Northern Ireland Support Battalion
 

Who are the Northern Ireland Support Battalion ?

There is one on the Stable Belt web site under Miscellaneous but there is no detailed information about it or who wore it.

http://www.stablebelts.co.uk/

P.B.

Where it states that it is the Support Battalion of 38 (Irish) Brigade.

Rgds, Thomas.

Are you able to tell us anymore? when it was worn, etc.

and which battalion(s) were the support battalions of 38 (Irish ) Brigade and why did they not wear their own stable belts.

P.B.

I'm pretty certain I remember one of the Royal Logistic Corps officers that was based where I work going off to command this unit. This would have been between 10 and 15 years ago, so I'm really taxing the memory banks here. I guess that NI had a series of unique requirements with regard to kit, including everything from body armour, electronic kit, vehicles, live ammunition including plastic bullets and weapons. EOD kit was also used in theatre as were some really strange non-existent units who could allegedly speak 6 languages whilst disguised as a bottle of Guiness.

Ianh67

Afraid not, I just copied the info from the stable belts website.

Rgds, Thomas.

Another vague memory answer so apologies upfront. I think it is to do with the PSS of the Northern Irish Cadet Bn.
Paul

NIGSU. Northern Ireland Garrison Support Unit. 38th. Irish Brigade. Designated as a support echelon of the Brigade made up of several support units primarily on attachment for 2 years and mostly on single attachment such as Op's Officers, Security Warrant Officers and Garrison Sergant Major, Chefs, Pioneers. Int Cell, Photographers, MT Section. Based 38th Irish Brigade H.Q. Lisburn N.I. Commanded by a L.t Colonel. Unit still in existence.

Bang on the money. There was a similar HQ ARRC Support Battalion that might also still exist. Both units comprised (as you so accurately described) what were during the World Wars called called ‘HQ Details’, the men who provided the infrastructure and service support necessary for the formation HQ to function.

Hello, Would Royal Engineers have been attached to this unit at any time??
Jerry

I never saw any RE as part of the Sp Bn, the RE were usually tasked by HQNI in a similar way to Corps Troops. Sp Bn personnel were all in roles organic to the internal infrastructure and administrative function of the HQ itself. Cooks, bottle washers, gate security, intelligence cell, staff officers, clerks, signallers, MT pool, etc.

Thanks Toby, I was thinking of adding a NISB stable belt buckle to my RE buckle collection.
Jerry

I can't claim that for my own Toby, i bought a TAC badge and Stable Belt from a guy who was in the unit. I think this is the definitive answer.Regards Phil.

I’m intrigued by the colours chosen for the belt. There would have been a reason why they were selected, but if the rationale’s not been recorded somewhere there’s a danger of such detail being lost.