The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) was an infantry regiment 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 ...

that existed from 1958 to 1966. The regiment served in the

Cyprus Emergency The Cyprus Emergency ( gr, Απελευθερωτικός Αγώνας της Κύπρου 1955–59), also known as the Greek Cypriot War of Independence or Cypriot War of Independence, was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between November 1 ...

, Brunei Revolt, Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation and

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

. The regiment formed part of the

Green Jackets Brigade The Green Jackets Brigade (known as O Group until 1948) was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1946 to 1968, that administered the English rifle regiments. History After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry ...

and in 1963 was redesignated as a

rifle regiment A rifle regiment is a military unit consisting of a regiment of infantry troops armed with rifles and known as riflemen. While all infantry units in modern armies are typically armed with rifled weapons the term is still used to denote regiments t ...

History

The regiment was formed following

Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a key r ...

1957 Defence White Paper The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British white paper issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected w ...

when the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry became the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) on 7 November 1958. The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) formed part of the

which included the 2nd Green Jackets,

Kings Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

and the 3rd Green Jackets, Rifle Brigade. The regiment wore the Brigade's Cap badge: an Infantry bugle in the centre over a Maltese cross, a crown at the top above a scroll reading Peninsula and the badge was surrounded by a wreath. 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) wore black buttons on their uniform and kept the gorget button on officers and Warrant officers uniforms. The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) retained the Battle honours of the 1st Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd. The regiment's depot was at

Peninsula Barracks The Peninsula Barracks are a group of military buildings in Winchester, Hampshire. History The barracks, which were originally known as the Upper Barracks, Winchester, were built in the early 20th century on the site of King's House, an unfini ...

, Winchester,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

. Bushfield Camp, near Winchester, was used as a temporary depot from 1961 to April 1964.

Cyprus

The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Martin, took part in operations against EOKA terrorists during the

. The regiment was based at Buckingham Camp at Polemidhia, near

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

and was deployed mainly in the

area. Major Peter Gerahty was second-in-command of the regiment in Cyprus. Captain, later General Sir

Robert Pascoe General Sir Robert Alan Pascoe (born 21 February 1932) is a retired British Army officer who served as Adjutant-General to the Forces from 1988 to 1990. Army career Educated at Tavistock Grammar School and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhu ...

also served with the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) during the Cyprus Emergency. Following a farewell parade the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) returned to the UK on HMT Dunera in May 1959.

United Kingdom

The regiment was based at Knook Camp, near

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-c ...

, in 1959. The regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Harbottle, was an infantry demonstration battalion from 1959 to 1962. Brigadier, later General Sir

Antony Read General Sir John Antony Jervis Read, (10 September 1913 – 22 September 2000) was a senior British Army officer who served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1969 to 1973. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for gallantry during the ...

had a key role in the planning stages for the new regiment and in its move to the Green Jackets Brigade. Major, later Colonel John Tillett was second-in-command of the regiment at Warminster. In accordance with the tradition of

rifle regiments A rifle regiment is a military unit consisting of a regiment of infantry troops armed with rifles and known as riflemen. While all infantry units in modern armies are typically armed with rifled weapons the term is still used to denote regiments t ...

not carrying colours; in 1962 in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, Buckinghamshire, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) marched the 43rd and 52nd colours for the last time. On that occasion the regiment provided a Guard of Honour for Queen Elizabeth II which was commanded by Captain Edward Jones.Draper, p. 16 Major Dennis Fox was involved in the production of the 1962 film The Longest Day and members of the regiment took part as extras in the film.

Far East

In April 1962, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) sailed from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

to Penang on the troopship SS ''Nevasa''.The Gorget. Journal of the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) 1964, p. 10. The regiment was the first unit to be posted to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

without any National Servicemen, following the end of conscription in 1961. Following deployment to the Far East the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) took part in Jungle warfare training and small exercises. On 9 December 1962, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) led by Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney was deployed to

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

on the island of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

after an Indonesian-backed uprising occurred. Major David Wood was second-in-command of the regiment during the Brunei Revolt. Major David Mostyn, Captain Robin Evelegh and Lieutenant Robin Letts who later served with 22 SAS, was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

: Borneo 1965 and later transferred to the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

, joined the Australian SAS and served in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, also took part in operations against the

North Kalimantan National Army Brunei People's Party (Malay: ''Parti Rakyat Brunei, PRB'') is a banned political party in Brunei. PRB was established as a left leaning party in 1956 and aimed to bring Brunei into full independence from the United Kingdom. The party sought to ...

