History
The Parachute Regiment was formed as the result of a call by Winston Churchill, in June of 1940, for the raising of 'a corps of at least five thousand parachute troops'. The first step was the establishment of the first Parachute Training School at Ringway, near Manchester. Training and dropping was the responsibility of the Royal Air Force and continues to this day. The initial unit selected for parachute training was No 2 Commando this title was changed to the 11th Special Air Service and later to 1st Parachute Battalion and finally to ' the 1st Parachute Battalions in the 1st Parachute Brigade'. The 1st Parachute Brigade was formed under Brigadier RN Gale, OBE MC.
In October 1941 an Airborne Division was formed by Major General F A M Browning DSO. General Browning guided the formation of The Parachute Regiment which was established as Regiment on August 1st 1942. The Regiment during the Second World War grew to 17 battalions, several independent pathfinder units. Five of these Battalions were formed overseas, three in India and two in Egypt. The Regiment was made up of volunteers who came from all infantry regiments, as well as the Guards Brigade. A volunteers initial tour was for three years but additional tours were permitted. This practice ceased in 1953 when direct enlistment was introduced for other ranks and direct commissioning began in 1958.
The Regiment first saw action in 1941 when an experimental drop was made on the Tragino aqueduct in Apulia, Italy. The next raid came on February 17 1942 with a successful attack by 'C' Company of the 2nd Battalion at Brunevalon the French Coast. The target was a German radar installation.
Sometime after this raid the maroon beret was adopted as the head gear of the Regiment. Actions at a number of locations and principally at Oudna in North Africa were carried out by the 1st Parachute Brigade in November of 1942. The fighting was fierce and it was in these actions that the Regiment earned the name 'RED DEVILS' from the Germans. The Regiment continued to see action in North Africa through the Spring of 1943 with action at Tamera in the March of that year.
In July of 1943 action moved to Sicily and 1st Parachute Brigade's seizing the Primosole Bridge. The 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade saw action in Italy, Southern France and Greece, Athens 1943 and 1944. The 1st Brigade with the 4th Brigade returned to the United Kingdom to prepare for the Normandy invasion.
The Normandy Landing June 1944 was the first Airborne Divisional operation of the Second World War. The 6th Airborne Division included the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades, Major General R N Gale OBE MC was the commander of 6th Airborne Division on D Day. The most famous action by British Airborne Forces in North West Europe is the Battle of Arnhem September 17th 1944. The 1st an 4th Parachute Brigades with the 82nd and 101st US Airborne Divisions formed the 1st British Airborne Corps. This Corps in March 1945 took part in the Rhine Crossing and continued as a Corps until war end in May of 1945. The Regiment saw action in the Far East before the cessation of all hostilities in 1946.
In the post war years the Regiment has served and seen action world wide, Palestine, Germany, the Middle East where in 1956 the last Battalion combat jump took place at Port Said. Peace keeping and other operations has seen the Regiment serving in Cyprus (64), Radfan (64), Borneo (65), and Aden (67). The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions have all seen service in Northern Ireland during the 1960's and 70's.
In 1982 the 2nd and
3rd Battalions were part of Operation Corporate in the Falkland
Islands. As a result of this action two members
of the Regiment were posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
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The form it took in those days is described at www.buckinghamgate.com as follows:
"During the early days of land warfare, "colours" (the brightly-coloured flags of a battalion) were used as rallying points so they would be visible above the smog (powder smoke) and dust of battle. It became customary to carry these colours down the ranks at the end of a day's march and to solemnly accompany then to the "billet" where they were kept for the night. The billet represented the headquarters of a unit and the battalion's assembly point in an emergency. The aim of the ceremony was to familiarise each man with the coloured flags that identified his unit, and to guarantee all ranks would recognise their assembly point, especially when stationed in an unfamiliar town. Each morning, the colours were escorted from the billet back to their position in the battalion ranks. Consequently, the colours came to express the spirit of the regiment and held in the highest regard."
"The aspects of the (Trooping the Colours), have changed very little since the age when it was known as "Lodging the Colours".
The most well known occasion of a "Trooping the Colours" occurs annually on the official birthday of the Sovereign. Presently this ceremony takes place in June on Horse Guards Parade, by the Household Division. Interestingly only the "Queen's Colours " are " Trooped" . This custom was introduced in 1805.
The Parachute Regiment formally established as a regiment in 1942 . Being such a relatively young regiment there were no "Colours".
It was not
until July of 1950 that the Regiment was presented with it first Colours.
By that time there were only three regular Battalions of the Parachute
Regiment in the British Army. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions.
Second Colours of
The Parachute Regiment were presented by Her Majesty The Queen to the 1st,
2nd, and 3rd Battalions, and first Colours to the 4th(Volunteer) Battalion
at Rushmoor Area, Aldershot on July 15th 1974.
On June 19th 1998
HRH Prince of Wales, Colonel-in Chief of the Parachute Regiment presented
new Colours to the three Regular Battalions.
Battle
Honours
The awarding of "Battle
Honours" and the emblazoning them on " Colours" dates to the late 1600's.
One of the earliest was "BLENHIEM" on "The Buffs" colours, dates to 1704
for action while serving in the command of the Duke of Malborough during
the War of the Spanish Succession.
'In Regiments of
Infantry of the Line (with the exception of Rifle Regiments) the battle
honours awarded before the Great War, 1914-1918, are emblazoned on the
Regimental Colour, while ten of the battle honours awarded for the Great
War and ten for the Second World War are emblazoned on the Queen's Colour.'
The Battle Honours emblazoned on the Parachute Regiments QUEEN"S Colour are:
| NORTH
WEST EUROPE 1942, Bruneval (27 Feb. 42). NORTH AFRICA 1942-43,
Oudna (29 Nov. 42), Soudia, Djebel Azzag, Djebel Alliliga, El Hadjeba, Tamera (27 Mar 43), Dejebel Dahara, Kefel Debna. SICILY 1943, Primosole Bridge (13 Jul 43). ITALY 1943-44, Taranto,Orsogna. NORTH WEST EUROPE 1944-45, Normandy Landing (6 Jun 44), Pegasus Bridge, Merville Battery, Breville (12 Jun 44),Dives Crossing, La Touques Crossing, Southern France ( 15 Aug 44). Arnhem (17 Sep 44).Ourthe, Rhine (24 Mar 45). GREECE 1944-45, Athens (12 Oct 44). SOUTH ATLANTIC 1982, Falkland Islands (14 Jun 82), Goose Green, Mount Longdon,Wireless Ridge. |
