List of British Army regiments (1994)
Encyclopedia
This is a list of British Regular Army regiments in the aftermath of the defence cuts of the Options for Change
defence white paper in 1991.
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
defence white paper in 1991.
Household Cavalry Regiment and Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
- The Life GuardsLife Guards (British Army)The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
- The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)Blues and RoyalsThe Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
- at the request of HM The QueenElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, The Life GuardsLife Guards (British Army)The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
and The Blues and Royals 'united', rather than amalgamated, so that they could retain their separate regimental identities
- at the request of HM The Queen
Heavy Cavalry
- 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment, of the line of the British Army...
- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)
- The Royal Dragoon GuardsRoyal Dragoon GuardsThe Royal Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards...
- formed by the amalgamation of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards4th/7th Royal Dragoon GuardsThe 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1992.It was formed in India in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and 7th Dragoon Guards , as the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards; it gained the distinction Royal in 1935...
and 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon GuardsThe 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992, when it was amalgmated into the Royal Dragoon Guards.-The beginning:...
- formed by the amalgamation of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
Light Cavalry
- The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
- formed by the amalgamation of The Queen's Own Hussars and The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
- 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's)
- The King's Royal Hussars
- formed by the amalgamation of The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)The Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1969 to 1992.It was formed by the amalgamation of the 10th Royal Hussars , and 11th Hussars ....
and 14th/20th King's Hussars14th/20th King's HussarsThe 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992.- History :Originally styled the 14th/20th Hussars, the regiment was created in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars, as part of the reductions in the Army...
- formed by the amalgamation of The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)
- The Light DragoonsThe Light DragoonsThe Light Dragoons is a cavalry regiment in the British Army.It was formed in 1992 from the amalgamation of two regiments, the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars becoming the first dragoon regiment in the British Army for over twenty years.-Present day:The Light...
- formed by the amalgamation of 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)The 13th/18th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-Formation:On 9 September 1922, the 13th/18th Hussars was formed by amalgamation of the 13th Hussars and the 18th Royal Hussars . In December 1935, it became known as the 13th/18th Royal Hussars ...
and 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars15th/19th The King's Royal HussarsThe 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created as part of the reduction in the cavalry in the aftermath of World War I. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 15th The King's Hussars and the 19th Royal Hussars on 11 April 1922, becoming the...
- formed by the amalgamation of 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)
- The Queen's Royal LancersThe Queen's Royal LancersThe Queen's Royal Lancers is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 by the amalgamation of two other regiments:*16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers*17th/21st Lancers...
- formed by the amalgamation of 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers16th/5th The Queen's Royal LancersThe 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.It was formed at Lucknow in India as 16th/5th Lancers by the amalgamation of two regiments, 16th The Queen's Lancers and 5th Royal Irish Lancers....
and 17th/21st Lancers17th/21st LancersThe 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.It was formed in 1922 in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers . From 1930 to 1939 it was deployed overseas; first in Egypt for two years, and then in India for seven...
- formed by the amalgamation of 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers
The Royal Tank Regiment
- 1st Royal Tank Regiment1st Royal Tank RegimentThe 1st Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It was originally formed as 1st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps in 1934....
- amalgamated with 4th Royal Tank Regiment4th Royal Tank RegimentThe 4th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1993. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
without loss of title
- amalgamated with 4th Royal Tank Regiment
- 2nd Royal Tank Regiment2nd Royal Tank RegimentThe 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- amalgamated with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment3rd Royal Tank RegimentThe 3rd Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1992. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as C Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917....
without loss of title
- amalgamated with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
Infantry
The infantry in 1994 was divided into six divisions for administrative purposes:- Household Division: Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards.
- Scottish Division: Royal Scots, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Highland Fusiliers, Black Watch, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons).
- Queen's Division: Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Royal Anglian Regiment.
- King's Division: Green Howards, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, Queen's Lancashire Regiment, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, King's Regiment.
- Prince of Wales's Division: Cheshire Regiment, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Royal Regiment of Wales, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, Staffordshire Regiment.
- Light Division: Light Infantry, Royal Green Jackets.
Foot Guards
- Grenadier GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
(one battalion) - Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
(one battalion) - Scots GuardsScots GuardsThe Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
(one battalion) - Irish GuardsIrish GuardsThe Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
(one battalion) - Welsh GuardsWelsh GuardsThe Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
(one battalion)
Line Infantry
- The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (one battalion)
- The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) (two battalions)
- The Queen's RegimentThe Queen's RegimentThe Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division...
- The Royal Hampshire Regiment
- The Queen's Regiment
- The King's Own Royal Border RegimentThe King's Own Royal Border RegimentThe King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed in 1959 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*The King's Own Royal Regiment *The Border Regiment...
(one battalion) - The Royal Regiment of FusiliersThe Royal Regiment of FusiliersThe Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
(two battalions) - The King's RegimentThe King's RegimentThe King's Regiment, officially abbreviated as KINGS, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 1 September 1958 by the amalgamation of The King's Regiment which had been raised in 1685 and The Manchester Regiment which traced its history to 1758...
