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{{short description|Armoured Regiment of the British Army}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
| image                         = ROYAL TANK REGIMENT.png
| caption                       = Cap badge of the [[Royal Tank Regiment]].
| dates                         = 28 July 1917– August 2014
| country                       = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| allegiance                    = 
| branch                        = {{army|United Kingdom}}
| type                          = [[armoured warfare|Armoured]]
| role                          = [[Armoured regiment (United Kingdom)|Armoured regiment]]
| size                          = [[Regiment]]
| command_structure             = [[Royal Armoured Corps]]
| garrison                      = Aliwal Barracks, [[Tidworth Camp|Tidworth]], [[Wiltshire]]
| garrison_label                = 
| nickname                      = 
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = ''Fear Naught''
| colors                        = Brown, red and green (Through mud and blood to the green fields beyond)
| colors_label                  = 
| march                         = Quick: ''My Boy Willie''<br>Slow: ''The Royal Tank Regiment Slow March''
| mascot                        = 
| equipment                     = 
| equipment_label               = 
| battles                       = First World War<br/>Second World War
| anniversaries                 = [[Battle of Cambrai (1917)|Battle of Cambrai]] (20 November)
| decorations                   = 
| battle_honours                = [[Royal Tank Regiment#Battle honours|Battle Honours]]
| battle_honours_label          = 
| disbanded                     = 
| flying_hours                  = 
| website                       = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1                    = [[Elizabeth II|The Queen]]
| commander1_label              = Colonel-in-Chief
| commander2                    = 
| commander2_label              = Colonel-Commandant
| commander3                    = 
| commander3_label              = 
| commander4                    = 
| commander4_label              = 
| notable_commanders            = Lt Gen [[Hugh Elles|Sir Hugh Elles]]<br>Maj Gen [[Douglas Henry Pratt|Douglas Pratt]]
<!-- Insignia -->| identification_symbol         = [[Image:Royal Tank Regiment (tactical recognition flash).PNG|100px]]
| identification_symbol_label   = Tactical Recognition Flash
| identification_symbol_2       = 
| identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan
| identification_symbol_3       = 
| identification_symbol_3_label = 
| identification_symbol_4       = 
| identification_symbol_4_label = 
}}
The '''2nd Royal Tank Regiment''' ('''2 RTR''') was an [[Armoured warfare|armoured]] [[regiment]] of the [[British Army]]. It was part of the [[Royal Tank Regiment]], itself part of the [[Royal Armoured Corps]] and the [[1st Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Mechanized Brigade]].

==History==
[[Image:Challenger2-Bergen-Hohne-Training-Area.jpg|thumb|left|2 RTR Badger during live fire training exercises in 2004 on [[Bergen-Hohne Training Area|Bergen-Hohne Training Area (Germany)]] near the Fallingbostel station]]
Founded as '''B Battalion, Tank Corps''' in 1917, the 2 RTR first saw action in the [[World War I|First World War]] with the advent of tank technology. It later fought in the [[Second World War]]. In 1992, it merged with the [[3rd Royal Tank Regiment]], keeping their own original title. It became the second regiment to be equipped with the [[Challenger 2]] in 1998.<ref name=baunits>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/royal-armoured-corps/2nd-royal-tank-regiment.html|title=2nd Royal Tank Regiment|publisher=British Army units 1945 on|accessdate=4 May 2014}}</ref>

Sabre squadrons were deployed by the regiment to [[Iraq]] on [[Operation Telic]] in 2003 and 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/13454.aspx|title=Badger|publisher=Ministry of Defence|accessdate=4 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/13455.aspx|title=Cyclops|publisher=Ministry of Defence|accessdate=4 May 2014}}</ref> After a long period in [[Bad Fallingbostel|Fallingbostel]], Germany, the regiment moved back to Aliwal Barracks in [[Tidworth Camp|Tidworth]] in July 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/defence-infrastructure-organisation-service-family-accommodation-allenby-connaught|title=Agreement reached with Aspire Defence Limited|publisher=Ministry of Defence|accessdate=4 May 2014}}</ref> On 25 June 2008 at [[Buckingham Palace]], both 1RTR and 2RTR were presented with their new Standard by [[Elizabeth II|The Queen]], which included the new Battle Honour of [[Battle of Basra (2003)|Al Basrah 2003]].<ref>{{cite hansard|house=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051110/wmstext/51110m01.htm|title=House of Commons – Hansard Written Ministerial Statements for 10 Nov 2005 (pt 1)|date=10 November 2005|column_start=21WS|column_end=22WS}}</ref>

