| The Royal Australian Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Royal Australian Regiment | |
| Active | 23 November 1948 – present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line infantry |
| Role | Mechanised infantry (3 battalions) Motorised infantry (3 battalions) Amphibious infantry (1 battalion) |
| Size | Seven battalions |
| Part of | Royal Australian Infantry Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | 1st Battalion – Townsville 2nd Battalion – Townsville 3rd Battalion – Townsville 5th Battalion – Palmerston 6th Battalion – Enoggera 7th Battalion – Adelaide 8th/9th Battalion – Enoggera |
| Nickname(s) | 1st Battalion – The Pony Soldiers or The Big Blue One[1] 2nd Battalion – Second to None[2] 3rd Battalion – Old Faithful[3] 4th Battalion – The Fighting Fourth[4] 5th Battalion – The Tiger Battalion[5] 6th Battalion – Bluedog 7th Battalion – The Pigs[6] 8th Battalion – The Grey Eight[7] 8th/9th Battalion – Old Dependable Brisbane's Own |
| Motto(s) | Duty First[8] |
| Colours | 3rd Battalion and 6th Battalion entitled to wear the Unit Citation for Gallantry and the US PUC streamers on the Regimental Colour; whilst the 1st Battalion has been awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry, the US MUC and Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam) streamers on the Regimental Colour |
| March | Quick – El Alamein (Band); Black Bear (Pipes and Drums) Slow – Infantry Song[9] |
| Mascot(s) | 1st Battalion – Shetland pony "Septimus"[1] 3rd Battalion – None[10] 4th Battalion – None[4] 5th Battalion – Sumatran tiger "Quintus Rama"[11] 6th Battalion – Blue Heeler Corporal "Ridgeliegh Blue"[12] 8th/9th Battalion – Merino ram John "Stan the Ram" Macarthur[13] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major General Shane Caughey (Colonel commandant)[14] |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Sam Mostyn (Governor-General of Australia) |
| Insignia | |
| Unit colour patches |        |
| Tartan | The Australian (2 and 7 RAR piper's kilts and plaids) Royal Stewart (3 RAR piper's kilts and plaids) |
| Abbreviation | RAR |
The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a three battalion regiment; however, since then its size has fluctuated as battalions have been raised, amalgamated or disbanded in accordance with the Australian government's strategic requirements. Currently, the regiment consists of seven battalions and has fulfilled various roles including those of light, parachute, motorised and mechanised infantry. Throughout its existence, units of the Royal Australian Regiment have deployed on operations in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, Cambodia, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
- ^ a b "1 RAR: "The Pony Soldiers"". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "2 RAR: The Boys in Black". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Kuring 2004, p. 245.
- ^ a b "Traditions and Accoutrements". 4 RAR Association. 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "5 RAR: The Tigers". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "7 RAR: "Pork's People" or "The Pigs"". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "8 RAR: The "Grey Eight"". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Horner & Bou 2008, p. xxxii.
- ^ "The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR)". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "3 RAR: "Old Faithful"". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "Quintus Ram, Mascot of the 5th Battalion RAR". 5th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment Association. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "Battalion History". 6 RAR Association. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "8/9th Battalion RAR: History". Digger History. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Humbler & Daniels 2013, p. 9.