The 42nd Royal Tank Regiment (42 RTR) was an

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

from 1938 until 1956. It was part of the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as th ...

, itself part of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...

Mobilisation

The unit was formed on 1 November 1938 by converting the 7th (23rd London) Battalion,

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ...

, a Territorial Army (TA)

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

, into a tank unit. For a short while it was 42nd (7th (23rd London) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment) Battalion of the Royal Tank Corps before the corps was redesignated the

in 1939.23rd Londons at Regiments.org.
/ref>

World War II

The regiment was mobilised on the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 as part of

21st Army Tank Brigade The 21st Army Tank Brigade was an Armoured warfare, armoured brigade formation of the British Army active during the World War II, Second World War. The brigade served with the First Army (United Kingdom), British First Army and the Eighth Army ...

, composed of three TA battalions of the Royal Tank Regiment. The unit formed part of 1st Army Tank Brigade in 1941–42, serving with it in the Western Desert Campaign including the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

. For the invasion of Northern Europe in 1944, it was equipped with

Canal Defence Light The Canal Defence Light (CDL) was a British "secret weapon" of the Second World War, based upon the use of a powerful carbon-arc searchlight mounted on a tank. It was intended to be used during night-time attacks, when the light would allow enem ...

Grant tank The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British Co ...

s. These were not used in battle.

Postwar

From 1947, when the TA was reconstituted, the regiment was in 22nd Armoured Brigade under the

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

. In 1956, the regiment was converted back to infantry, becoming the 23rd London again.

Notes

References

External links

Merseyside RTR
Brian Gill's website)

* ttp://www.orbat.info/history/historical/uk/ta47.html Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947'' Royal Tank Regiment Military units and formations in Wandsworth Military units and formations in London Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations disestablished in 1956 1938 establishments in the United Kingdom 1956 disestablishments in the United Kingdom {{UK-mil-unit-stub