The 42nd Royal Tank Regiment (42 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1938 until 1956. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps.
The unit was formed by converting the 7th (23rd London) Battalion of The East Surrey Regiment, a Territorial Army infantry battalion, into a tank unit. For a short while it was 42 (7 (23 London) Battalion The East Surrey Regiment) Battalion of the Royal Tank Corps before becoming part of the Royal Tank Regiment in 1939
The unit formed part of 1st Army Tank Brigade.
For the invasion of Northern Europe in 1944, it was equipped with Canal Defence Light Grant tanks. These were not used in battle.
From 1947, it was in the 22nd Armoured Brigade under the 56th (London) Infantry Division
In 1956, the regiment was converted back to infantry to become the "23rd London" again.
Famous quotes containing the words royal and/or regiment:
“The Royal Navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence and ornament; it is its ancient and natural strength; the floating bulwark of the island.”
—William Blackstone (1723–1780)
“Christians would show sense if they dispatched these argumentative Scotists and pigheaded Ockhamists and undefeated Albertists along with the whole regiment of Sophists to fight the Turks and Saracens instead of sending those armies of dull-witted soldiers with whom they’ve long been carrying on war with no result.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)