Pretoria Regiment

Pretoria Regiment
SANDF Pretoria Regiment emblem
Active	1 July 1913 -
Country	South Africa
Allegiance	Republic of South Africa Republic of South Africa
Branch	South African Army South African Army
Type	Armoured Regiment
Part of	South African Armoured Formation Army Conventional Reserve
Garrison/HQ	Magazine Hill, Patriot Street, Salvo KopPretoria
Motto(s)	Nulli Secundus ("Second to None")
Equipment	Stuart light tank (retired) Sherman tank (retired) Eland Mk7 (retired) Ratel Olifant
Battle honours	Battle Honours Awarded South West Africa 1914 - 1915 Madagascar 1942 Bagno Regio Sarteano La Foce Florence Gothic Line Catarelto Ridge Po Valley
Commanders
Commanding Officer (1906-1914)	Lt Col Hartley Dales
Commanding Officer	Lt Col Cliff van der Westhuizen
Insignia
Beret Colour	Black
Armour Squadron emblems
Armour beret bar circa 1992

The Pretoria Regiment is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. The Regiment is stationed in the city after which it was named, Pretoria. It is part of the South African Army Armour Formation.

History

Origin

The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) - a unit of the Active Citizen Force - by the amalgamation of several units: the Pretoria Company of the Transvaal Scottish, the Central South African Railway Volunteers, the Northern Mounted Rifles and the Pretoria detachment of the Transvaal Cycle and Motor Corps.

World War One

The Regiment landed from the sea and served in German South West Africa at Aus and Tschaukaib in the south. They were part of the advance on Tsumeb in July 1915.

Rand Revolt

The regiment prevented a force of armed strikers from damaging the Pretoria-Germiston Railway line in May 1922.

Renamed

In 1928, it was renamed The Pretoria Regiment.

The Royal Colonel

On 24 October 1930 it was once again renamed, to The Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own)after Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. The Regiment became fully bilingual with the addition of a 2nd Battalion staffed predominantly by Afrikaners.

World War Two

During World War II, the Regiment was converted to an armoured formation attached to the 11th South African Armoured Brigade, South African 6th Armoured Division. The unit was demobilized after the war, and in 1946 it was re-organised as a part-time force, consisting of two separate regiment-sized formations. These were re-integrated in 1954.

Tanks of the Pretoria Regiment, 1944

Renamed again

After the establishment of the Republic of South Africa in 1961, the unit was again renamed The Pretoria Regiment by the South African Defence Force. In the 1960s, recruits were trained on Centurion tanks and the new Eland armoured cars.The regiment assisted in the development of the Oliphant MBT.

Border War

The regiment was placed under the command of the 8th Armoured Division (South Africa) in this period.

The regiment saw service in the Border War in operations such as Operation Prone.

One squadron of the regiments tanks was attached to 61 Mechanised Battalion Group for operations near Cuito Cuanavale sustaining no personnel or vehicle casualties.

SADF era Regiment Pretoria commemorative letter

Equipment

Name	Type	Country of Origin	In Service	Notes
Ford CMP	Utility truck	Canada	Retired
Bedford MK	Utility truck	United Kingdom	Retired
SAMIL	Utility truck	South Africa	Yes	SAMIL 20, 50, and 100 variants.
Morris C8	Artillery tractor	United Kingdom	Ceremonial
Eland	Armoured Car	South Africa	Retired
Ferret	Scout Car	United Kingdom	Ceremonial	Mk 2.
Marmon-Herrington	Armoured Car	South Africa	Retired	Mk IV.
Ratel	Infantry Fighting Vehicle	South Africa	Yes
Sherman Firefly	Medium Tank	United Kingdom	Retired
Centurion	Main Battle Tank	United Kingdom	Retired
Skokiaan	Main Battle Tank	United Kingdom/South Africa	Retired
Semel	Main Battle Tank	United Kingdom/South Africa	Retired
Olifant	Main Battle Tank	United Kingdom/South Africa	Yes	Mk 1A.

SANDF Oliphant mark 2 main battle tank at AAD 2016

Insignia and Honours

Regimental Symbols

• Badges: An impala on a mountain representing the Magaliesberg range to north of Pretoria, with in the foreground some succulents. Beneath the impala and the mountain is a ribbon bearing the regiment's motto, Nulli Secundus ("Second to None"). This motto was granted to the regiment by the then Prime Minister Louis Botha after the 1914 - 1915 campaign.

Previous Dress Insignia

A unusual backing appeared on the regiments cap badge around 1945 when it was associated with a British unit, the 24th Guards Brigade, when they were both part of the 6th South African Armoured Division.The two units had fought side by side on the Italian Front and ended their association by celebrating their co operation , the 24th Guards Brigade gave their arm badge as a present to the unit.The two wings are therefore those depicted on the Guards Brigade arm patch.

• The regiment has been allied with The Royal Welsh Fusiliers since 1995 (as it was previously from 1927 to 1961).

Divisional Affiliation

• 8th South African Armoured Division
  • 81 Armoured Brigade

SADF 81 Armoured Brigade Regiment Pretoria Flash

Alliances

• United Kingdom - The Royal Welsh

Battle honours

Conflict	Honour	Year(s)
World War I	South-West Africa Campaign	1914 - 1915
World War II	Battle of Madagascar	1942
World War II	Bagnoregio	1944
World War II	Sarteano (Trasimene Line)	1944
World War II	La Foce	1944
World War II	Florence	1944
World War II	Gothic Line	1944
World War II	Caterelto Ridge	1944
World War II	Po Valley (Spring offensive)	1945
South African Border War	Battle of Cuito Cuanavale	1988

Official mascot

Class 21 no. 2551

During the Second World War, the sole Class 21 2-10-4 Texas type locomotive of the South African Railways (SAR) was often used to haul long and heavy military trains and it was made the official mascot of the oldest military unit in Pretoria, the Pretoria Regiment (Princess Alice's Own). The Class 21 was the only SAR locomotive to be honoured in this way by the military.