Queen's Royal Lancers



The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) 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

From its formation, the regiment served in the armoured role with first Challenger 1, then Challenger 2. However, in 2005, as part of the re-organisation of the army, the regiment started converting to the formation reconnaissance role, re-equipping with the FV107 Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle.

Administratively, the QRL is part of the 4th Mechanized Brigade ("The Black Rats")

Organisation
The regiment is organised into four squadrons, each of which perpetuates one of the antecedent regiments:


 * 16th Lancer Squadron
 * 17th Lancer Squadron
 * 21st Lancer Squadron
 * 5th Lancer Squadron

Traditions
The regiment's nickname, the 'Death or Glory Boys', comes from their cap badge which is known as "the motto". This is the combined cap badges of the two antecedent regiments, and features a pair of crossed lances, from the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers, together with a skull and crossbones, below which is a ribbon containing the words 'Or Glory'. This comes from the 17th/21st Lancers, and was the cap badge of the 17th Lancers (the original 'Death or Glory Boys').

Battle honours
16th/5th battle honours

Combined honours before amalgamation of 16th and 5th Lancers:


 * Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Beaumont, Willems, Talavera, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nive, Peninsula, Waterloo, Bhurtpore, Ghuznee 1839, Affghanistan 1839, Maharajpore, Aliwal, Sobraon, Suakin 1885, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Siege of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902


 * First World War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Ypres 1914 '15, Bellewaarde, Arras 1917, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, St. Quentin, Pursuit to Mons

After amalgamation of 16th and 5th Lancers:


 * Second World War: Kasserine, Fondouk, Kairouan, Bordj, Djebel Kournine, Tunis, Gromballa, Bou Ficha, North Africa 1942-43, Cassino II, Liri Valley, Monte Piccolo, Capture of Perugia, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Argenta Gap, Traghetto, Italy 1944-45


 * Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991

17th/21st battle honours

Combined honours before amalgamation of 17th and 21st Lancers:


 * Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Central India, South Africa 1879, Khartoum, South Africa 1900-02


 * First World War: Festubert, Somme 1916 '18, Morval, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Avre, Hazebrouck, Amiens, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18, N.W. Frontier India 1915 '16

After amalgamation of 17th and 21st Lancers:


 * Second World War: Tebourba Gap, Bou Arada, Kasserine, Thala, Fondouk, El Kourzia, Tunis, Hammam Lif, North Africa 1942-43, Cassino II, Monte Piccolo, Capture of Perugia, Advance to Florence, Argenta Gap, Fossa Cembalina, Italy 1944-45

Queen's Royal Lancers

After amalgamation of 16th/5th Lancers and the 17th/21st Lancers into the Queens' Royal Lancers:


 * Al Basrah, Iraq 2003


 * Maysaan/Al Basrah 2006 (Telic 9)


 * Afghanistan 2008 (Herrick)
 * Afghanistan 2010 (Herrick 12)

Future
In 2012, as part of the Army 2020 reforms intended to reduce the size of the British Army in line with the Strategic Defence and Security Review, it was announced that the 9th/12th Royal Lancers would be amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Lancers to form a single regiment, The Royal Lancers (RL), sometime before 2015.

Alliances

 * 🇨🇦 - Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
 * 🇦🇺 - 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers
 * - HMS Ark Royal

Affiliated Yeomanry

 * Sherwood Rangers