Green Howards

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The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment; 19th Regiment of Foot)

Green Howards cap badge
Active 20 November 1688 – 6 June 2006
Country United Kingdom
Branch Army
Type Line Infantry
Role Light Infantry
Size One battalion
Colors Green Facings
March Quick - The Bonnie English Rose
Slow - Maria Theresa
Anniversaries Alma (20 September)
Commanders
Colonel in Chief King Harald V of Norway
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Field Marshal Peter Inge KG, GCB, PC, DL

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division.

Contents

[edit] History

The regiment was formed in 1688 from independent companies of infantry in Devon. Until 1751 it was known by the names of its various colonels, when it became the 19th Regiment of Foot. In 1782 all regiments of foot without a special designation were given county title "to cultivate a connection with the County which might at all times be useful towards recruiting".[1] The regiment became the 19th (1st North Riding of Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot, and its main recruiting efforts continued in this area until 2006, particularly in Middlesbrough, Redcar, Northallerton and Scarborough.

[edit] Princess of Wales's Own

In 1875 Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales presented new colours to the 1st Battalion at Sheffield, and consented to the regiment bearing her name, thus becoming the 19th (1st Yorkshire North Riding - Princess of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot.[2] The regiment adopted a cap badge consisting of the Princess's cypher "A" combined with the Dannebrog or Danish cross and topped by her coronet.

The Princess became Queen Alexandra in 1901, and was the regiment's colonel-in-chief from 1914 until her death in 1925.

[edit] Childers reforms

In 1881 the infantry of the line were reorganised. The regular regiments of foot lost their numbers, instead taking on a territorial or county title, and amalgamating with the militia battalions and rifle volunteers in its designated regimental district. The regiment was renamed as The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), with its recruiting area continuing to be the North Riding. In 1902 the regiment was redesignated as Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment).

[edit] The Two Howards

The regiment was known as The Green Howards from 1744. At that time, regiments were known by the name of their colonel. The 19th regiment's colonel was The Honourable Sir Charles Howard. However, at the same time the 3rd regiment had been commanded by its Colonel Thomas Howard since 1737. In order to tell them apart (since they both would have been known as 'Howard's Regiment of Foot'), the colours of their uniform facings were used to distinguish them. In this way, one became "Howard's Buffs" (eventually simply "The Buffs"), while the other became the "Green Howards". Although the Green Howards were referred to unofficially as such from then on, it was not until 1921 that the regiment was officially retitled to The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).[3] Under the Childers reforms all non-royal English infantry regiments were to wear white facings from 1881. In 1899 the regiment was able to reverse this decision with the restoration of the grass green facings formerly worn by the 19th Foot.[4]

[edit] Museum

The Green Howards Regimental Museum is located in the old Trinity Church, at the centre of the market place in Richmond, North Yorkshire. The former Green Howards Regimental Headquarters, located within the museum, has now taken on the role of an Area Headquarters for the Yorkshire Regiment.

[edit] Regimental Battle Honours

Malplaquet ,Belle Isle

[edit] Crimean War

Alma , Inkerman , Sevastopol , Tirah

[edit] Boer War

Relief of Kimberley , Paardeberg , South Africa 1899-1902

[edit] The Great War

Ypres 1914, 1915, 1917 , Langemarck 1914, 1917 , Gheluvelt , Neuve Chapelle , St Julien , Frezenburg , Bellewaarde , Aubers , Festubert 1915 , Loos , Somme 1916-1918 , Albert 1916 , Bazentin , Coziers , Flers-Courcelet , Morval , Thiepval , Le Transloy , Ancre Heights , Ancre 1916 , Arras 1917, 1918 , Scarpe 1917-18 , Messines 1917, 1918 , Pilckem , Menin Road , Polygon Wood , Broodseinde , Poelcappelle , Passchendaele , Cambrai 1917-18 , St Quentin , Hindenburg Line , Canal du Nord , Beaurevoir , Selle , Valenciennes , Sambre , France and Flanders 1914-18 , Piave , Vittorio Veneto , Italy 1917-18 , Suvla , Landing at Suvla , Scimitar Hill , Gallipoli 1915 , Egypt 1916 , Archangel 1918 , Afghanistan 1919.

[edit] World War 2

Otta , Norway 1940 , Defence of Arras , Dunkirk 1940 , Normandy Landing , Tilly sur Seulles , St Pierre La Vielle , Gheel , Nede'rijn , North West Europe 1940, 1944-45 , Gazala , Defence of Alamein Line , El Alamein , Mareth , Akarit , North Africa 1942-43 , Landing in Sicily , Lentini , Sicily 1943 , Minturno , Anzio , Italy 1943-44 , Arakan Beaches , Burma 1945

[edit] Victoria Cross

Soldiers of the Green Howards awarded the Victoria Cross

[edit] Amalgamation

In 2004, as part of the re-organisation of the infantry, it was announced that the Green Howards would merge with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment to form the new Yorkshire Regiment. The official rebadging took place on the 6 June 2006, whilst elements of the regiment were stationed in Bosnia and Kosovo.

From May 2006 until the regiment's rebadging, the Green Howards were one of five remaining line infantry regiments that had not been amalgamated in their entire history, a claim shared with:

A and B (Green Howards) Companies of the Tyne Tees Regiment, based in Scarborough and Middlesbrough respectively, merged with the PWO and DWR companies of the East and West Riding Regiment to form the 4th Bn The Yorkshire Regiment TA, with the official rebadging date being 10 June 2006, four days after their regular counterparts.

As amalgamation drew ever nearer, a pair of sad milestones were reached in March 2006; on the 19 March at a farewell dinner at Dunster Castle in Somerset, the regiment said goodbye to its Colonel-in-Chief after HM King Harald V chose to end his role with the end of the regiment's independent existence, while on the 28 March, the 1st Battalion held their final parade on British soil. The Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier JSW Powell OBE, took the parade and took the opportunity to award various service medals to members of the battalion. The regiment had nearly all deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo.

[edit] Traditions

[edit] King Harald's Company

Each year, all of the companies in the battalion took part in a competition, consisting of sports and military skills tests, to win the right to be named King Harald's Company, after the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief. The winning company was given a special flag bearing the King's personal cypher, the Company Sergeant Major was presented with a special pace stick, and all members of the company were permitted to wear a special red badge on the arm of their uniform. The last company to hold the title was B (KH) Coy, the tradition was retained on rebadging to the new regiment.

[edit] Alliances

Present:

Past:

  • Canada The York Rangers

Bond of Friendship:

Unofficial:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Royal Warrant dated August 31 1782
  2. ^ The Norwegian Link (Friends of the Green Howards)
  3. ^ Army Order 509/1920, in effect January 1, 1921
  4. ^ Eric Hamilton, Bulletin of the Military History Society, Special Issue No.1, 1968

[edit] External links

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