(one battalion - The Royal Anglian Regiment (two battalions)
- The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (one battalion)
- The Light InfantryThe Light InfantryThe Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
(two battalions) - The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire (one battalion)
- The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) (one battalion)
- The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) (one battalion)
- The Cheshire Regiment (one battalion)
- The Royal Welch Fusiliers (one battalion)
- The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) (one battalion)
- The King's Own Scottish Borderers (one battalion)
- The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) (one battalion)
- The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th)
- The Ulster Defence Regiment
- The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (one battalion)
- The Gloucestershire RegimentThe Gloucestershire RegimentThe Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their regimental colours than any other British Army line regiment.-Origins and early history:...
- The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.-History:It was formed on 9 June 1959 after defence cuts implemented in the late 1950s saw the amalgamation of The Royal Berkshire Regiment and The Wiltshire Regiment , forming The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment...
- The Gloucestershire Regiment
- The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) (one battalion)
- The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (one battalion)
- The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) (one battalion)
- The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's) (one battalion)
- The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (one battalion)
- The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Prior to 28 March 2006, the Highlanders was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Highlanders , part of the Scottish Division...
(one battalion)- The Gordon HighlandersThe Gordon HighlandersThe Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1794 until 1994. The regiment took its name from the Clan Gordon and recruited principally from Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland.-History:...
- The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)
- The Gordon Highlanders
- The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) (one battalion)
- The Parachute Regiment (three battalions)
- The Royal Gurkha Rifles (three battalions: one battalion disbanded in 1996)
- 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles
- 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha RiflesThe 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names...
- 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha RiflesThe 7th Gurkha Rifles started as a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence.-Formation:...
- 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha RiflesThe 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, , was originally an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was first formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition...
- The Brigade of GurkhasBrigade of GurkhasThe Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...
- The Brigade of Gurkhas
- The Royal Green Jackets (two battalions)
- The Gibraltar Regiment
Support Arms
- Royal Regiment of Artillery
- Corps of Royal Engineers
- Royal Corps of SignalsRoyal Corps of SignalsThe Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
Services
- Royal Army Chaplains Department
- Royal Logistic CorpsRoyal Logistic CorpsThe Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
- Royal Corps of TransportRoyal Corps of TransportThe Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
- Royal Army Ordnance CorpsRoyal Army Ordnance CorpsThe Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
- Royal Pioneer CorpsRoyal Pioneer CorpsThe Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks.The Royal Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939 as the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. It was renamed the Pioneer Corps on 22 November 1940...
- Army Catering CorpsArmy Catering CorpsThe Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
- Postal Courier Service
- Royal Corps of Transport
- Royal Army Medical CorpsRoyal Army Medical CorpsThe Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
- Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersRoyal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersThe Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
- Adjutant General's CorpsAdjutant General's CorpsThe Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services. As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 people...
- Royal Army Pay CorpsRoyal Army Pay CorpsThe Royal Army Pay Corps was a former corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992....
- Women's Royal Army CorpsWomen's Royal Army CorpsThe Women's Royal Army Corps was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains and nurses belonged from 1949 to 1992.-History:The...
- Corps of Royal Military Police
- Royal Army Educational CorpsRoyal Army Educational CorpsThe Royal Army Educational Corps was a corps of the British Army tasked with educating and instructing personnel in a diverse range of skills...
- Military Provost Staff CorpsMilitary Provost Staff CorpsThe Military Provost Staff Corps was the corps of the British Army which ran its military prisons. As the Military Provost Staff , the corps is now administratively part of the Adjutant General's Corps. It also provides operational support and technical advice for Prisoner of War handling during...
- Royal Army Pay Corps
- Royal Army Veterinary CorpsRoyal Army Veterinary CorpsThe Royal Army Veterinary Corps is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and care of animals. It is a small but technically competent corps forming part of the Army Medical Services...
- Small Arms School CorpsSmall Arms School CorpsThe Small Arms School Corps is a small corps of the British Army responsible for maintaining the proficiency of the army in the use of small arms, support weapons and range management.-History:...
- Royal Army Dental CorpsRoyal Army Dental CorpsThe Royal Army Dental Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental care services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
- Intelligence Corps
- Army Physical Training CorpsArmy Physical Training CorpsThe Royal Army Physical Training Corps is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors ....
- General Service CorpsGeneral Service CorpsThe General Service Corps is a corps of the British Army. Its main function is to act as a holding unit for specialists who have not been assigned to other units or corps; these are primarily reservists and the GSC is usually only active in wartime....
- Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing CorpsQueen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing CorpsQueen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps is the nursing branch of the British Army and part of the Army Medical Services....
- Corps of Army MusicCorps of Army MusicThe Corps of Army Music is a corps of the British Army. It was formed in 1994 as an umbrella organisation, centred on the Royal Military School of Music, to oversee the 29 new permanent Military Bands formed following Options for Change, although each band continues to wear the capbadges and Full...
- formed 1994 to oversee the 29 army bands