Quote:
Originally Posted by red rags
Could we say for sure in '69-70, that say the PWRR wore the Yorkshire Horse & not the Yorkshire Bde badge in Londonderry etc
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1 PWO (The 1st Battalion The Prince Of Wales's Own Regiment Of Yorkshire) were on exercise at Stanford on the 25th of April 1969 when the commanding officer was informed that the Battalion were to deploy to Northern Ireland ASAP (as soon as possible), believe it or not they were in Northern Irealand the afternoon of the 26th of April, a remarkable achievement in itself. One should remember this deployment had nothing to do with the IRA but due to the real threat posed by some so called Loyalist elements who were threatening a sabotage campaigned against the infastructure of Northern Ireland, a situation which had come to a head after the Storemont Government had promised social reforms for the Catholic population after the NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) marches and the ensuring violent attacks on the marchers from some extremist Prodestant elements.
1 PWO did deploy wearing the Yorkshire Brigade Cap Badge which they wore from formation on the 31st of July 1958. The Battalion spent much of its first NI emergency tour guarding the likes of resovours and the electric grid againsed the threat of saboutage whilst the RUC just managed to cling onto control through July 1969, things got too much for the RUC on the 14th of August in Londonderry after 2 days of sectarian violence and 1 PWO were on that day deployed to seal off the Bogside, which they did and thus restored calm and irionically they were welcomed as saviours by the Catholic population (a situation not to be repeated on the subsequent 6 further tours they undertook in the province) they were the first British troops to be deployed on the streets in Northern Ireland in what was to be a very long period of troubles.
The 4th of June 1971 saw the introduction of the White Horse cap badge which of course was worn on the 1972 tour of Northern Ireland.
Kind Regards,
FMT600