The 1st Regiment,

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

(1 RMP) is a military policing unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

which was formed during the height of the

Troubles in Northern Ireland The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

in the 1970s, but disbanded in 1985 following cuts to the RMP in the region. The regiment was then reformed in 1996 following the

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces, ...

, and since 2014 has been an integral part of the 1st Military Police Brigade and just one of the two remaining RMP regiments since 2019.

History

First formation

Royal_Military_Police_Land_Rover_Defender

The first time of the 1st Regiment, RMP was formed was on 5 November 1971, when 173 Provost Company based at

Thiepval Barracks Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, County Antrim, is the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland and its 38th (Irish) Brigade. History The barracks were built in 1940. They are named after the village of Thiepval in Northern France, an im ...

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

was expanded into a full regiment. Prior to 1971, all provost companies were independent and if grouped were commanded by a 'Deputy Provost Marshal', however the deteriorating situation in Northern Ireland caused this tradition to be dropped. As a result, the first battalion sized unit of the Royal Military Police was created as 173 Provost Company was quickly reinforced within months to become a regiment of seven companies. The regiment was the first of its type, soon after being joined by the 2nd Regiment during the looming

Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

which would occupy the British Army until 2007. The regiment's initial organisation on formation was as follows: * Regimental Headquarters, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn * 174 Provost Company, at Ardmillan House,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

– supporting 39th Infantry Brigade * 175 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn * 176 Provost Company, at

Ebrington Barracks Ebrington Barracks was a military installation on the east bank of the River Foyle in Derry, Northern Ireland. History The present barracks, named after Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington (later Earl Fortescue), were built on the site in 184 ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

– supporting 8th Infantry Brigade * 177 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn – providing close protection escorts * 178 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn – investigations unit * 179 Provost Company, at HMS Hartland Point – formed on 16 January 1972 * 180 Provost Company – formed for

Operation Motorman Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army (HQ Northern Ireland) in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" (are ...

, in June 1972 but disbanded in November of the same year After a short time in Lisburn, the regimental headquarters moved to Alexander Barracks in Aldergrove on 5 December 1972. In June 1973, 180 Provost Company was reformed bringing the regiment's strength to about 700 personnel. On 1 July 1973, the duties of the regiment was split with the formation of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Military Police with 175, 179, and 180 Provost Companies joining shortly thereafter. However, on 1 April 1978, 2nd Regiment RMP was disbanded and its companies disbanded except for 175 Provost Company which re-joined the 1st Regiment. In 1978, the regiment was now organised as follows: * Regimental Headquarters, at Alexander Barracks, Aldergrove (until September), then at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn * 174 Provost Company, at

Drumadd Barracks Drumadd Barracks is a former military installation in Armagh, Northern Ireland. History The barracks were established on Hamiltonsbawn Road in Armagh in 1975. They became a base for 2nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment in 1976, during the T ...

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

– supporting 3rd Infantry Brigade since 18 February 1972 * 175 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn * 176 Provost Company, at Ebrington Barracks, Derry – supporting 8th Infantry Brigade * 177 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn – providing close protection escorts * 178 Provost Company, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn – investigations unit From 1981 till the regiment's disbandment in March 1985, the strength of the unit gradually decreased. On 31 December 1981, 174 Provost Company was disbanded alongside 3rd Infantry Brigade; on 30 September 1983 177 Provost Company was reduced to 177 (Support) Platoon and became independent under

Headquarters Northern Ireland HQ Northern Ireland was the formation (military), formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve formati ...

; on 12 February 1985 175 and 176 Provost Companies became independent while 178 Provost Company was re-designated as 173 Provost Company; finally in March 1985, 173 Provost Company became independent and the regiment was disbanded. On 12 February 1985, the regiment was officially removed from the Army's order of battle due to financial reasons following the 1981 Defence White Paper.Mackinlay, pp. 362–363

Second formation

As a result of the

reforms announced in 1991 following the

End of the Cold War End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) **End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron football) ...

, the old 1st Armoured Division was redesignated as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division and its provost companies reorganised. As a result of the reorganisation, the 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police was stood up at Wentworth Barracks in

Herford Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford (district), Herford. Geography ...

to oversee these companies with each supporting one of the combat brigades.Mackinlay, pp. 362–363Watson & Rinaldi, p. 137Blume, p. 8 The regiment's structure after formation on 1 April 1995 was as follows:Mackinlay, pp. 362–3631999 Handbook, p. 141 * Regimental Headquarters, at Wentworth Barracks,

Blume, p. 8 * 110 Provost Company, at Normandy Barracks,

Sennelager Sennelager is a village in Germany that forms part of the City of Paderborn. It is notable for its association with the military since the 19th century. Location Sennelager lies around 5 km north of Paderborn city centre in the west of the ...

– supporting 20th Armoured Brigade and Paderborn Garrison * 111 Provost Company, at Haig Barracks, Bergen-Hohne – supporting 7th Armoured Brigade and Hohne Garrison *115 Provost Company, at Roberts Barracks,

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

– supporting 4th Armoured Brigade In later 1996, elements of the regiment deployed to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

as part of the

Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...

(SFOR). On the regiment's return from Bosnia, during a parade in Herford, the regiment was granted the

Wilkinson Sword of Peace The Firmin Sword of Peace (previously known as the Wilkinson Sword of Peace) is an award given to units of the British Armed Forces for activities above and beyond the unit's normal role that improve relations with the community, either within the U ...

