mutiny, 1857
  2. 1 2 Brief History, page 12
  3. 1 2 Brief History, page 14
  4. ↑ Brief History, page 15
  5. ↑ Brief History, page 16
  6. ↑ Brief History, page 18
  7. ↑ Brief History, page 19
  8. ↑ "Army 2020 announcement". Ministry of Defence. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "9th/12th Royal Lancers". British Armed Forces. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Brief History, page 9
  11. ↑ Brief History, page 2
  12. ↑ Hawley, Zena (11 August 2015). "Soldiers' Story gallery celebrates Derby's 300-year link with the Lancers". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2016.

Further reading

External links

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