Pretoria Regiment
| Pretorai Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 1913 to current |
| Country |
 South Africa |
| Branch | South African Army |
| Type | Armoured Regiment |
| Motto |
Nulli Secundus ("Second to None") |
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Offic | Lt Col Cliff Van der Westhuizen |
The Pretoria Regiment is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit. The Regiment is stationed in the city after which it was named, Pretoria. It is part of the South African Army Armour Formation.
History
The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) - a unit of the Active Citizen Force of the Union Defence Force - by the amalgamation of several units: the Pretoria Company of the Transvaal Scottish, the Central South African Railway Volunteers, the Northern Mounted Rifles and the Pretoria detachment of the Transvaal Cycle and Motor Corps. In 1928 it was renamed The Pretoria Regiment.
On 24 October 1930 it was once again renamed, to The Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own).
During World War II, the Regiment was converted to an armoured formation attached to the 11th South African Armoured Brigade, South African 6th Armoured Division. The unit was demobilized after the war, and in 1946 it was re-organized as a part-time force, consisting of a 1st and a 2nd Battalion. The latter was disbanded in 1954.
After the Union of South Africa became the Republic of South Africa, the unit was renamed The Pretoria Regiment in 1961.
The regiment is commonly known for recruiting the most intelligent and capable soldiers from universities, particularly law and engineering students. Among these would be many of the what is regarded as the SANDF's most professional and hardiest female soldiers.
Regimental Symbols
- Badges: An impala on a mountain representing the Magaliesberg range to north of Pretoria, with in the foreground some succulents. Beneath the impala and the mountain is a ribbon bearing the regiment's motto, Nulli Secundus ("Second to None"). This motto was granted to the regiment by the then Prime Minister Louis Botha after the 1914 - 1915 campaign.
- The regiment has been allied with The Royal Welsh Fusiliers since 1995 (as it was previously from 1927 to 1961).
Alliances
Battle honours
- South-West Africa 1914 - 1915
- Madagascar 1942[1]
- Italy 1944-1945
- Bagno Regio
- Sarteano
- La Foce
- Florence
- Gothic Line
- Caterelto Ridge
- Po Valley
- Cuito Cuanavale 1988