| 159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Royal Armoured Corps | |
| Active | 1942–1943 |
| Disbanded | 1 April 1943 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (159 RAC) was a short-livedarmouredregiment of theBritish Army'sRoyal Armoured Corps serving in India duringWorld War II.
159 RAC was formed on 15 July 1942 by the conversion to the armoured role of the 10th Battalion,Gloucestershire Regiment, a hostilities-only battalion raised two years before in July 1940, and had been assigned to the212th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), which also included the 6thSouth Wales Borderers, 18thWelch Regiment (which left in May 1941) and the 9thRoyal Sussex Regiment, all of which had also been formed around the same time.[1] In common with other infantry battalions transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, the personnel of 159 RAC, those not weeded out by psychiatrists, would have continued to wear their Glosters cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.[2]
159 RAC embarked for passage from the United Kingdom toIndia on 26 October 1942, arriving on 20 December and moving to Nira Camp nearPoona. There it came under command of255th Indian Tank Brigade. However, there was a change of policy, and on 1 April 1943 the regiment was re-converted to infantry, reverting to its previous title of 10th Glosters and coming under command of72nd Indian Infantry Brigade and still serving with the 6th SWB and 9th Royal Sussex (both of which had been converted, into158 RAC and160 RAC respectively).[3]