. According to the 1999 Staff Officers' Handbook, the establishment for 1st Regiment RMP was 18 officers and 343 other ranks. The regiment was also equipped with 4 x

Leyland 4-tonne truck The Leyland 4-tonne truck was produced by Leyland Trucks in Lancashire. It was developed for the British Army and won the competition to replace a fleet of older Bedford M-type 4-tonne trucks. It shares some key components with the commercial ...

s, 109 x B-class vehicles including Land Rover Defenders, and 34 x

Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bolton, England. Alan Clews formed CCM in 1971 from what was left of BSA's off-road competition team and bought spares to produce his own motorcycles. This was a succ ...

. Following the reformation of the regiment, the commanding officer of the regiment held the position of 'Provost Marshal, 1st (UK) Armoured Division', and was assisted by three other officers at the armoured division headquarters: Staff Officer (SO)2 (Operations/Plans) – rank of Major, SO3 (Investigations) – rank of Captain, and SO3 (Ops/Plans) – rank of Captain. If mobilised, the Special Investigation Branch detachments in Germany would form the nucleus of the Investigations Section of the regiment.1999 Handbook, p. 141 When the 1st (UK) Armoured Division was deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

in 2003 for the impending

2003 Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

(codenamed

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

), the regiment was deployed and involved in provost duties throughout the campaign. In 2003, as a result of the Future Army Structure programme announced following the Invasion of Iraq, the regiment was effectively reduced to an administrative command and its provost companies moved under the operational control of the 1st (UK) Armoured Division's armoured brigades.Mackinlay, pp. 362–363 The regiment's structure in 2006 was as follows: * Regimental Headquarters, at Wentworth Barracks,

* 110 Provost Company, in

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...

– supporting 20th Armoured Brigade **Non-established Police Post, in

Hameln Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Hi ...

* 111 Provost Company, in Bergen-Hohne – supporting 7th Armoured Brigade **Non-established Police Post, in

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ...

* 114 Provost Company, at Princess Royal Barracks,

Gütersloh Gütersloh () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 100,194 peo ...

– supporting

102nd Logistic Brigade 102nd Logistic Brigade (102 Log Bde) is a logistic brigade of the British Army. Its role is to force generate and force prepare fighting elements, including the Headquarters, globally, for current operations and deliver capability to contingent f ...

and Gütersloh Garrison *115 Provost Company, at Roberts Barracks,

(disbanded in June 2008) – supporting 4th Armoured Brigade **Non-established Police Post, in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

Army 2020

In 2012, following the

Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 was announced by the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010. The previous major review of UK defence strate ...

, the radical Army 2020 programme was announced which (among many things), would see the reorganisation of the provost forces and return of all troops based in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. As part of the A2020 programme, the three provost regiments alongside the three specialist police groups would be consolidated into the 1st Military Police Brigade. In addition, the Royal Military Police would be consolidated into three regiments, the 1st Regiment: providing support for the 1st (UK) Division based in York; 3rd Regiment: providing support for the 3rd (UK) Division based in Bulford; and the 4th Regiment: providing support for UK operations and Force Troops Command. The structure of all three regiments was also altered, so that there were no longer entirely regular regiments, with each regiment having at least one integrated Territorial (Army Reserve from 2015) company attached, thus making each unit a 'Hybrid' regiment. The 1st Regiment RMP became an 'Integrated RMP Regiment' as a result of the changes, and transferred from 1st (UK) Division to the 1st Military Police upon that brigade's formation on 1 December 2014. After 2015, the regiment returned from Germany and has been based at Gaza Barracks,

Catterick Garrison Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 13,000 in 2017 and covering over 2,400 acres (about 10& ...

in the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres). From the Restoration it was used as ...

ever since. 111 Provost Company was disbanded in June 2014 following their return from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Later 114 Provost Company was also disbanded before the regiment left Germany. By January 2015, the regiment now oversaw 243 Provost Company, which was formed in January 2015 by merging the former 243 (Scottish) Provost Company based in

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

with 252 (Northern) Provost Company based in Stockton-on-Tees. The new 243 Provost Coy was now based in Livingston and maintained 252 Platoon in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. In 2015, the regiment was now organised as follows: * Regimental Headquarters, at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison * 110 Provost Company, at

Leuchars Station Leuchars Station is a British Army installation located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the historic town of St Andrews. Formerly RAF Leuchars, it was the second most northerly air defence station in the United King ...

(detachment was based in Bergen-Hohne until mid 2015) * 150 Provost Company * ''243 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in Livingston ** ''252 Platoon'', in Stockton-on-Tees

Today and future

In 2017, a supplement to the Army 2020 programme was announced entitled the

Army 2020 Refine Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. Army 2020 Refine The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced that the structure of the Reac ...

which reversed many of the unit-level changes of the former. Under the 'Refine', the 4th Regiment RMP was disbanded in late 2019 and its companies dispersed to the other two remaining regiments, including 1st Regiment RMP. The regiment gained the Army Reserve's 116 Provost Company based in

Cannock Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the nearby towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverh ...

and

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hi ...

, in addition to the regular 174 Provost Company based in Donnington. The regiment is currently organised as follows: * Regimental Headquarters, at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison * 110 Provost Company, at

* 150 Provost Company * 174 Provost Company, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington * ''116 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in

** ''Platoon'', in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

* ''243 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in Livingston ** ''252 Platoon'', in Stockton-on-Tees In addition to the internal reorganisations, the regiment was transferred to

101st Logistic Brigade 101st Logistic Brigade (101 Log Bde) is a logistic brigade within 3rd (United Kingdom) Division of the British Army, formed from the Combat Service Support Group in 1999. The brigade is held in high readiness and is described as a "vanguard suppo ...

, but this decision was reversed during the 2019 Field Army reorganisation. Under the Future Soldier changes, the 1st Military Police Brigade will be reduced to a Colonel's command as 1st Royal Military Police Group, though its structure will remain the same. The regiment in turn will restructure by March 2025, though its future sub-units are unknown at this time.

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * *

External links