Stuart Crawford's Tank Commander is a personal history of British armoured service from the Cold War through the 1991 Gulf War and beyond. The 4th Royal Tank Regiment recruited heavily in Scotland and regarded itself as distinct from the other Royal Tank Regiment units. Crawford thought its proportion of Scots might exceed that of any Scottish regiment, while acknowledging that he could not prove the claim. Its pipes and drums had been established in the mid-1970s despite institutional disapproval. Rivalry with sister regiments coexisted with friendships formed on courses, contacts with cavalry regiments, and a close affinity with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Crawford regretted the rejection of a proposed amalgamation with that regiment, whose recruiting area matched the 4th's. Instead, the 4th and 1st Royal Tank Regiments merged in 1993.
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Regimental identity in the 4th Royal Tank Regiment
Stuart Crawford recalls the 4th Royal Tank Regiment's Scottish identity, relations with other armoured regiments, and disappointment over its eventual amalgamation.