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5th Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets

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5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets
A (Royal Green Jackets) Company
E (Royal Green Jackets) Company
60 Signal Squadron
Badge of the Royal Green Jackets
Cap badge and colours of the RGJ
Active 1986–Present
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch

Flag of the British Army British Army

Type Infantry
Size Formed as Battalion, now a Company
Part of 7th Battalion, The Rifles
Company HQ Aylesbury

The 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry unit of the Royal Green Jackets part of the Territorial Army which existed around 13 years before disbanding. The battalion's successors continue to be part of the British Army as part of The Rifles, Royal Corps of Signals (until 2005), and the Army Air Corps.

Formation[]

Under the 1982 Defence White Paper, a small reduction was made by withdrawing a division from West Germany, this division later becoming the 2nd Infantry Division in York. Among other changes was the large expansion of the Territorial Army, mostly in the form of disestablishing older battalions and expanding those companies into new units. As part of this expansion, A and D Companies of the 4th Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets helped form the new 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets on 1 December 1986.[1][2] This new battalion had the following structure by 1990:[1][2]

  • Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company, in Oxford/Milton Keynes (from A Coy, 4th Btn)
  • A Company, in Booker (from 13 & 14 Platoons, D Coy, 4th Btn)
  • D Company, in Aylesbury (from D Coy, 4th Btn)
  • E Company, in Milton Keynes/Bletchley (from 16 Platoon, D Coy & Bletchley Detachments 4th Btn)
  • I (Home Service Force) Company, in Oxford/High Wycombe/Aylesbury/Milton Keynes (raised in 1990)

On formation in 1986, this new battalion joined the 2nd (Southeast) Infantry Brigade, and its mobilisation role to join HQ 1st (BR) Corps in West Germany as a corps security battalion.[1][2]

In 1992, as a result of the Options for Change reform, the Home Service Force company was disbanded, and the battalion's mobilisation role removed.[1][2]

In 1995, as a result of the Front Line First reform the year before, the battalion converted into a 'Fire Support Battalion', therefore D Company in Aylesbury was disbanded to form a mortar platoon in the same location under A Company. E Company then formed a Milan (Anti-Tank) Platoon in Oxford shortly thereafter.[1][2]

Further Lineage[]

RGJ Companies[]

In 1998, after the new Labour government under Tony Blair was elected in 1997, a new massive defence white paper was published. This paper became known as the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, and mostly focused on reducing the territorials. As a result of this reform, many regiments and battalions were disbanded and reduced to companies (in the case of battalions) in new territorial regiments. After this reform, the battalion was disbanded, with HQ & A Companies merging to form A (Royal Green Jackets) Company, and E Company formed E (Royal Green Jackets) Company both in the new Royal Rifle Volunteers. On formation of the Royal Rifle Volunteers, A (RGJ) Company was based in Oxford with an anti-tank platoon in Booker, and E (RGJ) Company formed in Milton Keynes including a mortar platoon.[1][2][3]

By 2006, A Company consolidated in Oxford and E Company's High Wycombe platoon was disbanded and consolidated in Milton Keynes. In 2007 the Royal Rifle Volunteers were retitled as the 7th Battalion, The Rifles, and the companies transferred without change.[3]

As pat of Army 2020 announced in 2010, A Company consolidated in Abingdon, and E Company was disbanded in 2015, leaving the RGJ lineage in A Company, which by this point lost its old subtitle. Under their new role, the battalion converted to an armoured infantry unit equipped with the Warrior IFV and paired with their regular counterparts in the 5th Battalion, The Rifles. As of 2020, A Company has formed two detachments in Aylesbury and Marlow.[4][5][6][7][8]

In 2016, No. 678 (The Rifles) Squadron, Army Air Corps was formed in the old location of E Company, which had been disbanded, this squadron later formed a detachment in Luton.[4][5][6][7][9]

60 Signal Squadron[]

In addition to the infantry reductions, elements of the battalion helped to form the new 60 Signal Squadron under the 72nd Signal Regiment, based in Aylesbury with a troop in Marlow. The 72nd Signal Regiment was never able to form, so the squadron remained independent for some time, until it joined the 71st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment in 2002.[1][2][3][10][11][12]

In April 2005, 60 Signal Squadron became 60 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars) Signal Squadron, thus ending the lineage, and the squadron taking over the RBH lineage. This squadron was later converted to a squadron as part of the Royal Logistic Corps at an unknown date, it continues to be based in Aylesbury.[1][11][12]

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Vieux-Bill, pp. 140–1, 178.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Wienand Drenth & T. F. Mills, 5th (V) Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets, Archived on 18 December 2007 from the Original. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wienand Drenth & T. F. Mills, The Royal Rifle Volunteers and 7th Battalion, The Rifles, Archived on 17 December 2007 from the Original. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Map of Army Reserve units and locations.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 British Army, Request for Information Relating to A2020 Refine. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 British Army Reserve, Edward Brooks Barracks Abingdon Roles. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 British Army, Summary of Army 2020 Reserve Structure and Basing Changes, July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  8. ↑ British Army, Infantry 7 Rifles. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  9. ↑ British Army Reserve, John Howard Barracks Milton Keynes. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  10. ↑ Lord & Watson, pp. 147, 172, 278.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 T. F. Mills, Buckinghamshire Yeomanry (Royal Bucks Hussars), Archived on 19 December 2007 from the Original. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Wienand Drenth, Graham Watson, and T. F. Mills, 71st Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, Archived on 18 December 2007 from the Original. Retrieved 27 September 2020.

References[]

  • Louis Vieux-Bill, BAOR Order of Battle July 1989, 2013 Huntington, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
  • Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, The Royal Corps of Signals Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecendents, 2002 Helion & Company, Solihul, United Kingdom. ISBN 1-874622-92-2.
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