4th Royal Tank Regiment

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

4 RTR was in France in 1940 and took part in the counter-attack at Arras. It lost its tanks in the retreat to Dunkirk but was reconstituted in England as a Matilda II regiment. In October, B Squadron was shipped to Port Sudan, with 16 Matilda II tanks, where it served with distinction in the campaign against the Italians in Eritrea.

The rest of the regiment arrived in Egypt and first saw action in May 1941. It took part in Operation Battleaxe, suffering heavy losses.

4 RTR, as part of 32nd Army Tank Brigade, landed in the besieged port of Tobruk on 4 October 1941. From 21 November it took part in the breakout from the Tobruk enclave, linking up with the advancing 2nd New Zealand Division on the night of 26/27 November.

4 RTR was captured at Tobruk on 21 June 1942. On 1 March 1945, 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps was re-designated 4th Royal Tank Regiment to replace the original.

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, amalgamated with the 1st Royal Tank Regiment.

Commanding officers

The Commanding Officers have been:

• 1941: Lt.-Col. W.C.L. O’Carroll
• 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 – Victoria Cross Tobruk 1941

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20041019213321/http://www.regiments.org/tradition/tartans/rose.htm Military Tartans: Rose]
2. "4th Royal Tank Regiment". Regiments.org.
3. "Royal Tank Regiment". British Armed Forces.
4. "The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment".
5. "The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment".
6. "Matilda Operation Crusader 1941".
7. "The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment".
8. "Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie".