Queen's Royal Irish Hussars

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The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars

Regimental Badge
Active 1957-1993
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Type Royal Armoured Corps
Role Main Battle Tank [1]
Size 550
Motto Mente et Manu (Might & Main)
March The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
Anniversaries St Patrick's Day, Balaklava Day
Commanders
Current
commander		 Defunct
Colonel-in-Chief Prince Phillip
The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars guidon party and honour guard at the Freedom of Munster Parade, West Germany 1983
The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars guidon party and honour guard at the Freedom of Munster Parade, West Germany 1983

The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, normally referred to by the abbreviation QRIH, was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed from the amalgamation of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in Hohne, West Germany in 1958.

The Regimental Journal and Polo Team were nicknamed 'The Crossbelts'. A nickname earned by the 8th Hussars at the Battle of Almenara in 1710. Many customs and practices of the two predecessor regiments were retained such as the green and gold Tent Hat [2] worn without a badge which was used by officers.

The regiment was amalgamated with The Queen's Own Hussars on 1st September 1993, to form The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish).

Contents

[edit] History

The regiment moved to Aden in 1961, reroling as an armoured reconnaissance regiment and after serving there against insurgents for almost a year, sailed on the SS Oxfordshire to the newly-independent nation of Malaysia. It was based in Ipoh, Malaysia from October 1962, and saw limited action against Indonesian insurgents, seeing service in Brunei and Sarawak on jungle operations during the Indonesian confrontation, and in Singapore as part of the Internal Security Forces. Returning to West Germany in 1964 the regiment was based in Wolfenbüttel, near the East German border as part of NATO forward defences. Further deployments took place to:

  • United Kingdom 1968-1970 - Recce Role at Perham Down until 1969 then RAC Centre regiment, Bovington.
  • United Kingdom 1979-1982 (including short tours to Rhodesia and Cyprus). Main body of the regiment was based at Bhurtpore Barracks in Tidworth as the UKLF (reserve) tank regiment, with C Squadron detached to the School of Infantry at Warminster where it was used in the role of RAC Demonstration Squadron.
  • United Kingdom 1988-1990 - Half the regiment to Cambrai Barracks, Catterick, RAC Training Regiment. The other half as RAC Centre Regiment, Bovington.



Victoria Crosses include:

[edit] Battle Honours

  • There is a total of 538 years from the formation of the parent Regiments until the amalgamation which was to create the QRIH. During this time 102 Battle Honours were awarded to the regiments. 40 of these appeared on the QRIH Guidon.

[edit] Equipment

Centurion Tank
Centurion Tank
Chieftain Tank
Chieftain Tank
Challenger 1 Tank
Challenger 1 Tank

Although having re-equipped on several occasions to deal with emergency postings such as Malaya, Aden, Cyprus and Northern Ireland, the regiment's main role was almost always as a Main Battle Tank regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps.

Post amalgamation, the two types used by the regiment were primarily Centurion and Chieftain. As with all MBT regiments however the QRIH did have other armoured vehicles in service in parallel with their main role. These included:

Conqueror
Scimitar
Scorpion
Spartan
Saladin
Saracen
Sultan
Samaritan
Ferret
432

During the first Gulf War when the regiment deployed it did so with, what was then, the latest British main battle tank, Challenger or as it is now referred to since the introduction of the second of the Challenger series Challenger 1.

In addition, for command, control and administration, some "soft skinned" vehicles were also in use:

Bedford Trucks known as "3 Tonners" and "4 Tonners"
Stalwart
Land Rovers

Some vehicles were modified for specific use with an armoured regiment. Some 4 ton trucks for example had a modular set of fuel tanks with dispensing nozzles to increase the speed at which tanks could be refueled during combat (much faster and cleaner than emptying Jerrycans of fuel into the 220 gallon fuel tanks). Others even more notably such as the Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) used by the mechanics and fitters from the REME who were responsible for the recovery and repair of broken down or damaged vehicles.

[edit] Structure

As with all armoured regiments the structure was based around the Squadron concept. The number of troops in a squadron changed and so did the number of squadrons but the basic premise remained and still remains the same.

Headquarter Squadron (HQ Sqn) - command, control and administration. Recce and Guided Weapons troops were also a component part of HQ Sqn.
A Squadron (A Sqn) - Sabre*
B Squadron (B Sqn) - Sabre
C Squadron (C Sqn) - Sabre
D Squadron (D Sqn) - Sabre
* The designation "Sabre" indicates a fighting squadron, a throwback to the days of horses.

[edit] Regimental Music

The Regimental Quick March was "The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars" (an arrangement of St Patrick's Day, Berkley's Dragoons and The Galloping Queen's Hussar, preceded by the regimental trumpet call).

The Regimental slow march was "Litany of Lorretto".

The regimental Hymn was Abide With Me

The regimental song was "The Galloping Queen's Hussar" (A version of the "Galloping 8th Hussar" from the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars):

  • The Regimental Song

I'm a soldier in the Queen's Army
I'm galloping Queen's Hussar
I've sailed the ocean wide and blue,
I'm a chap who knows a thing or two,
Been in many a tight corner,
Shown the enemy who we are,
I can ride a horse,
Go on a spree, or sing a comic song,
And that denotes a Queen's Hussar!

[edit] Regimental Days

The regiment celebrated two special days in each year. St Patrick's Day and Balaklava Day (celebrating the Charge of the Light Brigade). On most occasions these were holidays for all soldiers with sporting activities during the day and celebrations in the evening. These holidays began with the quaint tradition of senior nco's[3] serving Gunfire [4] (a mixture of tea and rum) to junior soldiers as a morning wake-up drink. During active operations the festivities were suspended but the occasion always marked in some way. On St Patrick's Day each soldier would wear a sprig of shamrock, normally presented by the honorary colonel, Prince Phillip who had assumed the role upon the death of Sir Winston Churchill.

[edit] Regimental Mottoes

  • The Regimental motto was the Latin "Mente et Manu" of the 4th Hussars, meaning Might and Main which was inscribed on the cap badge and regimental crest. The motto of the 8th Hussars was also retained "Pristinae Virtutis Memores (Mindful of former valour).

[edit] Colonels in Chief

The first Colonel in Chief was Sir Winston Churchill who was known as the "Greatest Hussar of all time". On his death in 1965 the Colonelcy was given to Prince Phillip who retained the position until amalgamation.

[edit] Regimental Colonels

The last Colonel of the Regiment was Major General John Strawson,[2] the eminent military author and historian. Former commanding officer of the 4th Hussars and the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars who saw service in various theatres during World War Two.

[edit] Notable Hussars

British punk musician Billy Bragg had chosen the Regiment when he entered the Army in May 1981 and was destined for the Royal Armoured Corps but bought himself out of the military for £175 just a few months afterward, before he had completed his training and thus never joined his regiment. He wrote and composed several songs about his brief stint in the military, namely "Island of No Return", and "Like Soldiers Do" for his second LP, "Brewing Up with Billy Bragg".

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/puchampi.htm
  2. ^ John Strawson - David Higham Associates

[edit] Links

The Eastbourne Redoubt South Seaward facade
The Eastbourne Redoubt South Seaward facade