The Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles (formerly the Natal Mounted Rifles) is a reserve armoured

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, 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 Servi ...

History

Origin

The original and accepted parent unit of the Natal Mounted Rifles is the Royal Durban Rangers which was formed at a meeting of the public in the town of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, at Boltbee's Hotel on 23 March 1854. Other ante-cedant units that were then subsequently amalgamated into the NMR since 1854 are as follows: # # # # # # #

Formation

In May 1868 the Regimental Committee of the Durban Mounted Rifles, presided over by Captain WH Addison, held a meeting to discuss the forming of the Natal Mounted Rifles. The formation of the regiment would entail the amalgamation of four Volunteer Units; Royal D'urban Rangers (1854), Victoria Mounted Rifles (1862), Alexander Mounted Rifles (1865) and Durban Mounted Rifles (1873).

Anglo-Boer War

The regiment was re-activated in

during February and March 1901 for service in the

South African War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. It was originally called the 2nd Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment but the name was soon changed to Natal Mounted Infantry. The unit was armed and equipped by the Natal Volunteer Department and horsed by the Imperial Remount Department. The first depot was at

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, but, on the unit changing its name, this was transferred to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

World War I

At the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the regiment became the 3rd Mounted Rifles and was attached to the

8th Mounted Brigade The London Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 8th Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign before being remounted to serve ...

with the Central Force in the German South West African Campaign. On 1 July 1913 the Regiment was re-amalgamated with the ''Border Mounted Rifles'', renamed the ''3rd Mounted Rifles (Natal Mounted Rifles)'' and transferred to 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 ...

of the Union Defence Force.

World War II

In 1932 the Regiment's name was simplified to ''The Natal Mounted Rifles'' and in 1934 it was converted to

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. The regiment was mounted for 80 years until July 1934 when horses were entirely dispensed with and NMR converted to a machine-gun unit. In January 1934 the regiment was re-mustered as an armoured reconnaissance regiment of the 6th South African Armoured Division. In addition to the campaigns in which its various constituent units fought in before the Regiment's formation, the Natal Mounted Rifles served in the

Second Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

(1899–1902), the Zulu Rebellion (1906–1907),

(specifically in

South-West Africa South West Africa was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. South West Africa bordered Angola ( a Portu ...

from 1914 to 1915),

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(See 1st SA Infantry Division and South Africa's post-war internal conflicts and the

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

Post World War II

Border War

Post 1994

Since the 1994 Democratic Elections, the NMR has undergone several training exercises and continues to recruit members into its ranks. It boasts a Regimental Pipe Band and is affiliated to The King's Own Hussars.

Name change

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa. The Natal Mounted Rifles became the Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.

Regimental

Symbols

Regimental

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

s: * *

Previous dress insignia

UDF and SADF eras Natal Mounted Rifles insignia

Alliances

* – affiliated 9 April 1930 to The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) * Glenwood Boys High School affiliated to NMR on 17 February 1936 * South African School of Armour affiliated to NMR on 21 March 1997 * Durban Metro Police Equestrian Unit affiliated to NMR on 25 March 2000 * South African Air Force No.15 (Helicopter) Squadron, Durban, affiliated to NMR

Battle honours

* South Africa 1879 * South Africa 1899–1902 **

Defence of Ladysmith Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

* Natal 1906 * South-West Africa 1914–1915 ** Gibeon * East Africa 1940–1941 ** Dadaba * Western Desert 1941–1943 *

Gazala Gazala, or ʿAyn al-Ġazāla ( ), is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk. History In the late 1930s (during the Libya as Italian colony, Italian occupation of Libya), th ...

* Springbok Road * Paliano * Bir Temrad ** Best Post ** Alamein Defence **

El Alamein El Alamein (, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. The town is located on the site of the ancient city Antiphrai which was built by th ...

* Italy 1944–1945 ** The

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

** Celleno **

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

** The Greve **

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

** Po Valley * El Yibo (The first action of the NMR in World War II 16–18 January 1940) *

1975–1976

Leadership

Notes

References

{{SA Army Units Armoured regiments of South Africa Military units and formations in Durban Military units and formations established in 2019 Pages with Battle Honours