History
The regiment moved to Aden in 1961, reroling as an armoured reconnaissance regiment and after serving there against insurgents for almost a year, sailed on the SS Oxfordshire to the newly-independent nation of Malaysia. It was based in Ipoh, Malaysia from October 1962, and saw limited action against Indonesian insurgents, seeing service in Brunei and Sarawak on jungle operations during the Indonesian confrontation, and in Singapore as part of the Internal Security Forces. Returning to West Germany in 1964 the regiment was based in Wolfenbüttel, near the East German border as part of NATO forward defences. Further deployments were:
- 1968-1970: United Kingdom, Recce Role at Perham Down until 1969, then RAC Centre regiment, Bovington.
- 1970-1979: Paderborn at Barker Barracks, as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade.
- 1974-1977: Cyprus, whilst based in Paderborn, as part of the UN peacekeeping force following the invasion of the northern part of the island by Turkey.
- 1979-1982: United Kingdom, including short tours to Rhodesia and Cyprus. Main body of the regiment was based at Bhurtpore Barracks in Tidworth as the UKLF (reserve) tank regiment, with C Squadron detached to the School of Infantry at Warminster where it was used in the role of RAC Demonstration Squadron.
- 1982-1988: Münster, York Barracks, as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 3rd Armoured Division, British Army of the Rhine. During this posting the regiment celebrated its Tercentenary and was presented with a new Guidon by HRH Prince Phillip.
- 1983: Northern Ireland, whilst based at Münster, as Prison Guard Force at Maze Prison.
- United Kingdom 1988-1990 - Half the regiment to Cambrai Barracks, Catterick, RAC Training Regiment. The other half as RAC Centre Regiment, Bovington.
- Fallingbostel 1990-1995
- Iraq (1991), Gulf War (whilst based at Fallingbostel)and under the command of Lt Col Arthur Denaro following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, spearheading the 7th Armoured Brigade 100 hour advance, reprising the role of Desert Rats as performed by both predecessor regiments in World War 2 in the North African Campaign.
Victoria Crosses include:
- James Champion - Full list of medals
- Joseph Ward
- John Pearson
- Samuel Parkes
- Clement Walker Heneage
- George Hollis
Read more about this topic: Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
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“The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)