The Pretoria Armour Regiment (formerly the Pretoria Regiment) is a reserve armoured regiment of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

History

Origin

The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – a unit of the

Active Citizen Force The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. T ...

– by the amalgamation of several units: the Pretoria Company of the

Transvaal Scottish Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, the Central South African Railway Volunteers, the Northern Mounted Rifles and the Pretoria detachment of the Transvaal Cycle and Motor Corps.

World War One

The Regiment landed from the sea and served in German South West Africa at Aus and Tschaukaib in the south. They were part of the advance on Tsumeb in July 1915.

Rand Revolt

The regiment prevented a force of armed strikers from damaging the Pretoria-Germiston Railway line in May 1922.

Renamed

In 1928, it was renamed the Pretoria Regiment.

The Royal Colonel

On 24 October 1930 it was once again renamed, to the Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own) after Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. The Regiment became fully bilingual with the addition of a 2nd Battalion staffed predominantly by

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

World War Two

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Regiment was converted to an armoured formation attached to the 11th South African Armoured Brigade,

South African 6th Armoured Division The 6th South African Armoured Division was the second armoured division of the South African Army and was formed during World War II. Established in early 1943, it was based on a nucleus of men from the former 1st South African Infantry Div ...

. The unit was demobilised after the war, and in 1946 it was re-organised as a part-time force, consisting of two separate regiment-sized formations. These were re-integrated in 1954. SHERMAN TANKS OF PRETORIA REGIMENT IN ITALY

SHERMAN TANKS OF PRETORIA REGIMENT IN ITALY

Renamed again

After the establishment of the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1961, the unit was again renamed Pretoria Regiment by the

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...

. In the 1960s, recruits were trained on

Centurion tanks The Centurion was the primary British Army main battle tank of the post- World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seei ...

and the new Eland armoured cars. The regiment assisted in the development of the Olifant MBT.

Border War

The regiment was placed under the command of the 8th Armoured Division (South Africa) in this period. The regiment saw service in the Border War in operations such as

Operation Prone Operation Prone was a proposed military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War between May and September 1988. With the advan ...

. One squadron of the regiments tanks was attached to

61 Mechanised Battalion Group 61 Mechanised Battalion Group was a unit of the South African Infantry Corps; although it was classed as mechanized infantry, it was a combined arms force consisting of infantry, armour and artillery. History Combat Group Juliet General Consta ...

for operations near

Cuito Cuanavale Cuito Cuanavale is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola. The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name. It covers an area of ...

sustaining no personnel or vehicle casualties. SADF era Regiment Pretoria commemorative letter

SANDF era

Name Change

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa. The Pretoria Regiment became the Pretoria Armour Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia. Unlike others it was only a confirmation of the regiment's armoured role.

Equipment

Insignia and honours

Regimental Symbols

*Badges: An impala on a mountain representing the

Magaliesberg The Magaliesberg (historically also known as ''Macalisberg'' or ''Cashan Mountains'') of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg (and the Pil ...

range to north of Pretoria, with in the foreground some

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

s. Beneath the impala and the mountain is a ribbon bearing the regiment's motto, ''Nulli Secundus'' ("Second to None"). This motto was granted to the regiment by the then Prime Minister

Louis Botha Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...

after the 1914 – 1915 campaign.

Previous dress insignia

An unusual backing appeared on the regiment's cap badge around 1945 when it was associated with a British unit, the

24th Guards Brigade The 24th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army from the First World War. It was reraised during the Second World War, as the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards). During various designations, the brigade was active throughout the C ...

, when they were both part of the

6th South African Armoured Division The 6th South African Armoured Division was the second armoured warfare, armoured division (military), division of the South African Army and was formed during World War II. Established in early 1943, it was based on a nucleus of men from the ...

. The two units had fought side by side on the Italian Front and ended their association by celebrating their co operation; the 24th Guards Brigade gave their arm badge as a present to the unit. The two wings are therefore those depicted on the Guards Brigade arm patch. *The regiment has been allied with The Royal Welsh Fusiliers since 1995 (as it was previously from 1927 to 1961).

Divisional Affiliation

8 South African Armoured Division 8 South African Armoured Division was a formation of the South African Army, active from the 1970s to 1999. History 8 South African Division was established as an Armoured Formation on August 1, 1974, consisting of 81 Armoured Brigade, 82 Mecha ...

** 81 Armoured Brigade 81 Armoured Brigade Regiment Pretoria Flash

Alliances

* – The Royal Welsh

Battle honours

Official mascot

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the sole Class 21 2-10-4 Texas type locomotive of the

South African Railways Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people ...

(SAR) was often used to haul long and heavy military trains, troop trains and sometimes Italian prisoners-of-war to the military unit and prisoner-of-war camp at Sonderwater near Cullinan. In the process it was made the official mascot of the military unit in Pretoria, the Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own). The was the only SAR locomotive to be honoured in this way by the armed forces.

Leadership

References

{{SA Army Units Armoured regiments of South Africa Military units and formations in Pretoria Military units and formations established in 1913 Military units and formations of South Africa in World War I Military units and formations of South Africa in World War II Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War 1913 establishments in South Africa