3rd Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Cavalry Regiment was formed in beginning of 1967 when, as a result of a re-organisation of the units of the
Royal Australian Armoured Corps, the
1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron which was serving in
Vietnam at the time, was renamed as 'A' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment. At the same time 'B' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment was formed in Australia to provide a follow-on force and relieve 'A' Squadron at the end of their tour. Equipped with the
M113A1 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), its initial strength in Vietnam was 10 officers and 107 men. Both 'A' and 'B' Squadrons of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment would continue this extensive service throughout the remainder of Australia's involvement in
Vietnam as part of the
1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), with a squadron of the regiment operating there for nearly the next six years. Prior to this, however, when 'A' Squadron was relieved by 'B' Squadron on 13 May 1969, most of its personnel were transferred to
2nd Cavalry Regiment while 'B' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment finished their tour in country on 6 January 1971 when they were relieved by 'A' Squadron and returned to Australia. They remained at Townsville until they were amalgamated with the 4th Cavalry Regiment in 1981. Meanwhile, the regiment's strength in Vietnam increased over time and by August 1971 had grown to 15 officers and 154 men. which had previously been based at
Wacol, Queensland, and subsequently became 'A' Squadron in the new regiment. In early 1975, a regimental headquarters and a second squadron, known as 'B' Squadron, were raised to complete its establishment.
Amalgamation In 1981, the decision was made to amalgamate the two regiments to form the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment. After this, the unit headquarters was established at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane along with 'A' Squadron and the Technical Squadron, although 'B' Squadron, which had been transferred from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, remained in Townsville. In July the same year, the decision was made to reduce the regiment to a single squadron and, as a result, the Brisbane-based elements were transferred to the
2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, leaving 'B' Squadron in Townsville. Since the late 1990s, the squadron has supported operations in
Iraq,
Afghanistan and
Timor Leste, operating M113s in Timor as part of various commitments including
INTERFET,
UNTAET and later
Operation Astute. In Iraq, the squadron provided personnel to crew
ASLAVs assigned to
SECDET, the
Al Muthanna Task Group and
Overwatch Battle Group (West), while the squadron deployed its
Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles to Afghanistan as part of
Operation Slipper.
Abeyance and reforming On 27 November 2014, B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment held a transition parade with the
2nd Cavalry Regiment where the squadron's personnel, materiel and facilities were transferred to the latter and the unit ceased to operate. At this time custodianship of the unit's guidons and historical collection were transferred to the RAAC Head of Corps cell within the School of Armour. On 8 July 2017 a parade was held at the School of Armour in which the School of Armour's Support Squadron was renamed B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment. The Squadron retains the customs and traditions of the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment but is no longer an independent sub-unit, being completely under command of the School of Armour. The historical collections of the
1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the 4th Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment are all held at the School of Armour. ==Battle honours==