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Our History
AJAX are the youngest squadron of the amalgamated Royal Tank Regiment. The last Squadron to hold the name was disbanded in 1993, but the Squadron draws on the long heritage of both 1 and 2 RTR (A Sqn and AJAX).
During WW1 on 24 Apr 1918 the first tank on tank engagement took place during the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. An A Company Mk IV tank commanded by Lt Frank Mitchell fought three German A7Vs, with the British tank emerging victorious. A Company saw heavy fighting throughout the rest of the war including the Battle of Amiens during which an advance of up to 20 miles was achieved through enemy lines.
AJAX antecedents saw heavy fighting during WW2 including at Tobruk, Burma, Iraq, Syria and Italy. After 1945, 1 RTR was deployed to Hong Kong as the last regular unit equipped with the Comet. A Sqn was part of the 1 RTR deployment to Korea in 1952-3, where the Regiment fired 24,000 main armament rounds in support of the Commonwealth Division. Later deployments for the Regiment include Aden in 1965 where A Sqn deployed from LSTs around the Persian Gulf. Throughout the Troubles there were several operational tours of Northern Ireland in a dismounted role, and rotations through the notorious Maze prison.
In 1977 AJAX (2 RTR) converted to a medium reconnaissance Squadron, equipped with CVR(T) Scorpion and Scimitar. The Squadron converted again in 1984 to Challenger 1 whilst based in Fallingbostel, Germany. When 2 RTR and 3 RTR amalgamated in 1992, AJAX was disbanded as 1 RTR re-designated its squadrons A, D, G, H in commemoration of the Coy designations of the original Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps.
In 1997 A Sqn were allocated the role of the training and demonstration armoured squadron as part of the Land Warfare Centre Battlegroup in Harman Lines. Soldiers rotated through tank and CBRN positions and supported the other Squadrons in their deployments on Op TELIC and HERRICK.
For the 2014 amalgamation of 1 and 2 RTR, the legacy of 1 RTR was carried on through A Sqn, using the re-born name of AJAX.
AJAX have been deployed three times in support of UK Resilience operations. The Squadron has tested tens of thousands of civilians as part of the Army’s response to Covid-19.
Affiliations
As the first Squadron in the Royal Tank Regiment, AJAX is affiliated with the 1st Royal Tank Regiment Associations and supports all of their annual events, particularly those which reside in the North of England and Scotland due to the historic ties kept alive since the amalgamation of 1 and 4 RTR.
The affiliations include the Royal Tank Regiment Associations of Merseyside, Oldham, Preston, Scarborough and Sefton.