"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.
| The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) | |
|---|---|
Cap Badge of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment |
|
| Active | 9 September 1992-Present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | 1st Battalion — Armoured Infantry 2nd Battalion — Light Role/Public Duties 3rd Battalion — TA Reserve |
| Size | Three battalions |
| Part of | Queen's Division |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ - Canterbury 1st Battalion - Paderborn, Germany 2nd Battalion - London 3rd Battalion - Canterbury |
| March | Quick - The Farmer's Boy/Soldiers of the Queen Slow - The Minden Rose |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel in Chief | HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
Brigadier Richard William Dennis OBE ADC[1][2] |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash | |
| Arm Badge | Tiger From Royal Hampshire Regiment |
| Abbreviation | PWRR |
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) (PWRR, known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of The Queen's Regiment and The Royal Hampshire Regiment and holds the earliest battle honour in the British Army (Tangier, 1662) which was not awarded until 1784. Through its ancestry via the Queen's Regiment to the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), the PWRR is the most senior English line infantry regiment. The current regiment was named in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The PWRR is the county regiment of the following (it also recruits in London):
Upon its creation, HRH The Princess of Wales and HM The Queen of Denmark were Allied Colonels-in-Chief of the PWRR. When the Princess divorced HRH The Prince of Wales, she resigned as Colonel-in-chief and the Queen of Denmark has remained its Colonel-in-Chief since.
The regimental headquarters (RHQ) is in Canterbury, whilst the regiment itself comprises three battalions:
There is also a single Territorial Army company, B (Queen's) Company of the London Regiment.
Contents |
The regiment's 1st Battalion served a seven-month tour of Iraq in 2004 with a second tour following in 2006. Many of the operations carried out by the battalion during the first tour were named after stations on the London Underground.[3]
The regiment's 2nd Battalion moved from Alexander Barracks, Dhekelia after two years in Cyprus to Woolwich Garrison, London, to take up a Public Duties role as of August 2010 with the battalions corps of drums performing at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and now attaining the role of the best corps of drums in the British Army today. Prior to Cyprus, 2PWRR were based in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, the last resident battalion deployed in this role under Operation Banner.
Elements of both regular battalions were recently deployed to Afghanistan. Other elements of 1 PWRR were deployed to Iraq, where they helped train the Iraqi National Army and oversaw the withdrawal of UK Forces from Basra. Members of the 3rd Battalion were deployed to both theatres alongside their regular colleagues.
1st Battalion are due to be deployed to Afghanistan in August 2011, while 2nd Battalion will be deployed in 2013 for their 3rd tour.
The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment Museum is located in Dover Castle, Dover, Kent. Exhibits trace the regiment's history, and include displays of photographs, paintings, weapons, badges, medals, uniforms and regimental regalia.
The regiment as a whole has attained fifty-seven Victoria Cross awards.
A total of thirty-seven medals and awards were awarded to the regiments 1st Battalion for their service during operations in Iraq in 2004, including a Victoria Cross, two CGCs, ten Military Crosses, and seventeen were Mentioned in Despatches, making the regiment the most highly decorated serving regiment in the British Army at that time.[3]
Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry of the 1st Battalion, PWRR was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during his unit's deployment to Al-Amarah, near Basrah.[4]
Whilst attached to the 1st Battalion, Michelle Norris of the Royal Army Medical Corps became the first woman to be awarded the Military Cross following her actions on June 11, 2006.[5]
Lance Corporal Eric Danquah of the 1st battalion,PWRR was awarded the Joint Commanders Commendation for his actions during his units deployment to IRAQ Al-Amara, near Basrah.
The PWRR is one of only two regiments in the British Army that has a foreign monarch as its Colonel-in-Chief (the other is The Light Dragoons). Queen Margrethe II was previously the Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Regiment, continuing a tradition in her family dating back to the appointment of King Frederick VIII as the Colonel-in-Chief of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), one of the ancestor regiments of the PWRR, in 1906.
| Preceded by Royal Regiment of Scotland |
Infantry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border) |
| Lineage | ||||
| The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) | The Queen's Regiment | The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment | The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) | |
| The East Surrey Regiment | The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot | |||
| The 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot | ||||
| The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment | The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) | |||
| The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment | The 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot | |||
| The 97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot | ||||
| The Royal Sussex Regiment | The 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot | |||
| The 107th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Light Infantry) | ||||
| The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) | The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot | |||
| The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot | ||||
| The Royal Hampshire Regiment | The 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot | |||
| The 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot | ||||
|
|||||||