51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment
| 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939–1956 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison/HQ | Leeds, Yorkshire |
| Anniversaries | Cambrai Day (20 November) |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | Maple Leaf |
| Battle honours | 'North Africa', 'Italy' |
The 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment (51 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army that fought in the Tunisian and Italian campaigns during World War II and continued to serve during the 1950s.
In April 1938, the 7th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment converted to the armoured role 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) Bn, Royal Tank Regiment.
On the outbreak of war in September 1939, 51 RTR was part of the 25th Army Tank Brigade, in Northern Command, alongside the Newcastle-based TA regiments 43 RTR and 49 RTR.
At the end of May 1940, with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) being evacuated from Dunkirk and the imminent threat of German invasion of England, the 25th Army Tank Brigade was redesignated 2nd Motor Machine Gun Brigade and its regiments reorganised accordingly. Each of 51 RTR's three MMG squadrons consisted of three troops, each with six Humber Snipe or Hillman Utility ('Tilly') two-seat cars, two carrying Vickers medium machine guns, two Bren light machine guns and two Boys anti-tank rifles. In July 1940, volunteers from the units of 25th Army Tank Brigade formed No 5 Troop of No. 5 Commando at Bridlington. In August, 51 RTR and the rest of the brigade moved to Northumberland to guard the coastline with machine gun posts along the cliffs and sand dunes.
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