(TNKU). Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney tasked Captain John Stevenson the battalion's transport officer and NCOs with collecting troops from Jalan Gajah and other parts of the island; many troops were out of the barracks as it was a Sunday. The regiment moved from Penang on 9 December 1962 by 19.00hrs within 6 hours notice. First driving through the night to

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

which they reached early the following day; the regiment then continued to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and arrived there by nightfall.Allen, p 76. The regiment had been informed that they were moving to Singapore to relieve the 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons). Following the 640-mile JourneyVan Der Bijl, p. 129 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) were then told by the Military Police to drive straight to the docks where they boarded the cruiser HMS ''Tiger'' and received orders for the regiment's deployment. The mobilisation of the regiment, move to Singapore and embarkation on HMS Tiger were all completed within 34 hours. The ship sailed for Borneo on 11 December at 22.45hrs; sailing across the

South China sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

in heavy rain. The ship had 619 troops on board however was designed for a maximum capacity of 400. The regiment took part in an opposed landing at

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

, south of the border with Brunei, at dawn on 12 December 1962Van Der Bijl, p. 147 and also in the capture of Bekenu, 30 miles south of Miri, which commenced on 13 December 09.45hrs. 1st Green Jackets were also deployed to capture Niah, in Sarawak, approximately 40 miles south-west of Miri and towards the South China sea coast.Van Der Bijl, p. 162 HMS Tiger continued to

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...

where the remainder of 1st Green Jackets and vehicles disembarked.Van Der Bijl, p. 159 Following the capture of Bekenu and Niah, HMS Albion's helicopters were used to transport troops into positions to prevent rebels using escape routes along rivers into the hinterland. 1st Green Jackets were flown to Seria and took part in operations between Seria and Tutong. The regiment returned to Minden Barracks, Penang, in April 1963. The regiment was redesignated as a

in June 1963 to conform to the rest of the

. On 24 June 1963, at Cathay cinema, Penang, members of the regiment were invited to a free showing of the film The Longest Day (1962): which included the coup de main operation by D Company, 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd), to capture Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge in the opening minutes of D-Day, 6 June 1944, before the main

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

began. The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) second operational tour in the Far East was from August 1963 to mid December 1963 and troops having sailed on were deployed via

to Brunei and Sarawak. In January 1964, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) became the spearhead battalion to support the Borneo Territories and Lieutenant Colonel David House took over command of the regiment.The Gorget. 1964, p. 8. In May 1964, the regiment was deployed for its final operational tour in the Borneo territories and was based mainly in the Kuching District of Sarawak. The regiment worked closely with the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

who used Whirlwind and Belvedere helicopters and was deployed over 40 miles along the border with

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and the regiment defended against many enemy attacks. In July 1964, the Colonel Commandant, General Sir Gerald Lathbury visited the regiment at Semengo Camp, Kuching and at the regiment's forward operating bases. The regiment returned to Penang at the end of October 1964. The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) was the only British Army unit to complete three operational tours in the area and was deployed throughout the North Borneo and Sarawak territories. In December 1964 the regiment left Penang for the UK.

West Berlin

The regiment deployed to

in March 1965 during the Cold War with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. The regiment was stationed at Montgomery barracks in the district of Kladow; the Berlin Wall bordered the perimeter of the barracks. On 27 May 1965, during the first visit made by a British Monarch to

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 ...

since 1913 Queen Elizabeth II inspected the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd), as part of the

Berlin Infantry Brigade The Berlin Infantry Brigade was a British Army brigade-sized garrison based in West Berlin during the Cold War. After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the Allied forces occupied West Berlin. T ...

. In West Berlin, the regiment's tasks included taking its turn in guard duties at Spandau Prison; where leading Nazi war criminals were imprisoned following the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

. 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) officers took their turn in commanding " The Berliner:" a British military train which went daily from

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

and back crossing into West Berlin at Wannsee and the Journey terminated at

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...

railway station. The rail Journey from West Berlin along the corridor through

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and back made from 1945 to 1991 was part of the agreement on Allied rights in Germany following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In September 1965, Lieutenant Colonel, later Brigadier Oliver Pratt, who had been commissioned into the Rifle Brigade at the end of the

took over command of the regiment. Following his commission into the Rifle Brigade he later transferred to the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. He had been second-in-command of the 2nd Green Jackets,

prior to taking over command of the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Pratt was to be the last Commanding Officer of the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and the first Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion The

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...

. On 1 January 1966, whilst in West Berlin, the regiment amalgamated with the two other regiments of the

to form the three battalion

, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) becoming the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets. On 25 July 1992 the battalion was disbanded at

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 ...

. The 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets based at

Omagh Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...

was renamed the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Battalion based at Dover was renamed the 2nd Battalion. On 1 February 2007, the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 2nd Battalion,

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...

Regimental museum

The regimental collection is held by the

Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum is situated at Peninsula Barracks in Winchester, England. The museum is one of several regimental museums that form part of Winchester's Military Museums. History The museum brings together the collection ...

which is based at

in Winchester.

Colonel Commandants

* Major General Sir

John Winterton Major General Sir (Thomas) John Willoughby Winterton KCB, KCMG, CBE, DL (13 April 1898 – 14 December 1987) was a British Army officer who was the Military Governor and Commander of the British and US Zone of the Free Territory of Trieste f ...

1958-1960 * General Sir Gerald Lathbury 1961-1965

Commanding officers

*Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Martin 1958-1959 *Lieutenant Colonel Michael Harbottle 1959-1962 *Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney 1962-1964 *Lieutenant Colonel David House 1964-1965 *Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Pratt 1965

References

Sources

* *