Royal Anglians

The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating in the British Army, and can trace its history back to 1685. The regiment was the first of the large infantry regiments and is one of the three regiments of the Queen's Division.

History

Formation

The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade:
* 1st (Norfolk and Suffolk) Battalion from the 1st Battalion of the 1st East Anglian Regiment (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk)
* 2nd (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire) Battalion – 1st Battalion, 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire)
* 3rd (16th/44th Foot) Battalion – 1st Battalion, 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot)
* 4th (Leicestershire) Battalion – 1st Battalion, Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

The Royal Anglian Regiment was established to serve as the county regiment for the following counties:

* Bedfordshire
* Cambridgeshire
* Essex
* Hertfordshire
* Leicestershire
* Lincolnshire
* Norfolk
* Northamptonshire
* Rutland
* Suffolk

Initially formed of seven battalions (four regular and three Territorial Army), the regiment was reduced in 1975 with the loss of the 4th (Leicestershire) Battalion to three regular battalions and three TA. The regiment was reduced again in 1992 to two regular and two TA battalions with the loss of the 3rd (16th/44th Foot) and 5th Battalions.

The remaining Territorial battalion of the regiment, the East of England Regiment was re-designated on 1 April 2006 as the 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment as part of the reforms.

Early operational history

Northern Ireland

The regiment carried out a series of tours-of-duty throughout " the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

Yugoslav Wars

During the Yugoslav Wars, the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Bosnia in April 1994 as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force UNPROFOR. During the tour, Corporal Andrew Rainey became one of the first ever non-officers to win the Military Cross, for his actions during a heavy contact between 3 Platoon, A Company and a Bosnian Serb Army unit on the confrontation line in the north of the Maglaj Finger.

Croatia

In 1995 the 1st Battalion was sent to Croatia as part of 24 Airmobile Brigade between July and October of that year. The Vikings returned to the UK having suffered no casualties.

Sierra Leone

Shortly after British forces intervened in Sierra Leone during its civil war, the 2nd Battalion briefly joined the IMATT force in June 2000 to help train the Sierra Leonean armed forces.

Recent operational history

Afghanistan

= Operation Fingal

=

In March 2002, a majority of the 1st Battalion were sent to Afghanistan as part of Operation Fingal which involved military leadership and the provision of a 2,000-strong contingent to coalition forces in Afghanistan. The Battalion was based in the capital Kabul as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The following February the 2nd Battalion's A Company were posted to Kabul and were replaced by C Company in June.

= Operation Herrick

=
From March to September 2007, as part of 12th Mechanised Brigade, 1st Battalion was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick 6. This deployment was the subject of the Sky One documentary '' Ross Kemp in Afghanistan'', broadcast in January/February 2008. A book has also been written by a former commanding officer about the battalion on this tour, '' Attack State Red'', published by Penguin. They were stationed in Helmand Province. The fighting attracted much media attention due to the ferocity of the combat, with soldiers often having to resort to using bayonets. The battalion suffered nine casualties during its tour, five from attacks and four accidental.

In a reported friendly fire incident, on 23 August 2007, one of a pair United States Air Force F-15E fighter aircraft called in to support a patrol of the 1st Battalion in Afghanistan dropped a bomb on the same patrol, killing three men, and severely injured two others. It was later revealed that the British forward air controller who called in the strike had not been issued a noise-cancelling headset, and in the confusion and stress of the battle incorrectly confirmed one wrong digit of the co-ordinates mistakenly repeated by the pilot, and the bomb landed on the British position 1,000 metres away from the enemy. The coroner at the soldiers' inquest stated that the incident was due to "flawed application of procedures" rather than individual errors or "recklessness".

With very little notice the 1st Battalion would deploy again to Helmand Province in late 2009 where soldiers from 1st Battalion saw action guarding checkpoints in the Nad-e-Ali area, in central Helmand province later in the year. Deploying alongside them were elements of the sister 3rd Battalion, who deployed to Afghanistan as part of 11 Light Brigade in October 2009.

The 1st Battalion and elements of 3rd Battalion again deployed to Afghanistan as part of 12th Mechanised Brigade in March 2012 as part of Operation Herrick 16 in the closing stages of the conflict.

Iraq

In 2005, 1st Battalion undertook a tour in Iraq as part of Operation Telic 6 where the battle group was responsible for the Basra Rural South area of operations. C (Essex) Company was detached to act as a Brigade Operations Company and was involved in several high-profile arrest operations.

In Spring 2006, 2nd Battalion deployed to Iraq as part of Op Telic 8 and formed Basra City South Battlegroup. C (Northamptonshire) company was detached to operate as part of Force Reserve and was involved in many high-profile arrest and strike operations. During the tour the regiment mourned the loss of two soldiers; on 13 May 2006 Privates Joseva Lewaicei and Adam Morris died as a result of injuries sustained from a roadside bomb attack in Basra. A third soldier was badly injured.

Cyprus

In autumn 2017 the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment deployed to Cyprus, assuming the role of Regional Standby Battalion and was held at very high readiness to deploy anywhere in the world. It returned to Kendrew Barracks in August 2019.

