The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an

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 mar ...

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 conscript ...

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 Gurkha ...

formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the army, with 10 battalions, however these were reduced to just six, and later five battalions. Following the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, the Options for Change reform was published and the regiment amalgamated with the

Royal Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...

to form the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

Formation

The regiment was formed as a '

large regiment A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of a number of existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of ...

' on 31 December 1966 by the amalgamation of the four remaining regiments of the Home Counties Brigade as a consequence of the Defence Review of 1957. The four regiments formed four battalions, retaining their previous names in the titles. In addition, the former regiment's Territorial battalions transferred under their former titles to the corps of the regiment for a short time. Below is a list of the regiment's subordinate organisations with formation dates, predecessor and successors. It is worth noting battalion subtitles were omitted on 1 July 1968. Regulars * Regimental Headquarters, at Howe Barracks,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

* 1st Battalion (Queen's Surreys) – amalgamated with 2nd Bn to form 1st Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in 1992 * 2nd Battalion (Queen's Own Buffs) – amalgamated with 1st Bn to form 1st Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in 1992 * 3rd Battalion (Royal Sussex) – amalgamated with

to form 2nd Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in 1992 * 4th Battalion (Middlesex) – disbanded in 1973 Territorials * 6th (Territorial) Battalion (Queen's Surreys) **Formed in 1967, reduced to cadre sponsored by 5th (V) Bn while forming coy in same bn, disbanded in 1971 and subsequently formed 3 new coys in 5th, 7th, and 6th (V) Bns respectively * 7th (Territorial) Battalion (East Kent) **Formed in 1967, reduced to cadre in 1969 in 5th (V) Bn while forming new coy in same bn, disbanded in 1971 and subsequently formed 3 new coys in 5th and 7th (V) Bns * 8th (Territorial) Battalion (West Kent) **Formed in 1967, reduced to cadre in 1969 and formed new coy in 5th (V) Bn, disbanded in 1971 and subsequently formed a new coy in 7th (V) Bn * 9th (Territorial) Battalion (Royal Sussex) **Formed in 1967, reduced to cadre in 1969 and formed new coy in 5th (V) Bn, disbanded in 1971 and subsequently formed two new coys and new Battalion HQ in 5th and 7th (V) * 10th (Territorial) Battalion (Middlesex) **Formed in 1967, reduced to cadre in 1969 and formed new coy in 5th (V) Bn, disbanded in 1971 and subsequently formed two new coys in 5th and 6th (V) Bns Volunteers – had NATO roles and post 1975 Home Defence roles in addition, separate from the above Territorial battalions * 5th (Volunteer) Battalion – formed in 1967, transferred to PWRR as 5th (V) Bn in 1992 * 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion – formed in 1975, transferred to PWRR as 6th/7th (V) Bn in 1992 **6th (Volunteer) Battalion – formed in 1971 as new unit, amalgamated with 7th (V) Bn to form 6th/7th (V) Bn in 1975 ** 7th (Volunteer) Battalion – formed in 1971 as new unit, amalgamated with 6th (V) Bn to form 6th/7th (V) Bn in 1975 * 8th (Volunteer) Battalion, Queen's Fusiliers (City of London) – formed in 1988 as joint TA unit with Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, became London Regiment in 1993

Operational deployments

The deployment of the regiment's battalions was primarily to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

Operation Banner Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initial ...

during

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, taking part in anti-terrorist operations. The 1st Battalion was almost continuously deployed there between August 1969 and November 1976. In 1970 the 1st Battalion joined the Berlin Brigade in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

, a small enclave in Communist-controlled

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

, leaving in 1972. In October 1972 the 2nd Battalion arrived in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNIFICYP), a force intended to prevent conflict from breaking out between Greek and Turkish Cypriots: the battalion returned to the United Kingdom in May 1973. The 4th Battalion was disbanded that year, as with every other 'junior' battalion of the new large regiments. Also that year, the 3rd Battalion arrived in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

where it remained with the garrison for almost two years. In 1977 the 2nd Battalion arrived in Gibraltar and the 3rd Battalion arrived in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

, then a British territory, as part of the garrison there to protect it from the perceived threat of war with

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

, a neighbour of Belize, which was making claims that it believed Belize to be an integral part of Guatemala. By 1975 the 1st Battalion had arrived in

Werl Werl (; Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area. The Hellweg r ...

, Germany (replacing the 2nd Battalion – who had moved from Werl back to Bulford Camp in the United Kingdom) from where they did operational tours in Northern Ireland, in the area of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

in 1976, and West Belfast in 1978. The 2nd Battalion had preceded it to Northern Ireland, first on a spearhead deployment in South Armagh following the Kingsmill (Bessbrook) massacre in January 1975, and then to West Belfast, on an operational tour in

Andersonstown Andersonstown is a suburb of west Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the foot of the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain. It contains a mixture of public and private housing and is largely a working-class area with a strong Irish nationalist and Irish ...

in early 1977. The 1st Battalion moved to

(the regiment's home base) in 1980. From there it undertook a six-month tour of Belize before deploying in November 1982 to Omagh in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...

. It served there until January 1985 with south east

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...

as its primary focus. During this period all three battalions served in Northern Ireland – 2. Queen's in

, also on a two-year tour, and 3. Queen's in Belfast on a six-month tour. A freedom parade was held in Belfast in 1984 at which all three battalions' Regimental Colours were paraded. In 1985 the battalion moved to Gibraltar for two years before returning to the United Kingdom (

Tidworth Tidworth is a garrison, garrison town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-east Wiltshire, England, on the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain. Lying on both sides of the A338 road, A338 about north of the A303 road, A303 primary ro ...