Units were deployed to [[Afghanistan]] on [[Operation Herrick]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/13456.aspx|title=Egypt|publisher=Ministry of Defence|accessdate=4 May 2014}}</ref>

In August 2014 the regiment merged with [[1st Royal Tank Regiment|1RTR]] to form the [[Royal Tank Regiment]]. The new regiment is based at Aliwal Barracks in Tidworth and is one of three armoured regiments equipped with the Challenger II tank.<ref>[http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf Regular Army basing announcement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814181412/http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf |date=2016-08-14 }}</ref>

=== 2003 friendly fire incident ===
In March 2003 Sergeant [[Steven Roberts (British Army soldier)|Steven Roberts]] of 2 RTR was shot and killed near [[Basra]] in an incident of friendly fire. Another soldier in 2 RTR had been attempting to protect Sergeant Roberts from a stone-wielding Iraqi protester that he was struggling with, who also died. An inquest heard that the soldier responsible was not aware that the machine gun used was inaccurate at short ranges. The inquest found that the shooting was an accident and that Roberts died because the Army failed to provide him with [[Osprey body armour|Enhanced Combat Body Armour]].<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Press Association |date=2006-12-18 |title=Bureaucratic delay resulted in soldier's death |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/18/military.iraq |access-date=2023-03-05 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Organisation==
The Armoured Regiment consisted of 5 Squadrons:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.army.mod.uk/2rtr/2rtr_today/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013205523/http://www2.army.mod.uk/2rtr/2rtr_today/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-10-13|title=2nd Royal Tank Regiment Today|date=2008-10-13|access-date=2018-10-20}}</ref>

* Nero Squadron - Headquarters and Support
* Cyclops Squadron - Armoured Squadron
* Badger Squadron - Armoured Squadron
* Egypt Squadron - Armoured Squadron
* Falcon Squadron - Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron

==Commanding Officers==
{{Incomplete list|date=February 2021}}
The Commanding Officers have been:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/REGIMENTAL%20COs.pdf|title=Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie|page=31|accessdate=4 February 2021}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
|  style="text-align:left; width:50%; vertical-align:top;"|
*1958–1960: Lt.-Col. Patrick R.C. Hobart:
*1960–1963: Lt.-Col. A.R.E. Davis
*1963–1965: Lt.-Col. John G.R. Allen
*1965–1967: Lt.-Col. Douglas W.A. Ambidge
*1967–1970: Lt.-Col. Thomas S.M. Welch
*1970–1973: Lt.-Col. Geoffrey L.D. Duckworth
*1973–1975: Lt.-Col. Michael J. Evans
*1975–1977: Lt.-Col. Keith R. Ecclestone
*1977–1979: Lt.-Col. Peter D. Bentley
*1979–1980: Lt.-Col. William S. Bale
*1980–1982: Lt.-Col. David A. Williams
*1982–1984: Lt.-Col. Robert W.M. McAfee
*1984–1987: Lt.-Col. [[Christopher Hammerbeck|Christopher J.A. Hammerbeck]]

|  style="text-align:left; width:50%; vertical-align:top;"|

*1987–1988: Lt.-Col. David W. Lloyd-Edwards
*1988–1991: Lt.-Col. Andrew C.I. Gadsby
*1991–1993: Lt.-Col. [[David Leakey|A. David Leakey]]
*1993–1995: Lt.-Col. Stephen J.B. White
*1995–1997: Lt.-Col. [[Nigel Aylwin-Foster|Nigel R.F. Aylwin-Foster]]
*1997–2000: Lt.-Col. Simon Caraffi
*2000–2002: Lt.-Col. Patrick J. Allison
*2002–2004: Lt.-Col. Piers D.P. Hankinson
*2004–2006: Lt.-Col. John R. Patterson
*2006–2008: Lt.-Col. David A. Catmur
*2008–2010: Lt.-Col. T. Marcus L. Simson
*2010–2012: Lt.-Col. Marcus H. Evans
*2012–2014: Lt.-Col. Jason M. Williams
{{col-end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218132549/http://www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/26878.aspx Official site]
* [http://www.greenflash.org.uk/index.html 3RTR – Armoured Farmers]
* [http://www.royaltankregiment.com RTR Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120224154346/http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/default.aspx British Army Locations from 1945] British Army Locations from 1945.
* [http://www.merseysidertr.com  Merseyside RTR ] (Brian Gills website)

{{Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps Regiments}}
{{RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Royal Tank Regiment|2-002 Royal Tank Regiment]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1917]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2014]]