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[edit] The Royal Anglian Regiment

The Royal Anglian Regiment is composed of two regular Battalions and an affiliated TA Battalion The East of England regiment.

The Regiment was formed from the amalgamation of several proud county Regiments in the 1960s to create The Royal Anglian regiment.

• 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, The Vikings (1 R ANGLIAN) recruiting from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

• 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, The Poachers (2 R ANGLIAN) recruiting from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

The family tree of the Regiment can be seen here

Former components included:

• 3rd_Bn_Royal_Anglian_Regiment, absorbed into 1st & 2nd battalions in 1992.
• 4th_Battalion_The_Royal_Anglian_Regiment, a TA unit disbanded in the early 1970s.

The Battalions strongly preserve the heritage of their predeceeding regiments and continue to honour their traditions and battle honours. The Mons drum is still carried onto parade by the Poachers whilst the Vikings continue to decorate their head dress with Roses on Minden Day. Both Bns wear a French Imperial Eagle on their dress uniforms to remember the 44th of Foot's (Essex Regiment's) capture of the Eagle at Salamanca in 1812, the Vikings continue to carry the Salamanca Eagle on parade today.

It is likely that the light Infantry Company of the 10th of Foot (Royal Lincolnshire) led the column onto Lexington Green and slotted the first rebel colonist.

The Poachers have a great song "The Lincolnshire Poacher" and are good at boxing and fighting of all sorts, the Vikings wear flowers in their hair on Minden day. The surviving TA Bn was re-badged as some god-awful East of England thing in 1999 but hang on to their Royal Anglian titles - so what was the point.....

Sometimes known on the BBC and among the hallowed halls of the MoD as "The Royal Anglicans". Some say this is a sign of the establishment of the Church of England among the Forces of Her Majesty.

Others think it's because some BBC newsreaders/writers and MoD staff who brief on these things, including Swiss Des, seem to care not a jot about a British soldier killed in action, even to the extent of not being able to get his regiment correct.

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