The Colonel of The Regiment, Major General Zac Stenning OBE said: “Today is an historic day. The Royal Yorkshire Regiment is deeply humbled by His Majesty’s bestowal of a ‘Royal’ title, especially so close to the Coronation. We are acutely aware that the award of this title is a singular honour. It will cement our soldiers’ pride and identity in belonging to a unique, county-named Infantry regiment, committed to service and duty to our Nation.
Operational challenges we face in the future, will be embraced by our soldiers and officers with the same level of professionalism, commitment and determination but with enhanced pride in belonging to The Royal Yorkshire Regiment.”
‘Fortune Favours The Brave’
THE YORKSHIRE REGIMENT – ADDITIONAL PRESS RELEASE STATEMENT CONTENT
BACKGROUND
The Yorkshire Regiment was formed in 2006 by the merger of The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire, The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment) and The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (West Riding) and can trace its history back 338 years to 1685. Its forbears have served in many conflicts around the world including, most poignantly, suffering the greatest proportion of casualties on the 1st Day of the Somme in 1916.
Since 2006 The Yorkshire Regiment has been deployed on 20 operations overseas including 3 tours in IRAQ and 12 tours in AFGHANISTAN, including most recently Operation PITTING (the evacuation of AFGHAN Nationals from KABUL) in August 2021. Eighteen soldiers have been killed and over 70 members of the Regiment have been wounded in action since formation. A similar number have received operational gallantry awards.
The Yorkshire Regiment changed its title on 5th April 2023 to become The Royal Yorkshire Regiment. It is the only county-named regiment in the British Army. Regimental home is the county of Yorkshire including the area up to the historic boundary of the River Tees.
The Regiment has been presented with several Yorkshire-related awards (Welcome to Yorkshire ‘Pride of Yorkshire Award’; Yorkshire Society ‘Special Award) in recognition of the service it has given to the County and has developed strong civic, ecclesiastical, sporting and social links across the region.
York Minster was adopted as the Regimental Chapel on Formation. The Regiment celebrated formation there in 2007 and has since held its Annual Church Service, two Homecoming Services, and the Dedication of New Colours in the presence of its Colonel in Chief.
Notes to Editors
The Yorkshire Regiment
The only true county regiment remaining in the British Army and the only English regiment in the newly formed Union Division, serving proudly alongside the Royal Scots, Royal Welsh and Royal Irish regiments. Brave and decisive, with over 330 years of history behind us, today’s regiment is driven by a relentless will to succeed in everything we do, from harnessing battle-winning innovation for the Army of tomorrow; and providing a highly deployable force today, training and fighting alongside allies and partner nations across the world. Ready for anything, anytime, anywhere. County-Proud. Combat-Ready
1st Battalion
Agile, Capable, Light Mechanised Infantry. Experts in close combat, our soldiers are brave, decisive and equipped with highly mobile Foxhound and Jackal vehicles and the full suite of infantry weapons. Able to deploy rapidly to operate in any conflict, combining manoeuvre and firepower to gain battle-winning advantage. Ready for anything, anytime, anywhere. County Proud – Combat Ready.
2nd Battalion
Agile, adaptive future Light Infantry force at the heart of developing, testing and challenging Infantry warfighting concepts and capabilities. The Army’s Next Generation Combat Team, equipped with the latest generation of autonomous platforms and information and night vision systems, working with industry, partners and allies to win on today’s and tomorrow’s battlefields. Out-Think – Out Fight
4th Battalion
Yorkshire’s Reserve Infantry. Frequently deployed, our Yorkshire and Teesside-based Reserves participate in, support and lead, some of the most challenging and demanding activities the Army Reserve undertakes. From delivering on operations, to training with key Allies and contributing to UK Resilience (COVID testing, Flood Relief), with commitment and compassion.
