The History of the

4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments

 

Annex G – Battle Honours and Historical Boards

 

4th Royal Tank Regiment Battle Honours 4th Royal Tank Regiment Battle Honours 4th Royal Tank Regiment Locations 4th Royal Tank Regiment Locations 1960 - 1991

4th Royal Tank Regiment Commanding Officers

4th Royal Tank Regiment Adjutants 4th Royal Tank Regiment, Regimental Sergeant Majors 4th Royal Tank Regiment, Quartermasters 1951 - 1989 4th Royal Tank Regiment Quartermasters 1989 - 1993

Commanding Officers 4 RTR and its predecessors.

Commanding Officer: ‘D’ Company, Machine Gun Corps

Major F. Summers DSC RNAS September 1916 at Flers. The First use of tanks in battle.

Commanding Officers: ‘D’ Battalion, Machine Gun Corps

*.*. Watson In command on 17th April 1917

Commanding Officers: 4th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps

E.B. Hankey. DSO
A. Courage. DSO
H.G.R. Burgess-Short. DSO
M.C. Festing. DSO
A.W.C. Richardson. DSO MC
M.A.Studd. DSO MC
H.W.Dakeyne. DSO
A.G. Paterson.
T.W. Murray. DSO MC
28th February 1920 to 11th December 1920
11th December 1920 to 7th February 1921
7th February 1921 to 29th May 1927
6th June 1927 to 18th October 1930
17th October to 27th February 1931
28th February 1931 to 20th October 1932
21st October 1932 to 6th August 1934
7th August 1934 to 31st March 1936
1st April 1936 to 1938 ?

Commanding Officers: 4th Royal Tank Regiment

A.H. Gatehouse. DSO MC
J.G. FitzMaurice.
J.S. Fernie.
W.C.L. O’Carroll. DSO
W.R. Reeves. DSO
A. Jolly .DSO (later GCB, CBE, DSO)
F.I.C. Wetherall.
1938 ? November 1939
November 1939 to 21st May 1940 during the Arras counter attack
??
1941
March to 21 June 1942 (When the Regt was destroyed in Tobruk)
1 March 1945 (on re-naming of 144 RAC)
May 1946 to Jan1948

Commanding Officers  ‘G’  Battalion, Machine Gun Corps

Lt Col E.B.Hankey DSO

Lt Col F.H.Fernie DSO

Lt Col C.R.T.Thorp MC

11/16 to 12/17

1/18 to 7/18

8/18 to 5/19  (on disbandment)

Commanding Officers 7th Royal Tank Regiment  1937 to 1948

Lt Col A.G.Kenchington MC
Lt Col H.M.Heyland DSO
Lt Col R.M.Jerram DSO. MC
Lt Col H.J.S.Hawthorn TD
Lt Col H.R.B.Foote VC.DSO
Lt Col K.L.Johnston-Jones MBE.MC
Lt Col A.R.Leakey DSO MC
Lt Col R.B.P.Wood DSO
5/37  (on reformation) to ?/40
?/40 to 21/5/40  (Killed in action at Arras)
6/40 to  6/41 (when injured)
6/41 to 2/42
2/42 to 6/42 (Regiment destroyed at Tobruk)
4/43 to 7/44  (Regiment reformed from  10 RTR)
7/44 to 1/45
1/45 to 5/48
Editorial Note. It was not until 18 September 1945 that the use of the word Battalion in our titles was officially discontinued. Then 4th and 7th Bn RTR became 4 and 7 RTR. However the latter was regularly in use before that date and for editorial simplicity I have anticipated the word of command in this history.

Commanding Officers 7 RTR

JANUARY 1948

C.O .Lt-Col R.B.P. WOOD D.S.O.
R.S.M. J.E.C. FRASER
Location Wrottesley Park Wolverhampton.

MAY 1948

C.O. Lt-Col R.H.A. WALKER
R.S.M. J.E.C. FRASER
Location Moolton Barracks Tidworth

FEBUARY 1949

C.O. Lt-Col R.H.A. WALKER
A/R.S.M. S.S.M. A.S. DARBY
Location Moolton Barracks Tidworth

MARCH 1949

C.O. Lt-Col R.H.A. WALKER
A/R.S.M. S.S.M. L. WAKEFIELD M.M.
Location Moolton Barracks Tidworth

APRIL 1949

C.O. Lt-Col J.G.S. COMPTON D.S.O.
A/R.S.M. S.S.M. L. WAKEFIELD M.M.
Location Moolton Barracks Tidworth

JUNE 1949

C.O. Lt-Col J.G.S. COMPTON D.S.O.
R.S.M.. W.B. ARMIT
Location Moolton Barracks Tidworth

JUNE 1950

C.O. Lt-Col J.G.S. COMPTON D.S.O.
R.S.M.. W.B. ARMIT
Location Bovington Camp, Nr Wareham Dorset.

NOVEMBER 1950

C.O. Lt-Col M.J. WOOLLCOMBE D.S.O. O.B.E.
R.S.M. W.B. ARMIT
Location Bovington Camp Nr Wareham Dorset.

AUGUST 1951

C.O. Lt-Col M.J. WOOLLCOMBE D.S.O. O.B.E.
R.S.M..W.B. ARMIT
Location Merrion Camp, Castlemartin South Wales

OCTOBER 1951

C.O. Lt-Col M.J. WOOLLCOMBE D.S.O. O.B.E.
R.S.M.. F. CLARKE
Location Bovington Camp, Nr Wareham Dorset.

MARCH 1953

C.O. Lt-Col J GREENWOOD OBE
R.S.M. W. PASKER M.B.E.
Location Sek Kong Camp, New Territories Hong Kong

JUNE 1954

C.O. Lt-Col J GREENWOOD OBE
RSM A Ethell
Location Waitwith Camp, Catterick Yorkshire

JULY 1956

C.O. Lt-Col F.R. LINDSAY D.S.O. M.C.
R.S.M.. A ETHELL.
Location Bourlon Lines Catterick Camp Yorkshire

FEBRUARY 1958

C.O. Lt-Col F.R. LINDSAY D.S.O. M.C.
R.S.M..A ETHELL.
Location B.F.P.O. 30

Amalgamation with 4 RTR