2012-14      Lt Col ED Sandry The present day 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, also known as 1 PARA was formed in 1948 from the 4th and 6th Battalions. by 2/Lieut R.A.J Bingley 1st Bn The Parachute Regiment. [38] Bad weather over England kept the planned second lift on the ground. Copehill Down, 1999. 9 Platoon, C Company, 1 PARA, Oman, 1989. [21], After service in the Mediterranean the brigade returned to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, where it was reinforced by the arrival of the 7th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers in November 1943. The 1st Parachute Brigade was assigned to Operation Fustian with orders to seize and hold the Primosole Bridge over the River Simeto. Typical accomodation for soldiers during the early days of the troubles. A Company, 1 PARA, NATO Challenge Cup Winners, Denmark 1983. History of the 1st Battalion in Operation Torch, November 1 1942-May 31 1943. [52] This second medal for the Staffords meant it became the only British battalion to receive two Victoria Crosses in one battle during the Second World War. Residential                          Sep 1970 - May 1972         20 Months   The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Walsh, established aggressive surveillance from fortified observation posts (OPs) covering the main thoroughfares in the highly volatile Sheik Othman and Al Mansura districts of Aden. Capt R Donnellan and Russian Airborne soldiers, Rhyazan, Russia, 1998. [28] The 1st Airlanding Brigade units arriving on the second lift were to be two companies plus one mortar, one machine gun and one anti-tank platoon of the Staffords,[29] along with three platoons and sections from the mortar, machine gun and anti-tank platoons of the KOSB. 'Djebel Mansour' by Pte George Baker originally written on 5 February 1943. During the second operation, in the fighting around Arnhem, 1st Airlanding Brigade along with the rest of 1st Airborne Division held out against overwhelming German odds, sustaining very heavy losses. Pte Cyril Turner's PoW tag from Stalag XIB, 1944. 1 PBd/E/26.G Keith Bromley and Dale Gibson A Coy 1 PARA, Crossmaglen, 1978. Only the 2nd Parachute Battalion had reached the road bridge—strong German defences had halted the other battalions so Hicks decided that the Staffords would link up with the 1st Parachute Brigade in an attempt to reach their objective. Members of 2 Platoon, A Company, 1 PARA, England, c1957. Jumps were made at Tatton Park from Whitley aircraft, for which soldiers were paid two shillings per day. Recce Platoon, 1 PARA, Oman, Date unknown. [39] The KOSB, until then responsible for defending the landing ground, were attached to 4th Parachute Brigade to replace the 11th Parachute Battalion. More recently the Battalion has been re-designated a specialist role as infantry support to UK Special Forces operations in various theatres throughout the world.