1st Battalion
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
West Belfast
10th December 1990 to 8th May 1991
|
|
1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
West Belfast 10th December 1990 to 8th May 1991 |
|
All photographs are the property of RHQ Argylls and may not be reproduced or copied without permission from RHQ Argylls
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 changed the situation in BAOR. The deployment of the 1st Armoured Division, consisting of the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades, and a large number of supporting and logistic units, on OPERATION GRANBY affected nearly every aspect of BAOR life: vacant barracks had to be secured and guarded: wives had to travel further for hospital admissions as BMHs close down and deploy as Field Hospitals to the Gulf; much of the battalion’s wheeled vehicle fleet was painted desert yellow and was sent to the Gulf with the first deployment; all the battalion’s tentage and various items of equipment were reallocated to units deploying on the operation.
Click on picture to enlarge
1. a b c d e f g h i
On 14 September the Battalion was tasked to replace 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment as the relief for 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders in Belfast, from mid December 1990 for 5 months and told to prepare to deploy in early/mid-December. After a few days of planning and reorganisation the battalion began training a week later. The training was successful and, all the companies did well during the demanding exercises in Tin City at Sennelager.
2. a b c d e f g h i
The Battalion was last on operations in Belfast in 1977-78. Since then, all its tours in Northern Ireland have been away from Belfast, and generally in a rural environment. One company of the resident Battalion, at that time 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, based at Palace Barracks, Holywood, was under command of the Battalion during the tour. For the first week of the tour A Company 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry, which had been deployed as part of the Spearhead Battalion, was also under command.
3. a b c d e f g h i
The Battalion was responsible for supporting the RUC throughout all of West and North Belfast, less the City Centre. Readers who were with the Battalion during previous tours of Belfast will recall that during the early— mid 1970s up to six Battalions were routinely deployed in the same area. The change is largely a reflection of the lead taken in operations by the RUC as well as the reduced level of civil disorder. The terrorist remained a capable enemy and his methods and equipment were much improved. The Regimental Band deployed as riflemen, rather than as Bandsmen, with the Battalion to Belfast. They served in the rifle companies for the first half of the tour. The Bandsmen seem to have enjoyed their training and, as was expected, proved themselves to be competent and effective soldiers. A number of jocks in the rifle companies had to revise their own standards when they consistently obtained poorer results on the range than some members of the Regimental Band.
4. a b c d e f g h i
The tour in Belfast was successful. The Jocks did well and received due praise from many senior officers who complimented them on their cheerful professionalism. Relations with the Police were excellent, and together with the battalion formed an effective team. It was a relatively busy tour. The Battalion dealt with over 120 terrorist incidents, of which 38 were classified as serious terrorist incidents, and many less serious events including 79 hoax bombs. The serious incidents included 31 occasions upon which terrorists shot at members of the Battalion or bases in which it lived, and 23 grenade attacks. In some of these attacks the terrorists used a combination of weapons. Although the battalion did not kill any terrorists, it assisted in the collection of evidence which resulted in some successful prosecutions. Together with the Police, the battalion found a variety of terrorist weapons and equipment including: 5 rifles; 6 replica weapons; 2 mortar barrels; 1 pistol; 1 shotgun; 1 SMG; 5 Improvised Anti-Armour Grenades; 1 Claymore Device; 1 Blast Bomb; 1 Timing Power Unit for a bomb; 1 Under Vehicle Booby Trap; 9 magazines; a quantity of Semtex explosive and assorted bomb making equipment; a total of 1622 assorted rounds of ammunition; and some cannabis. A total of 67 members of the Battalion were injured during the tour. Fortunately, few of those injuries were serious and only Sergeant Motherwell, who lost a finger when he was attacked by a man armed with an axe, has been permanently injured. He made a quick recovery and, together with Lance Corporal Warren and Privates Waugh and Rowan, he piped for our Colonel in Chief during her state visit to Washington in May.
5. a b c d e f g h i
Because the Battalion's deployment to Belfast was a direct consequence of the Gulf crisis, it was thought we could legitimately claim the discount. The delivery of long-awaited sunbeds as part of an overall improvement to facilities in some of the bases in Belfast was greeted with considerable enthusiasm. Before the end of the tour many Jocks possessed that Middle East sun tan which was a pre-requisite for a discounted holiday!
As always, nearly everyone in the Battalion enjoyed the tour in Belfast. The Jocks were particularly successful in establishing good relations with the decent members of both sides of the community. Most of all perhaps, the Battalion enjoyed the sense of purpose which is inherent in an operational tour, the individual commitment which is demanded and the team spirit which follows. The tour ended on 8 May 1991, when West Belfast was handed over to the care of 3rd Battalion The Light Infantry.
Visitors to the 1st Battalion during the tour included
9 Jan 91 — Brigadier (Retd) Michael Blackman — Journalist
14 Jan 91 — Rt Hon Tom King MP — Secretary of State for Defence
22 Jan 91 — Brigadier Fowler DOR (Land)
9 Feb 91— Rev Harkness — Chaplain General
10-11 Feb 91 — Brig Ian Mackay Dick Comd 11 Armd Bde
21 Feb 91 — Lt Gen Sir John Wilsey KCB CBE GOC Ml.
26 Feb 91 — Gen Sir David Ramsbotham — Adjutant General
27 Feb 91 — Dr Joseph Hendron — SDLP Councillor
4-5 Mar 91 — Lt Col (Retd) A W Scott Elliot — Regimental Secretary
7 Mar 91 — Maj Gen R F L Cook — Signals Officer in Chief
9 Mar 91 — Lord Belstead — Deputy Secretary of State
Updated: 11 October 2014