151st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps

Active| 1941–1943
Disbanded| 1943
Country|  United Kingdom
Branch|  British Army
Type| Armoured Regiment
Role| Infantry Support
Part of| Royal Armoured Corps
Equipment| Churchill tank

Military unit

The 151st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (10th Bn King's Own) (151 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps that was raised during the Second World War.

## History

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### Origin

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The 151st Regiment RAC was formed on 1 December 1941 by the conversion to the armoured role of 10th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), a hostilities-only infantry battalion raised in 1940.[1] 10th King's Own had been serving in 225th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), a Home Service formation, when it was redesignated 35th Army Tank Brigade.[2] In common with most other infantry battalions that were transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, all personnel would have continued to wear their King's Own cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps.[3]

### Training

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Based at Prudhoe in Northumberland, the regiment began receiving Churchill tanks in February 1942.[4]

In August 1942 151 RAC was transferred to Westgate-on-Sea in Kent to serve with 25th Army Tank Brigade in 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, (at that time training as a 'mixed' division).[5] Shortly afterwards, 25th Tank Brigade was replaced by 34th Tank Brigade, and 151 RAC transferred to this formation.[6][7]

During 1943 the regiment continued to be based at various places in Kent, training in the infantry tank role with 43rd (Wessex) and 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Divisions, including wading trials for amphibious operations.[8] One night in December 1943, while based at Folkestone, the regiment's camp was shelled by German artillery batteries on the French coast, and lost a few vehicles destroyed and damaged.[9]

### Disbandment

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In autumn 1943 the decision was made disband surplus tank regiments. One of those selected was 107th Regiment RAC, which had been formed from the 5th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). A 'token party' of three officers and 47 other ranks from 107 RAC was sent to 151 RAC.[10] On 30 December 1943 151 RAC formally disbanded in order to adopt the number of 107 RAC – thus perpetuating the link with the 5th Battalion, King's Own, a permanent '1st Line' Territorial battalion as opposed to the 'hostilities-only' 10th Battalion that had become 151 RAC.[11][12]

Under its new designation, the regiment served in Normandy, the Netherlands and Germany during the North-West Europe campaign, before disbanding in 1945.

## References

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1. ^ "The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2006.
2. ^ Joslen, pp. 206, 386.
3. ^ Forty pp. 50–1.
4. ^ 151 RAC War Diaries February–December 1942, The National Archives, Kew file WO 166/6943.
5. ^ Joslen, pp. 69, 203.
6. ^ Joslen, p. 207.
7. ^ 151 RAC War Diary September 1942, The National Archives file WO 166/6943.
8. ^ 151 RAC War Diary 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/11115.
9. ^ 151 RAC War Diary December 1943, The National Archives file WO 166/11115.
10. ^ 107 RAC (King's Own) War Diaries September–December 1943, The National Archives, file WO 166/11100.
11. ^ Joslen, p. 207.
12. ^ 151 RAC (10th King's Own) War Diary November 1943 Appendix F, The National Archives file WO 166/11115.

## Bibliography

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* George Forty, "British Army Handbook 1939-1945", Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1403-3.
* Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.

* v
* t
* e

RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War

Regular|

| Dragoons|

* 1st King's Dragoon Guards
* 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
* 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards)
* 4th/7th Dragoon Guards
* 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
* 22nd Dragoons
* 25th Dragoons
* Royal Scots Greys

|

Hussars|

* 3rd The King's Own Hussars
* 4th Queen's Own Hussars
* 7th Queen's Own Hussars
* 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
* 10th Royal Hussars
* 11th Hussars (Prince Alberts Own)
* 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Marys Own)
* 14th/20th King's Hussars
* 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
* 23rd Hussars
* 26th Hussars

Lancers|

* 9th Queen's Royal Lancers
* 12th Royal Lancers
* 16th/5th Lancers
* 17th/21st Lancers
* 24th Lancers
* 27th Lancers

Royal Tank
Regiments|

* 1st RTR
* 2nd RTR
* 3rd RTR
* 4th RTR
* 5th RTR
* 6th RTR
* 7th RTR
* 8th RTR
* 9th RTR
* 10th RTR
* 11th RTR
* 12th RTR
* 39th RTR
* 40th RTR
* 40th/41st RTR
* 41st RTR
* 42nd (7th East Surrey) RTR
* 43rd (6th Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) RTR
* 44th RTR
* 45th RTR
* 46th RTR
* 47th RTR
* 48th RTR
* 49th RTR
* 50th RTR
* 51st RTR
* 61st RTR
* 62nd RTR
* 65th RTR
* 101st RTR
* 102nd RTR

Regiments
RAC|

* 46 RAC
* 107 (King's Own) RAC
* 108 (Lancashire Fusiliers) RAC
* 109 RAC
* 110 (Border) RAC
* 111 RAC
* 112 RAC
* 113 RAC
* 114 RAC
* 115 RAC
* 116 RAC
* 141 RAC
* 142 RAC
* 143 RAC
* 144 (East Lancashire) RAC
* 145 RAC
* 146 RAC
* 147 RAC
* 148 RAC
* 149 RAC
* 150 RAC
* 151 RAC
* 152 RAC
* 153 RAC
* 154 RAC
* 155 RAC
* 156 RAC
* 157 RAC
* 158 RAC
* 159 RAC
* 160 RAC
* 161 RAC
* 162 RAC
* 163 RAC

Reserve|

* 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry
* 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry
* 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
* 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
* 1st Lothians and Border Horse
* 2nd Lothians and Border Horse
* 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
* 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
* 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
* 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
* 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
* 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry
* 1st East Riding Yeomanry
* 2nd East Riding Yeomanry
* Cheshire Yeomanry
* Inns of Court Regiment
* North Irish Horse
* North Somerset Yeomanry
* Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons
* Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
* Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
* Staffordshire Yeomanry
* Warwickshire Yeomanry
* Westminster Dragoons (2nd County of London Yeomanry)
* Yorkshire Hussars

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