Royal Tasmania Regiment

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The Royal Tasmania Regiment
Cap badge of the Royal Tasmania Regiment
Active	1 July 1960-
Country	Australia
Branch	Army
Type	Reserve Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Size	One battalion
Part of	Royal Australian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQ	12th/40th Battalion - Hobart
Motto	Pro Aris Et Focis (For Altars and Hearths)
March	Captain Oldfield/Invercargill
Commanders
Colonel in Chief	HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps)
Honorary Colonel	The Hon. William Cox, Governor of Tasmania
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch

The Royal Tasmania Regiment is an infantry regiment within the Australian Army consisting of a single battalion. The regiment was formed in 1960 as part of the reforms of the Army Reserve, when Tasmania's two infantry single battalion regiments were amalgamated:

12th Infantry Battalion (The Launceston Regiment)
40th Infantry Battalion (The Derwent Regiment)

The two battalions were reduced to companies within a single battalion named as the Tasmania Regiment. The regiment was given its royal title the same year.

In 1972, the RTR expanded to two battalions, when both the 12th and 40th were reformed. However, this lasted only until 1975, when it was again reduced, this time to a pair of independent rifle companies, 12th IRC and 40th IRC. Then, in 1987, the regiment was expanded to a full battalion again through the regimentation of the two independent rifle companies, 12 Field Squadron Royal Australian Engineers, 146 Signal Squadron and 6 Intelligence Unit, forming as 12th/40th Battalion.

[edit] Royal Tasmania Regiment today

The 12th/40th Battalion is part of 9 Brigade, and is based in Hobart, Tasmania with a detachment in Launceston; the battalion serves in the light infantry role as part of 2 Division, Australia's main home defence formation. The battalion encompasses the entire state, and currently consists of a total of five companies, HQ Company, two rifle companies, a training company and support and administrative company

The Battalion wears a blue and black lanyard, which comes from its links to the 12th and 40th Battalions. However, the unit's colour patch is that of the 12th Battalion, 1st Australian Imperial Force, which is white over sky blue. The regiment holds the colours of both the 12th and 40th Battalions, and carries the motto Pro Aris Et Focis (For Altars and Hearths). The Honorary Colonel of the Regiment is His Excellency the Governor of Tasmania.