Originally a territorial unit, based in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the 49th Reconnaissance Regiment emerged from the 49th Infantry Division, who had fought bravely during the First World War and earned 3 Victoria Crosses in the process. Having seen action in Norway in 1940, they were then stationed in Iceland until 1942, where they adopted their Polar Bear insignia. They were then sent to a base in Porthcawl, South Wales.

Following the D-Day invasions, the regiment fought as Montgomery's left flank, and played vital roles in the capture of Arnhem, and the liberation of Holland. They are honoured annually in Utrecht to this day