Prince Alfred's Guard was established on 19 September 1856 as the Port Elizabeth Volunteer Rifle Corps. In 1860 the title Prince Alfred's Guard was assumed unofficially 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.
Xhosa Wars
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 PAG 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.
Members of the PAG 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 of the Active Citizen Force of the Union Defence Force, but regained its former name in 1934.
World War Two
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.
Armour
The PAG was subsequently converted to an armoured unit and saw further active service with the 11th South African Armoured Brigade, South African 6th Armoured Division in Italy 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.
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.
Name Change
By August 2019, this unit and 51 other Reserve Force Units had their name changed to reflect the current SANDF diversity. Going forward this unit would be called the Chief Maqoma Regiment.
Regimental Symbols
The Prince Alfred's Guard Museum in Port Elizabeth houses military exhibits in the Regiment's VictorianDrill Hall. It is a national monument and one of the finest surviving examples of its type.
