Formation Post WWII
1st Armoured Regiment was formed on July 7th 1949 when the then 1st Armoured Car Squadron, which had served as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan returned to Australia and was re-designated the 1st Armoured Regiment, located at Puckapunyal, Victoria. .
Formal affiliation with the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) was recognised two years later. As part of this affiliation the unit adopted the RTR's regimental colours, which date back to the First World War. The colours Brown, Red and Green were first used by the then Tank Corps at the battle of Cambrai, on the 20th November 1917. From these colours came the motto, "From mud, through blood, to the green fields beyond". These same colours were used by the Australian Tank Corps prior to the Second World War.
Although a regiment in name, it was not until 1952 that equipment and men became available to allow for the raising of HQ Squadron and Regimental Headquarters in addition to a tank squadron. 1952 also saw the ageing Churchill tanks replaced with the Centurion Tank. In September 1952 another tank squadron was raised, designated Nucleus Squadron, and based in Holsworthy, New South Wales. It was intended at the time to be the nucleus of the 2nd Armoured Regiment.
Pre Vietnam
In 1953 Lieutenant General Sir Horace Robertson presented the Regiment with the Paratus Cup. This cup is competed for annually and is awarded to the best tank troop. It was also during this year that the Regiment was authorised to wear its own badge bearing the motto 'Paratus' in place of the General Service Badge.
In 1954 the Regiment received the Ferret MK 1 Scout Car which enabled Reconnaissance Troop to be raised. During the following year the Regiment received the Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier. At this time it was decided not to raise the 2nd Armoured Regiment and Nucleus Squadron returned to the Regiment as C Squadron.
Approval was given for the Regiment to carry a Guidon and on 6 February 1956, the then Governor General, Field Marshal Sir William Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC presented the Guidon at a Regimental Parade held at Puckapunyal. Also in 1956 the Regiment was equipped with the Centurion Armoured Recovery vehicle. Until this time the Churchill Recovery vehicle had been retained.
On September 14th 1959, the Regiment officially occupied Kapyong Barracks at Puckapunyal, Victoria. With the expansion of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in 1960, A Squadron of the Regiment was disbanded and the majority of the personnel involved formed regular squadrons of the 4th/19th Prince of Wale's Light Horse and the 2nd/14th Queensland Mounted Infantry (This organisation was necessary in order to provide reconnaissance and anti-tank elements for Plan Ambrose...Australia's SEATO contingency force). These squadrons subsequently became part of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, which was redesignated the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and which in turn provided the nucleus for the 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
1964/65 saw the Regiment providing most of the men for 1 Troop, A Squdron, 4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse. This Troop was equipped with the new M113A1 Armoured Personnel Carrier and in May 1965 was deployed on active service to South Vietnam.
Vietnam
The Vietnam conflict together with the requirement to train National Servicemen, seriously depleted the Regiment of its experienced officers and senior NCOs. When warned, on 17 October 1967, to provide a tank squadron for active service in South Vietnam, the Regiment was far from being in a satisfactory state of operational readiness. This was a major development as, from the mid 1950s, the Regiment found itself having to justify its existence to government policy makers and Army Headquarters, who questioned the need for tanks, especially in jungle operations. C Squadron was selected to deploy and was fully operational in theatre by Sep 68.
Elements of the Regiment would spend the next four years in Vietnam with each Sqn doing a one-year tour and C Sqn doing a second tour before being withdrawn and returned to Australia. The Vietnam War proved once again that tanks could operate in tropical terrain and provided essential close support to infantry, especially in close combat such as bunker fighting. Tanks were withdrawn from Vietnam in September 1971 as part of the withdrawal of the Australian Task Force. Noteworthy engagements in which tanks formed a combined arms team were:
a. 25-30 May 1968 - FSBs Coral and Balmoral
b. 21-22 August 1968 - Long Dien
c. 16 February 1969 - Hat Dich
d. 6 June 1969 - Binh Ba
e. 17-18 February 1970 - Long Hai
Post Vietnam
1972/73 saw B Squadron redesignated the Medium Tank Trials Unit, carrying out extensive user and technical trials on the US M60A1 and German Leopard 1 A2 to evaluate the replacement for the ageing Centurion. 1972/73 was also a traumatic time for the Regiment in that the abolition of National Service depleted the Regiment's strength to the point where training was severely restricted until reinforced during 1974.
1977 saw the introduction of the Leopard 1 A3 (redesignated as the AS1) into the Armoured Regiment. This inclusion gave the Regiment a then state of the art Medium Battle Tank.
On the 21st April 1981, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles presented the unit with its first Regimental Standard.
In 1995 the Regiment conducted its move to Darwin to the current location, Chauvel Lines, Robertson Barracks, Palmerston, Northern Territory. On the 13th July 2002, the Regiment was presented with its current Standard by the then Governor General Dr Peter Hollingworth, AO. This Standard is displayed in the Regimental Headquarters building today. In November 2003, the appointment of Honorary Colonel was taken up by Major General Roger Powell, AM.
Introduction Int Service of the M1A1 AIM-SA
On the 10 March 2004, the government announced that Australia will purchase 59 US M1A1 Main Battle Tanks to replace the fleet of ageing Leopards, thus launching the next chapter in the life of the 1st Armoured Regiment.
On the 4 July 2007, at 1920h the first M1A1 AIM-SA was driven onto the wharf at Darwin. 42 M1A1 tanks and 2 M88 recovery vehicles were delivered to the Regiment over the next 2 days.