Brief History
THE ROYAL HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT 37TH FOOT: 1702-1881; 67TH FOOT 1758-1881 COLONEL IN CHIEF HRH THE PRINCESS OF WALES 1985-1992
In 1881 The Hampshire Regiment was created by linking two regiments – the 37th (North Hampshire) and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiments – to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Hampshire Regiment. Thus were formed most of the British Army’s County Infantry Regiments: and given Depots for recruitment and training in their counties. Winchester was an appropriate choice for the Hampshire Regiment Depot. The County of Hampshire and County of Isle of Wight Infantry Volunteer Battalions were also reorganised, and re-designated in 1908, to constitute the new Territorial Force. In 1946, King George VI granted the distinction ‘Royal’. In 1992 the regiment amalgamated with the Queen’s Regiment to form a new regiment: The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Amalgamation Day was the 9th September 1992; ‘Salerno Day’; to commemorate three battalions of the Queen’s and four battalions of the Hampshires that landed at Salerno, Italy on that date in 1943.
Both the 37th and 67th travelled extensively throughout the world during the 18th and 19th Centuries to earn many battle honours. In particular; MINDEN (in Westphalia) by the 37th (1759) and the distinction of the Royal Tiger super scribed ‘India’ to the 67th for 21 years (1805-26) in that sub-continent – hence the nickname ‘TIGERS’, which is still used today.
As ‘Hampshires’ the new regiment operated worldwide. In the 1914-18 War 36 battalions of the Regiment were raised of which 16 served in operations overseas. The Regiment was present on every battle front except West and East Africa.
The years between the wars saw the two regular battalions carrying out ‘imperial policing’ duties throughout the world, the 1st Battalion spending from 1925-38 in India with two tours on the famous North-West Frontier, before moving to Palestine in 1938. The 2nd Battalion, after duty in the Rhineland GERMANY, NORTH RUSSIA, IRELAND and PALESTINE went to FRANCE in 1939 returning via DUNKIRK in 1940. The 1st Battalion moved from PALESTINE to the WESTERN DESERT, MALTA, SICILY and ITALY until brought home in late 1943 for the ‘D’ Day NORMANDY LANDING, 6th June 1944. The 2nd Battalion and three Territorial Battalions (1st/4th, 2nd/4th and 5th) operated in NORTH AFRICA (TUNISIA), ITALY and GREECE during the war; whilst the 1st, after the D Day landings fought in FRANCE and HOLLAND and the 7th Battalion operated from the NORMANDY beachhead through FRANCE, HOLLAND and GERMANY to BERLIN.
After the War many changes took place. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated in 1948 to one battalion (1st) and the three Territorial battalions were similarly cut, later (1967) altogether! The 1st battalion served in NORTH AFRICA (Cyrenaica) and PALESTINE in 1946 and 1947. The 1st Battalion undertook duties in WEST GERMANY until 1953 when it went to MALAYA (1954-56) to take part in operations against the Communist Terrorists there. A further tour in WEST GERMANY followed MALAYA. In 1960 the 1st Battalion was sent to the Caribbean for what many thought would be a ‘holiday’ tour, but which turned out to be anything but! The scattered locations of JAMAICA, the BAHAMAS, BRITISH GUIANA and BRITISH HONDURAS all gave major trouble at one time or another. Here mention must be made of the excellent National Servicemen who served in the Regiment from 1947 until 1962. These young men of the county proved to be outstanding soldiers in all respects and the Regiment was sad to lose them in 1962.
Now, an all regular army by 1962, the regiment saw duty in WEST GERMANY, CYPRUS, HONG KONG, FALKLANDS and South Georgia. BORNEO and, no less than eight operational tours in NORTHERN IRELAND returning to the UK to meet the trials of amalgamation, and it’s disappearance as an independent entity in 1992 after some 290 years of loyal service. But, in the minds of many, serving and retired, the HAMPSHIRES live on!