In 1923 the Regiment was deployed to Risalpur, India. In 1927
the Regiment discarded the numeral 6th and, instead, inserted
Inniskilling into the title to become the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon
Guards. The following year the Regiment returned to the UK for the
first time as the new regiment. In 1935 it gained the Royal
accolade to become the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
In 1938 the Regiment was mechanised and the following year, just
prior to the Second World War, they joined the newly-formed Royal
Armoured Corps (RAC).
The Regiment was part of British Expeditionary Force (BEF),
acting as the reconnaissance regiment of British 4th Infantry
Division, and was deployed to The Continent shortly after war broke
out. On 10 May 1940 the Germans launched their invasion of the Low
Countries, thus ending what was known as Phoney War. The German
invasion was swift and successful, the Allied forces in Belgium
having to retreat to Escaut River. Fierce fighting continued, the
BEF continuing to withdraw further until the order was given for
them to withdraw to Dunkirk in northern France where they
joined with the 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form a composite
regiment to fight the rearguard action as both had lost the
majority of their tanks.
The Regiment remained in the UK until 1944 when it landed in
Normandy a month after the D-Day landings, where it joined the 22nd
Armoured Brigade 7th Armoured Division (the famed 'Desert Rats').
Heavy fighting was still raging in Normandy and the Regiment took
part in actions in Mont Pincon in early August and, subsequently,
at St Pierre La Vielle. The Regiment saw further service in
Northern France, including helping in the capture of Lisieux on 23
August, and later crossing the Risle, advancing rapidly to the
River Seine. The Inniskilling's began their advance on Belgium on
31 August, the 7th Armoured Division's objective was the city of
Ghent, crossing the River Somme, where the Regiment's predecessor
regiments had fought during World War I, and the Authie river.
The Division had made a remarkable advance on the Franco-Belgian
border but having consumed enormous amounts of fuel, could not
continue and so a a smaller force comprising the Regiment and The
11th Hussars advanced to capture Ghent entering the city on 5
September. The Regiment was involved in the heavy fighting around
the River Maas that began in late October.
In January 1945, the Regiment took part in
the action to clear the west bank of the River Roer and
subsequently in the crossing of the river Rhine, which began on 25
March, the objective being to head eastward for the city
of Hamburg. Meeting fierce resistance on German soil, the Regiment
played a prominent role in the capture of a number of towns during
the rapid advance into Germany, notably in April;
Ibbenburen, Wildehausen and the attack on Soltau before
the advance on Hamburg, which they entered on May 3rd.
They remained in Germany as part of the Occupying Forces.
In December 1951 the Regiment arrived in Korea as part of
1st Commonwealth Division to fight in the Korean War which had
been raging since 1948. They remained there for a year taking
part in many actions including B Squadron's support of The
Black Watch in the methodical effort to dislodge the Chinese from
'The Hook'. The 5th Inniskillings left Korea the following
month, arriving in the Suez Canal Zone just prior to its handover
to the Egyptians and returned home to the UK the following
year.
In 1964 the Regiment had squadrons in three British territories
Aden, Bahrain and Hong Kong and in 1965 served in the
British Military Bases Libya. In 1966, A Squadron deployed to
Cyprus to act in the reconnaissance role for the United Nations
(UN) forces there to prevent conflict from breaking out between the
opposing Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In 1968 the Regiment returned
home and shortly afterwards were posted to the Garrison
of Muenster, West Germany as part of the British Army of the
Rhine. October 1973 saw another deployment to Cyprus as part
of UN forces returning in May 1974. In 1981 the Regiment served on
OP BANNER in Northern Ireland for 4 months. In 1984 the
Inniskillings returned to the UK but found themselves back in
Paderborn, BAOR just two years later.
In 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence
cuts, the Regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon
Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards.