45th (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment
| 45th (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1938–43 1947–56 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison/HQ | Leeds |
| Engagements | Second Battle of El Alamein |
| Battle honours | 'North Africa' |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
James Noel Tetley |
The 45th (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment (45 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army that fought at the Battle of Alamein during World War II and continued to serve during the 1950s.
In April 1938, the 7th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment was converted to the armoured role, becoming part of the Royal Tank Regiment, as the 45th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment. The Leeds Rifles was a long-standing Territorial Army (TA) infantry unit, founded by volunteers from the city of Leeds in 1859. In June 1939, the company based at Morley was split off to form the cadre for a duplicate unit, the 51st (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment.
On the outbreak of war in September 1939, 45th (Leeds Rifles) RTR formed part of the 24th Army Tank Brigade, a 2nd Line Territorial Army formation in Northern Command, in which it served alongside the Oldham-based TA regiments, 41 RTR and its duplicate, 47 RTR.
At this time, 45 RTR was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Noel Tetley, a member of the Tetley brewing family that had helped raise the original Leeds Rifles and subsequently provided many senior officers for the regiment. There were almost no armoured fighting vehicles available for the TA regiments, and the few possessed by 45 RTR were deployed for airfield defence in North East England during the Battle of Britain. Later in the year, 24th Army Tank Brigade was redesignated 24th Armoured Brigade and became part of a new 8th Armoured Division. During 1941, the regiment moved to the South of England to continue its training. In December 1941, Lt-Col Tetley was promoted out of the regiment to command a tank brigade, and was replaced by Lt-Col S.C. Dumbreck of the Royal Dragoons.
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