143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
military unit
The 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (9th Lancashire Fusiliers) (143 RAC) was a short-lived armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II.
Origin
143rd Regiment RAC was formed on 1 November 1941 by the conversion to the armoured role of 9th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, a hostilities-only infantry battalion raised in 1940. 9th Lancashire Fusiliers had been serving in 125th Infantry Brigade of 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, which were redesignated 10th Armoured Brigade and 42nd Armoured Division respectively. All three regiments in the brigade were drawn from the Lancashire Fusiliers and underwent simultaneous conversion to armour (the other two became 108 RAC and 109 RAC respectively).
In common with other infantry units transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, all personnel would have continued to wear their Lancashire Fusiliers cap badge on the black beret of the RAC. Surplus personnel were posted to 15th and 44th Reconnaissance Battalions or to 2/5th and 2/6th battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. In common with the other units of 10th Armoured Bde, 143 RAC maintained Lancashire Fusilier traditions, celebrating Minden Day on 1 August each year.
History
In May–June 1942, 10th Armoured Bde (later 10th Tank Bde) became an independent formation, and moved from Barnard Castle, County Durham, to 'The Dukeries' area of Nottinghamshire to continue tank training. 143 RAC was based at Thoresby Hall and operated Churchill infantry tanks, later receiving some Covenanter cruiser tanks from the Guards Armoured Division as well.
By the end of 1942, large numbers of 143 RAC's trained officers and men were being posted overseas. During 1943, 10th Tank Brigade became a holding and training formation for replacements. In August 1943, rumours began to circulate that 10th Tank Brigade was scheduled for disbandment, and a recruiting team arrived to persuade men to volunteer for the Parachute Regiment if the brigade disbanded.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps” as military unit. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as military unit. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 1, 2023. The linked authority identifier is Q16056874. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1941, 1940, 1942 and 1943.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps primary sources, 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps archive and 143rd research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.