Prince Alfred's Guard
Prince Alfred's Guard | |
---|---|
Active | 19 September 1856 to present |
Country | South Africa |
Allegiance | |
Branch | |
Type | Light Infantry |
Size | One battalion |
Part of |
South African Infantry Corps Army Conventional Reserve |
Garrison/HQ | Port Elizabeth |
Motto(s) |
Fidelis et Fortis (Faithful and Brave) |
Anniversaries | 19 September (Regimental Day) |
Equipment | Eland Mk7 (formerly) |
Engagements | South African Border War |
Battle honours |
|
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lt Col Cyril Masangwana |
Insignia | |
Company level Inisgnia | |
SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 |
|
Prince Alfred's Guard (PAG) is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. The Regiment is located in the city of Port Elizabeth.
History
Prince Alfred's Guard was established on 19 September 1856[1] as the Port Elizabeth Volunteer Rifle Corps.[2] In 1860 the title Prince Alfred's Guard was assumed unofficially (after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh) and on 11 July 1874 this name was officially sanctioned as Prince Alfred's Volunteer Guard. The name was later changed to Prince Alfred's Guard.
Xhosa Wars
The Regiment first saw action on 2 December 1877, against the Gcaleka tribesmen in the Battle of Umzintzani during the Ninth Xhosa War. The next conflict that the PAG participated in was the Basutoland Campaign of 1880 to 1881, during which a 500-metre bayonet charge by the Regiment which led to the capture of the village of Lerotholi, an enemy village. The Regiment also took part in the Bechuanaland Campaign of 1897.[3]
Anglo Boer War
The Regiment also served in the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902 - as mounted infantry - and took part in campaigns in the Orange Free State and the South African Republic.
World War One
Members of the PAG volunteered for service in World War I, but there was dissension in the ranks after a long deployment on sentry duty in Cape Town. As a result, the contingent was disbanded and most of its members saw active service during the war in other South African units.
Union Defence Force
In 1913 the regiment was redesignated the 3rd Infantry Regiment (Prince Alfred's Guard) of the Active Citizen Force of the Union Defence Force, but regained its former name in 1934.
World War Two
During World War II, the regiment first served as link battalion for the 2nd Brigade, South African Infantry in North Africa, sending drafts of men to the fighting units, among which many went to the Field Force Battalion. The PAG was subsequently converted to an armoured unit and saw further active service with the 11th South African Armoured Brigade,[4] South African 6th Armoured Division[4] in Italy as a tank unit.
Bush War and Namibia
Re-equipped with Eland-90 armoured cars in the postwar period, the PAG also took part in several skirmishes during subsequent border conflicts in Angola and South-West Africa (Namibia).
Regimental Symbols
- The Prince Alfred's Guard Museum in Port Elizabeth houses military exhibits in the Regiment's Victorian Drill Hall (built in 1880). It is a national monument and one of the finest surviving examples of its type.
Alliances
Battle honours
- Gaika-Gcaleka 1877
- Transkei 1877 - 1878
- Umzintzani
- Basutoland 1880 - 1881
- Bechuanaland 1897
- South Africa 1899 - 1902
- Italy 1944 - 1945
- Celleno
- Florence
- The Greve
- Gothic Line
- Po Valley
Leadership
From | Honorary Colonels | To |
10 August 1928 | Colonel T.A. Bromilow-Downing VD | 27 August 1931 |
11 April 1947 | Colonel J.R. Reis VD | 19 April 1951 |
29 December 1954 | Colonel W.E. Hawkins ED | n.d. |
From | Commanding Officers | To |
1856 | Colonel J.M. Hill | 1857 |
1857 | Colonel A.J. Clairmonte | 1857 |
n.d. | Colonel A. Ogilvie | 1860 |
1861 | Colonel A.C. Wylde | 1865 |
1865 | Captain W. Fleming | 1865 |
1874 | Colonel A.C. Wylde | 1876 |
1876 | Major G.R. Deare | 1888 |
1888 | Lt Col. G. Gordon | 1898 |
1898 | Major G.C. Clark CMG VD | 1899 |
1899 | Lt Col. H.W. Court VD | 10 April 1915 |
10 April 1915 | Lt Col. J.N. Neylan DSO | 01 November 1915 |
01 November 1915 | Lt Col. A.P.J. Wares VD | 31 May 1925 |
01 June 1925 | Lt Col. Whitehead DSO | 06 January 1926 |
*Frank Perridge H06 January 1916 | Lt Col. F.L.A. Buchanan MC VD | 30 June 1930 |
01 July 1935 | Lt Col. J.L. Reis VD | 13 September 1942 |
14 September | Lt Col. H.A. Olsen DSO ED | 11 December 1945 |
05 February 1946 | Lt Col. W.E. Hawkins ED | 30 June 1952 |
01 July 1952 | Commandant G.M. Human | 30 April 1955 |
01 May 1955 | Commandant J.N. Erasmus JCD | 01 January 1959 |
01 January 1959 | Commandant I.F. Nel SM JCD | n.d. |
From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To |
See also
Books
- Frank Perridge. HISTORY OF THE PRINCE ALBERT'S GUARD. E.H. Walton, Port Elizabeth 1939.
References
- ↑ Engelbrecht, Leon (7 January 2011). "Fact file: Prince Alfred's Guard". Defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ↑ Orpen, Neil D. (1967). Prince Alfred's Guard, 1856-1966. illustrated by P. Miller. Prince Alfred's Guard in conjunction with Books of Africa. OCLC 457923. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ↑ "SAHRA - Prince Alfreds Guard Memorial St Georges Park Port Elizabeth". SAHRA. South African Heritage Resources Agency. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- 1 2 Engelbrecht, Leon (17 February 2010). "Fact file: 6 SA Armoured Division". Defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prince Alfred's Guard. |