The Queen visits The Royal Lancers
Her Majesty The Queen has undertake her first visit to The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth’s Own) since being appointed as their Colonel-in-Chief. The Regiment are an Armoured Cavalry Regiment based in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.
Commissioned in 1937, The Queen’s late father, Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during World War II. He won a Military Cross during the withdrawal to Dunkirk in 1940 and later again in 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa.
Major Shand was captured on 6th November 1942, during a battle in which the crew of his armoured car were both killed and Shand himself severely wounded. He was held in Spangenberg Castle until he escaped in early 1945. Major Shand left the army after the War.
Major Bruce Shand
On arrival, The Queen was received by a Royal Salute, before she inspected some of the 152 Lancers on parade.
In an address to her Regiment, Her Majesty said:
My father described the Regiment as a “highly efficient entity, highly skilled, and full of personalities”, I have no doubt that your upcoming deployments will be characteristically successful and will only add to our Regiment’s rich history
The Regiment consequently conducted a march past, accompanied by several past and present armoured vehicles, which included the HUMBER and DINGO from World War II, once commanded by The Queen’s late father, as well as the contemporary WARRIOR and BULLDOG vehicles.
Following the parade, The Queen met families and members of the Old Comrades Association (OCA) at a reception.
Her Majesty also presented five Buchan Medals to serving and retired Lancers. The medal is awarded to any serving or retired member of The Royal Lancers or its antecedents, who has contributed in some conspicuous manner to the efficiency or military honour of the Regiment over a protracted period.
The Queen was also shown a tunic belonging to her late father, Major Bruce Shand MC & Bar, which is to be put on public display at the Regimental Museum in Derby, following its purchase at auction by the Regiment.
