1922 to 1939 The regiment was formed in England during the
interwar period by the amalgamation of the
17th Lancers and the
21st Lancers on 27 June 1922. It was deployed to
Meerut in
India in 1936 and it was mechanised in 1938.
Second World War s of the 17th/21st Lancers near
Brandon in
Suffolk,
England, 12 September 1941. On the outbreak of the
Second World War, in September 1939, the regiment transferred back to the United Kingdom and became part of the
1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade defending south-east England. On 9 November 1940, the brigade became part of the newly raised
6th Armoured Division, with which it served for the rest of the war. Some personnel from the regiment were detached in December to help form the cadre of the
24th Lancers. In October 1947, it deployed to the
Suez Canal Zone and re-equipped as an armoured car regiment; it then moved to Palestine in 1948. At the time Palestine was in a state of civil war, with both Jews and Arabs fighting for independence both from each other and British rule. The Regiment was involved in the operation of armoured rail cars, frontier patrols and escort duties. The regiment returned home to
Catterick Garrison later that year as RAC Training Regiment and then joined
20th Armoured Brigade and moved to York Barracks at
Münster in December 1951. It transferred to
4th Guards Brigade Group and moved to Barker Barracks in
Paderborn in August 1957. After briefly returning home in December 1959, it moved to
Hong Kong in March 1960 from where it deployed units to
Aden in October 1961. The regiment joined
20th Armoured Brigade Group and moved to Athlone Barracks at
Sennelager in December 1962. After that it moved to
Lisanelly Camp in
Omagh in March 1968 from where it deployed a squadron to
Libya in 1970. It then transferred to
4th Armoured Brigade and moved to Northampton Barracks in
Wolfenbüttel in November 1972 from where it deployed units to
Northern Ireland at the height of
the Troubles. It transferred to
11th Armoured Brigade and moved to Wessex Barracks in
Bad Fallingbostel in October 1974 from where it again deployed units to Northern Ireland. It returned home re-locating to
Bovington Camp as RAC Centre Regiment in December 1977 and then went back to
West Germany to join
4th Armoured Brigade becoming based at Swinton Barracks in Münster in November 1980. A squadron was sent to Northern Ireland to undertake guard duties at the
Maze Prison in December 1982. After deploying two squadrons to the
Persian Gulf in September 1990 for the
Gulf War, the regiment returned to the United Kingdom later in the year. In 1993, with the reductions in forces after the end of the Cold War, the regiment was amalgamated with the
16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers to form the
Queen's Royal Lancers. ==Battle honours==