) in 1987 where it was to remain until 1990. During this period it undertook two 6-month tours of Northern Ireland – South Armagh in 1987 and Belfast in 1989/90. In 1990 the battalion moved to

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of De ...

in Germany, where it disbanded in 1992. In late 1981 the 2nd Battalion deployed to Cyprus on a 6-month tour-of-duty with UN forces. In 1985 the 1st Battalion arrived in Gibraltar on a 2-year posting and the following year the 3rd Battalion deployed to Belize on a 6-month tour-of-duty as well as West Belfast on a 6-month tour-of-duty before deploying to Aldergrove, Northern Ireland for a 2-year operational tour. In 1990 the 3rd Battalion arrived in Cyprus—its last deployment abroad and the location of its disbandment in 1992. The 2nd Battalion's last deployment was to Northern Ireland in 1992 before heading to Canterbury, England where it disbanded later in the year.

Amalgamation

As a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, on 9 September 1992 the regiment was amalgamated with the

to form the

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Qu ...

Regimental museum

The Queen's & Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Regimental Museum is at

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some sources say it is th ...

Uniform

The Queen's regimental uniform consisted of a dark 'royal blue' uniform with blue facings, and scarlet piping. The regimental badge consisted of "A Dragon upon a mount within the Garter; above the Dragon and superimposed upon the Garter the Plume of the Prince of Wales".

Regimental bands

The Queen's Regiment maintained three bands at the time of its disbandment; Band of the 1st Queen's Regiment, Band of the 2nd Queen's Regiment, and Kohima Band of the Queen's Regiment (5th (V) Bn). The first two being regular becoming the Band of the 1st Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, and the Kohima Band being transferred to the same regiment.

Regimental colours

The Queen's Regimental colours consisted of the following: * ''Central Device:'' A

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

upon a mount within the Garter, above the Dragon and superimposed on the Garter the Plume of the Prince of Wales * ''1st Corner:'' A Paschal Lamb upon an eight-pointed star ensigned with the Crown * ''2nd Corner:'' A

White Horse A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant ...

rampant above a scroll inscribed 'Invicta', and The Cypher of Queen Catherine * ''3rd Corner:'' The Star of the Order of the Garter over the Roussillon Plume, and A Naval Crown superscribed ' 1st June 1794' * ''4th Corner:'' The Sphinx superscribed 'Egypt', and The Plume of the Prince of Wales above the Coronet and Cypher of the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

Colonels-in-Chief

Colonel-in-Chiefs were as follows: * Queen Juliana of the Netherlands * King Frederick IX of Denmark (died 1972) *

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

(from 1972) *

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (27 August 1968), born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαρίνα), was a Greek princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark a ...

Regimental Colonels

Regimental Colonels were as follows: *1966–1973: Lt-Gen. Sir Richard Craddock, KBE, CB, DSO (from Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment) *1973–1977: Maj-Gen. Fergus Alan Humphrey Ling, CB, CBE, DSO *1977–1984: Maj-Gen. Rowland Spencer Noel Mans, CBE *1984–1989: Brig. Herbert Charles Millman, OBE *1989–1992: Maj-Gen. Michael Frank Reynolds, CB

Alliances

Alliances arranged were as follows: * The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) –

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

(1966–1992) *

The South Alberta Light Horse , colours = , march = "A Southerly Wind and a Cloudy Sky" , mascot = Heine the Pony , battles = North-West RebellionFirst World WarSecond World WarAfgha ...

—Canada (1966–1992) * The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (1966–1992) * The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment—Canada (1966–1992) * 1st Battalion, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (Carleton and York) — Canada (1966–1992) *

The Essex and Kent Scottish The Essex and Kent Scottish is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment was formed in 1954 by the amalgamation of The Essex Scottish Regiment and The Kent Regiment. Its colonel-in-chief is Prince Michael of Ken ...

—Canada (1966–1992) *

Royal New South Wales Regiment The Royal New South Wales Regiment (RNSWR) is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army based in the state of New South Wales. Organisation The regiment currently consists of four battalions: * 1st/19th Battalion; * 2nd/17th Battalion; ...

–

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

(1967–1992) *

The Royal Western Australia Regiment The Royal Western Australia Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army consisting of two battalions, the 11th/28th Battalion and the 16th Battalion. The regiment was raised in July 1960 as part of the reorganisation of the Aus ...

(1967–1992) * University of New South Wales Regiment—Australia (1967–1992) * 2nd Battalion (Canterbury and Nelson-Marlborough, and West Coast), Royal New Zealand Infantry (1966–1992) * 5th Battalion (Wellington West Coast and Taranaki), Royal New Zealand Infantry (1966–1992) * 12th, 14th, 15th, and 17th Battalions, The Punjab Regiment –

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

* The Royal Sierra Leone Regiment, Royal Sierra Leone Military Forces (1966–?) *

The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) ()), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong R ...

– (1966–1992)

Order of precedence

Lineage

, -style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;" , align="center" colspan="4", Lineage , - , width="25%" rowspan="20" align="center" , The Queen's Regiment , width="25%" align="center", The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment , - , width="25%" align="center", The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment , - , width="25%" align="center",

The Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot ...

, - , width="25%" align="center", The Middlesex Regiment

References

External links

1st Battalion – The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment (PWRR Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment) – Timeline1st Battalion The Queen's Regiment1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment / 3rd Battalion The Queen's RegimentHorsham Branch of The Queen's Regimental AssociationThe Queen's Regimental Association RHQ Website6/7th Battalion The Queen's Regiment

HET report into QR soldiers death
{{PWRR Infantry regiments of the British Army Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Military units and formations established in 1966 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992