In summer 2021 the 1st Battalion deployed to Cyprus and, as with the 2nd Battalion in the years before, assumed the role of Regional Standby Battalion to be ready to deploy anywhere in the world. Elements of the battalion were deployed at short notice on Operation PITTING, helping to recover British nationals and Afghan refugees following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

Recent history

On 9 October 2019, 100 men from C and D companies marched through Haverhill and received the freedom of the town. The battalion was led by their commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Moxey MBE. In 2020 during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, members of the regiment helped assist the NHS for testing of COVID-19 patients, and provided checkpoints throughout London in collaboration with the Grenadier Guards. 1 Royal Anglian also helped build NHS Nightingale London, a temporary critical care hospital.

Regimental museum

The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum is based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire.

Regimental ethos

The regimental ethos is as follows:

Structure

In 1995, each battalion renamed its companies in order to perpetuate its lineage from the old county regiments. The current structure is as follows:

1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment 'The Vikings'

*A ( Royal Norfolk) Company
*B (Suffolk) Company
*C ( Essex) Company
*D ( Cambridgeshire) Company

The 1st Battalion operates in the light infantry role as part of British Forces Cyprus and is based in Alexander Barracks in Dhekelia, Cyprus. Following the Future Soldier announcements, the 1st Battalion will move to Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore as part of 11 Security Force Assistance (SFA) Brigade and re-role to an SFA role. This move will see the 1st and 2nd Battalions based together for the first time in the Regiment's history.

2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment 'The Poachers'

*A ( Royal Lincolnshire) Company
*B ( Royal Leicestershire) Company
*C ( Northamptonshire) Company
*D ( Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire) Company
*HQ (Rutland) Company

The 2nd Battalion operates in the Light Mechanised Infantry role, as part of 7th Infantry Brigade, and is currently based at Kendrew Barracks.

3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment "The Steelbacks"

*1 ( Norfolk) Company
*2 (Leicestershire & Northamptonshire) Company
*3 ( Essex) Company
*4 ( Lincolnshire) Company
*HQ (Suffolk & Cambridgeshire) Company

The 3rd Battalion operates in the light infantry role under 7th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East and is based at Bury St Edmunds.

Under the new rotations announced in Future soldier the 2nd Battalion will continue to rotate as a resident unit of British Forces Cyprus.

Battalion nicknames

The battalion nicknames are as follows:


The Vikings – 1st Battalion

The nickname stems from the late 1960s when the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, The 1st East Anglian Regiment Lt Col A F Campbell, MC said it described the Nordic influence on the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The nickname stuck, was adopted by the 1st Battalion on formation, and is still widely used today.

The Poachers – 2nd Battalion

This stems from the Regimental March, '' The Lincolnshire Poacher'', of one of their predecessors, the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment.

The Steelbacks – 3rd Battalion

This was the nickname of the 58th Regiment of Foot, later the 2nd Battalion the Northamptonshire Regiment. It was subsequently the nickname of the former 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment. It stems from Private Hovenden of the 58th being described as a 'Steelback' after a flogging in 1813.

Traditions

Marches

The regimental marches are as follows:Pamphlet distributed to all soldiers who joined the Regiment in 2018
* Regimental quick march: '' Rule Britannia'' and '' Speed the Plough''
* Regimental slow march: ''The Northamptonshire''

Regimental days

The regimental days are as follows:

The Regiment
* 1 September – The Royal Anglian Regiment Formation Day
The 1st Battalion
* 1 August – Minden Day
The 2nd Battalion
* 27 July – Talavera Day

Celebrated by the individual battalions (in date order)

* 2nd Battalion: 10 February – Sobraon Day
* 1st Battalion: 17 March – St Patrick's Day
* 1st Battalion: 25 April – Almanza Day
* 2nd Battalion: 25 June – Hindoostan Day
* 1st Battalion: 27 June – Dettingen Day
* 1st Battalion: 22 July – Salamanca Day
* 2nd Battalion: 27 July – Talavera Day
* 1st Battalion: 1 August – Minden Day
* 2nd Battalion: 13 August – Blenheim Day

Uniform

Uniforms are as follows:

;The Cap badge : The Cap badge consists of a silver star of eight points, upon which is the castle of Gibraltar with a scroll inscribed 'ROYAL ANGLIAN' in gold. The Suffolks, Essex and Northamptonshire Regiments served at the Great Siege of Gibraltar from 1779 to 1783.The Royal Anglian Regiment : A Soldiers Guide, 2018

;Beret : The 1st Battalion the Royal Norfolk Regiment joined 24th Guards Independent Brigade Group in 1942; the Guards Officers wore a khaki beret and the Norfolks adopted it at the time. The beret went out of use after the war but was re-adopted in 1960, and has continued in use. It was adopted by the rest of the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1970 and the wearing of it extended to warrant officers. The regiment complete went to khaki berets in 1976.

;The Black Patch :The black patch behind the cap badge commemorates the burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna in 1809 by officers and men of the 9th of Foot (which later became the Norfolk Regiment, the rearguard of the withdrawing British Expeditionary Force.

;Tactical recognition flashes (TRFs) : The 1st Battalion wear the red and yellow Minden Flash. It originates from the Suffolk Regiment who adopted it after Dunkirk

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