History
The amalgamation of the 9th Lancers and 12th Lancers took place on 11 September 1960 in Tidworth Garrison Church. The inscription reads:
"Here on the 11 September 1960, 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was formed by the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) coming together before God. It is not the beginning but the continuing of the same until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory."
Since then they have served in Aden, Oman, Belize, Saudi Arabia, Canada, with the UN in Cyprus, in Germany throughout the Cold War and Northern Ireland throughout The Troubles. D Squadron deployed to the Middle East in 1991 on Operation Granby to provide Battle Casualty Replacements. On 10 May 1972 the Regiment received the Freedom of Derby and in 2000 the Queen Mother paid another visit to present a new Guidon shortly before her 100th birthday. The Regiment was once again at the forefront in 1992 as part of the deployment to Bosnia on Operation Grapple 1 and they were to return to both Bosnia and Kosovo on numerous occasions over the coming decade.
Since 2000, operational activity of the Regiment has concentrated on the Balkans and the Middle East, interspersed with two deployments to Canada in 2002 as OPFOR (opposing force) and 2007 as both OPFOR and as a formation reconnaissance battlegroup. It took part in Operation Telic in Iraq and Operation Herrick in Afghanistan. The 9th/12th Royal Lancers completed their third tour to Iraq in December 2008 and are currently deployed on operations in Afghanistan.
In 2012, as part of the Army 2020 reforms intended to reduce the size of the British Army in line with the Strategic Defence and Security Review, it was announced that the 9th/12th Royal Lancers would be amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Lancers to form a single regiment, The Royal Lancers (RL).
Read more about this topic: 9th/12th Royal Lancers
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—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“In nature, all is useful, all is beautiful. It is therefore beautiful, because it is alive, moving, reproductive; it is therefore useful, because it is symmetrical and fair. Beauty will not come at the call of a legislature, nor will it repeat in England or America its history in Greece. It will come, as always, unannounced, and spring up between the feet of brave and earnest men.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)