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| Port Elizabeth Volunteer Rifle Corps Prince Alfred's Volunteer Guard Prince Alfred's Guard Chief Maqoma Regiment | |
|---|---|
SANDF Prince Alfreds Guards emblem
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| Active | 19 September 1856 to present |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance |
Republic of South Africa (1994–present) |
| Branch |
 South African Army (1994–present) |
| Type | Light Infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Part of | South African Infantry Formation Army Conventional Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Gqeberha |
| Motto(s) | Fidelis et Fortis (Faithful and Brave) |
| Anniversaries | 19 September (Regimental Day) |
| Battle honours |
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| Insignia | |
| Company level insignia |  |
| SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 |  |
| Abbreviation | MR |
The Chief Maqoma Regiment (formerly Prince Alfred's Guard) is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army. The regiment is located in the city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).
Chief Maqoma Regiment was established on 19 September 1856[1] as the Port Elizabeth Volunteer Rifle Corps.[2] In 1860 the title Prince Alfred's Guard was assumed unofficially (after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh) and on 11 July 1874 this name was officially sanctioned as Prince Alfred's Volunteer Guard. The name was later changed to Prince Alfred's Guard.
The regiment first saw action on 2 December 1877, against the Gcaleka tribesmen in the Battle of Umzintzani during the Ninth Xhosa War. The next conflict that the unit participated in was the Basutoland Campaign of 1880 to 1881, during which a 500-metre bayonet charge by the regiment which led to the capture of the village of Lerotholi, an enemy village. The regiment also took part in the Bechuanaland Campaign of 1897.[3]
The regiment also served in the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902 - as mounted infantry - and took part in campaigns in the Orange Free State and the South African Republic.
Members of the unit volunteered for service in World War I, but there was dissension in the ranks after a long deployment on sentry duty in Cape Town. As a result, the contingent was disbanded and most of its members saw active service during the war in other South African units.
In 1913 the regiment was redesignated the 3rd Infantry Regiment (Prince Alfred's Guard) of the Active Citizen Force of the Union Defence Force, but regained its former name in 1934.
During World War II, the regiment first served as link battalion for the 2nd Brigade, South African Infantry in North Africa, sending drafts of men to the fighting units, among which many went to the Field Force Battalion.
The PAG was subsequently converted to an armoured unit and saw further active service with the 11th South African Armoured Brigade,[4] South African 6th Armoured Division[4]inItaly as a tank unit. On 20 April 1944, equipped with Mark V Shermans and Stuarts, the regiment landed at Taranto in the heel of Italy. They were to reinforce the Allies still trapped at Anzio, and worn out by bitter fighting at Cassino and along the Gustav line.
Re-equipped with Eland-90 armoured cars in the postwar period, the PAG also took part in several skirmishes during subsequent border conflicts in Angola and South-West Africa (Namibia).
The PAG was converted to a reserve infantry regiment in the SANDF. Its members are currently trained to a large extent as air assault infantry.
In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[5] The Prince Alfred's Guard became the Chief Maqoma Regiment, and had 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[6]
Gaika Gcaleka 1877, Transkei 1877 - 1878, Umzintzani, Basutoland 1880 - 1881, Bechuanaland 1897, South Africa 1899 - 1902, Italy 1944 - 1945, Celleno, Florence, The Greve, Gothic Line, Po Valley
| Awarded to Prince Alfred's Guard |
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| From | Honorary Colonels | To |
| 10 August 1928 | Colonel T.A. Bromilow-Downing VD | 27 August 1931 |
| 11 April 1947 | Colonel J.R. Reis VD | 19 April 1951 |
| 29 December 1954 | Colonel W.E. Hawkins ED | nd |
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 1856 | Colonel J.M. Hill | 1857 |
| 1857 | Colonel A.J. Clairmonte | 1857 |
| nd | Colonel A. Ogilvie | 1860 |
| 1861 | Colonel A.C. Wylde | 1865 |
| 1865 | Captain W. Fleming | 1865 |
| 1874 | Colonel A.C. Wylde | 1876 |
| 1876 | Major G.R. Deare | 1888 |
| 1888 | Lt Col. G. Gordon | 1898 |
| 1898 | Major G.C. Clark CMG VD | 1899 |
| 1899 | Lt Col. H.W. Court VD | 10 April 1915 |
| 10 April 1915 | Lt Col. J.N. Neylan DSO | 1 November 1915 |
| 1 November 1915 | Lt Col. A.P.J. Wares VD | 31 May 1925 |
| 1 June 1925 | Lt Col. Whitehead DSO | 6 January 1926 |
| 6 January 1916 | Lt Col. F.L.A. Buchanan MC VD | 30 June 1930 |
| 1 July 1935 | Lt Col. J.L. Reis VD | 13 September 1942 |
| 14 September | Lt Col. H.A. Olsen DSO ED | 11 December 1945 |
| 5 February 1946 | Lt Col. W.E. Hawkins ED | 30 June 1952 |
| 1 July 1952 | Commandant G.M. Human | 30 April 1955 |
| 1 May 1955 | Commandant J.N. Erasmus JCD | 1 January 1959 |
| 1 January 1959 | Commandant I.F. Nel SM JCD | nd |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To |
