About The Association

Stronger Together

About The Association

Stronger Together

The Royal Tank Regiment Association was formed for the benefit of all serving members and Veterans who served in The Royal Tank Regiment or any of its antecedent Regiments.

The Association has the following aims:

To maintain contact between past and present members of the Regiment, fostering mutual friendship between them and providing for events and social gatherings for them and to keep alive the spirit of comradeship and pride in the Regiment.
Support those Veterans who find themselves in need, due to no fault of their own.
Support the families of those killed in action by promptly responding to problems of bereavement and hardship.
Support those wounded or injured on operations, particularly those who have had to leave the Army; to assist in finding them new employment and to help them become active family and community members.
Support the families of those seriously wounded or injured in prolonged recovery situations.
Enhance the welfare support provided to soldiers on operations and that of their families at home.

The Royal Tank Regiment Association

Fear Naught

The RTR Association has developed and changed over time. HHQ RTR is here to support those who have served in The Royal Tank Regiment, and their families, to help the transition smoothly back into civilian life and contribute fully to a society that understands and values what they have done and what they have to offer. We must also promote the outstanding contribution our Veterans make to society and our economy, and the value they offer businesses from their experience of leadership, teamwork, discipline and above all, loyalty.

RTR Veterans are first and foremost civilians and continue to be of benefit to wider society

RTR Veterans are encouraged and enabled to maximise their potential as civilians

RTR Veterans are able to access support that meets their needs when necessary, through public and voluntary sectors

These principles encompass those still serving and transitioning to become Veterans, their families and the bereaved. HHQ focus is on those RTR Veterans resident in the UK. We do of course support those who choose to live overseas. These principles are consistent with and underpinned by the Armed Forces Covenant.

Learn more about Service Leavers and Veterans (external link).

What we do

The HHQ RTR is located at Stanley Barracks, Bovington Camp. HHQ provides assistance and clerical support to the Colonel Commandant, his two Deputies and the Commanding Officer RTR, in the execution of their responsibilities. HHQ also supports all of the RTR Association Branches across the UK. It also provides the editorial support to the Tank Journal. Support is given in 6 key areas:

Support to the Regimental Council/Governance

Regtl Sec is principal Staff Officer to the Col Comdt RTR and RTR Council for Regtl MS matters; coord with the Palace on Col-in-Chief and RTR Council succession issues; Regimental Forecast of Events; and dissemination/coordination of RTR policy directives within the Regiment.

Support to Soldiers and their families

Managing the dead, injured, repatriations and families. Support to the Regimental family for as long as it is required, at every stage of the recovery process, and well past end of service dates. To provide a bridge between the support given by the Regiment and that provided by the Army, Defence and the wide range of other external supporting organisations and service charities.

Support to Veterans

Welfare & Benevolence. Individual charitable needs of retired RTR members e.g. grants from Regimental funds and coordination of other service charitable organisations’ grants, plus Christmas hampers to widows and specific Association members in need and annual grants to ex-RTR Chelsea Pensioners.

Community Engagement

Coordination of attendance at RTR Association events. Branch activities are primarily conducted on an autonomous basis with the exception of the RTR Church Sunday at Bovington and Fields of Remembrance in London. However, retired Regimental family attendance at Regimental events is coordinated by HHQ RTR, e.g. Cenotaph Parade, Standards Parades and Cambrai Parades. In addition, the Regimental Secretary attends Branch meetings, Branch events and individual funerals on both a regular and on-call basis throughout the year.

Sustaining the Regiment and its heritage

Preserve and maintain Regimental heritage. Maintain corporate memory for the Regiment in the form of the Tank Journal; record of RTR Council and Sub-Committee Meetings (Events & Finance); and record of key events, such as Amalgamation, Redundancies, Property Management, and the heritage within the Tank Museum.

Assurance

Conduct of Regimental affairs. To ensure that Regimental affairs are conducted in accordance with the appropriate rules and regulations e.g. Trustees managing regimental funds – Charity Commission.

Branches

The RTR Association is made up of 25 Branches who cover the following areas:

Birmingham | Bournemouth & Poole | Bovington | Bristol, Bath & District | Canadian | Cheltenham | Cymru Wales | Devon & Cornwall | East Anglia | Hull & East Riding | London | Medway | Merseyside | Newcastle | Nottingham| Oldham | Oxford | Plymouth | Preston | Scarborough | Scottish | Sefton | 2/3/6 RTR | 5 RTR | 8 RTR

These Branches organise gatherings and functions so that members can meet socially and renew their acquaintance with each other, make new friends and support the RTRA.

Join The RTR Association by selecting one of the Branches on the map here nearest to you or sign up today via our RTR Association registration form and send back to HHQ RTR, where we will connect you up to the appropriate branch nearest to you.

RTRA membership cards are available using the downloadable “registration form” above or by completing an on-line registration form.

Trustees

The Regimental Council are the Managing Trustees for all funds and property belonging to The Association. The Regiment Council comprises of:

- The Colonel Commandant – President, Brigadier Gavin Thompson
- The Deputy Colonel Commandant (A) – Responsible for financial matters, Brigadier Nick Cowey

The Commanding Officer of the RTR, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Luson
The four Association Managing Trustees:
- Capt (Retd) Dave Larcombe, Vice Chairman
- Mr Dave Taylor
- Mr Patrick Carroll
- Mr Ian Tompsett

Funds

There are no subscriptions from serving individuals but all members of the Regiment who subscribe to the ‘Day’s Pay Scheme’ are automatically life members.

All 25 Branches of the RTR Association will receive membership fees from their own members, these are set by individual Branches.

There is a Branch sustainment fund managed by the Trustees, should a Branch get into difficulty or need support.

Royal Tank Regiment Association is a registered Charity in England and Wales (269230)

The Veterans’ Foundation kindly gave the RTR Association a grant to support the introduction of the RTR Military App.