The Northern Frontier Regiment (NFR) was formed in March 1957 and was one of the first two properly constituted infantry regiments that Sultan
Said bin Taimur of Oman formed. The regiment's crest is two crossed drawn traditional
Khanjar
A ''khanjar'' ( ar, خنجر, ku, Xencer, bn, খঞ্জর, khôñjôr tr, Hançer, fa, خنجر, ur, خنجر, sh, Handžar) is a traditional dagger originating from Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle East ...
daggers pointing downwards, with scrolls carrying the regimental title in Arabic i.e. ''Kateeba al Hudood al Shamleeah''. Members of the Regiment who served in Dhofar are entitled to wear the General Service Medal Oman, its ribbon design illustrated on the right (see Decorations).
Unit history
The NFR and
Muscat Regiment are the two most senior infantry regiments in
RAO __NOTOC__
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Geography
* Rao, West Sumatra, one of the districts of West Sumatra, Indonesia
* Råö, a locality in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden
Transport
* Dr. Leite Lopes–Ribeirão Preto State Airport , IAT ...
; and were formed from earlier less formal units of doubtful capabilities and were an attempt by British advisors to the Sultan to develop a more credible armed forces to respond to a number of persistent threats from some interior tribes and their financial sponsors in
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 ...
. These tensions came to a head in the
Jebel Akhdar War in which the regiment played a particularly active part. Once the rebels were driven from the mountain NFR established a base at one of the main villages (Saiq).
The unit would also see service in the
Dhofar War
The Dhofar Rebellion, also known as the Dhofar War or the Omani Civil War, was waged from 1963 to 1976 in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The war began with the formation of the Dhofar Liberation Front, a group w ...
along with other regiments of the Sultan's small army, which mostly supporting the Dhofar Brigade's operations in the 1970s fighting Communist insurgents in the south of the country. The NFR were one of the first regiments from Northern Oman to be deployed south to Dhofar to suppress a rebellion in 1964. During the Dhofar Campaign NFR lost many killed and wounded including one of the first British military advisors killed on operations - Captain Alan William Woodman (formerly of the
Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
) killed on 13 March 1966.
The NFR remains on the Order of Battle of the Royal Army of Oman and is based in
Ibri
, native_name_lang = ar
, nickname =
, settlement_type = Town
, motto =
, image_skyline = Ibri, Oman (2013).jpg
, image_caption = Fort Ibri
, image_flag =
, image_shield ...
.
Commanding officers
NFR's Commanding officers have included:
*Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Colin Maxwell - who set up the regiment in 1957 which was based in and around
Nizwa during the Jebel Akhdar Campaign
*Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Sanders
*Lieutenant Colonel Michael Harvey
*Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Ray MBE
UK personnel Killed in Action whilst Serving with the Regiment
The following UK seconded and contract personnel were killed in action (KIA) whilst serving with NFR:
* Acting Sergeant Alan Frederick Hedges RM KIA Jebel Akhdar 16 April 1958
* Colour Sergeant Jack Lovell Halford RM BEM KIA Jebel Akhdar 17 June 1958
* Captain Alan William Woodman (late Sgt RM) KIA Dhofar 13 March 1966
* Captain Hamish Brian Emslie MC (late Capt RM) KIA Dhofar 24 May 1966
* Local Captain Stuart James Rae (late RM) KIA Dhofar 12 June 1971
See also
*
Omani Civil War (1963-76)
*
Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces
*
Sultan's Armed Forces Museum
*
David Smiley
*
Trucial Oman Scouts
References
External links
Sultan's Armed Forces AssociationRoyal Army of Oman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Frontier Regiment (Oman)
Military of Oman
Dhofar Rebellion
Wars involving Oman
Rebellions in Oman