The 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4 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 its creation in 1917, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, until 1993. 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 ...

History

The regiment originally saw action as D Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917. In 1940, it was briefly amalgamated with the

7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regimen ...

, as the 4th/7th Royal Tank Regiment, returning to its previous title four months later. 4 RTR was captured at

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...

on 21 June 1942. On 1 March 1945, 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps was redesignated 4th Royal Tank Regiment to replace the original. The newly retitled regiment equipped with Buffalo LVTs took part in

Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Li ...

, ferrying troops of 51st Highland Division across the Rhine on the night of 23/24 March 1945. The Commanding Officer (Lt-Col Alan Jolly) carried the same standard that was originally carried across by 17th Armoured Car Battalion of the Royal Tank Corps in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Once again the RTR was first across the Rhine. In 1948 it assisted in the ending of the British Mandate over Palestine. In 1959, it was again amalgamated with 7th Royal Tank Regiment, this time without a change of title, and in 1993 due to

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces, ...

, amalgamated with the

1st Royal Tank Regiment The 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) was an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps and operationally under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingd ...

Commanding Officers

The Commanding Officers have been: *1960–1962: Lt.-Col. Thomas S. Craig *1962–1964: Lt.-Col. H. Brian C. Watkins *1964–1967: Lt.-Col. John A. Cowgill *1967–1969: Lt.-Col. Roger B.C. Plowden *1969–1971: Lt.-Col. Martin H. Sinnatt *1971–1973: Lt.-Col. Laurence A.W. New *1973–1976: Lt.-Col. David Sands *1976–1978: Lt.-Col. Nicholas H. Cocking *1978–1981: Lt.-Col. Michael J. Rose *1981–1983: Lt.-Col. Philip J. Sanders *1983–1985: Lt.-Col. Hedley D.C. Duncan *1985–1988: Lt.-Col. W. Douglas Cantley *1988–1990: Lt.-Col. Charles J. McBean *1990–1993: Lt.-Col. Martin N.E. Speller

Awards

Philip John Gardner Captain Philip John ("Pip") Gardner (25 December 1914 − 16 February 2003) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be ...

–

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Tobruk 1941

References

External links

*
The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment. revised 2011

The website of 4th RTR on the internet

The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment

Merseyside RTR
Brian Gills website) {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Royal Tank Regiment Royal Tank Regiment 004