2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Second Battalion, The Parachute Regiment


caption=
dates=1941–Present
country=United Kingdom
allegiance=
branch=British Army
type=Versatile Airborne Infantry
role=
size= 650 men
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=Colchester Garrison
ceremonial_chief=
ceremonial_chief_label=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
colonel_of_the_regiment_label=Colonel Commandant
nickname="Immaculate Second"
patron=
motto="Utrinque Paratus"
(Latin: "Ready for Anything")
colours=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=
identification_symbol_3=
identification_symbol_3_label=Abbreviation
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=Maj Gen John Frost CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DL
Lt. Col Herbert 'H' Jones VC, OBE
anniversaries=

The Second Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade who's current Commanding Officer is Lieutenant Colonel Joseph O'Sullivan. [http://www.army.mod.uk/3525.aspx MoD Website]

Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit and is capable of a wide range of operational taskings. Based at Merville Barracks, Colchester Garrison, their barracks in England, personnel regularly deploy outside of the United Kingdom on operations and training.

All personnel will have completed the Pre Parachute Selection (P Company) course at Depot PARA at Catterick, North Yorkshire (previously Aldershot, Hampshire) entitling them to wear the Maroon beret.

History

1940 - 1949

;1941
* 30 September: 2nd Parachute Battalion, Parachute Corps ;1942
* 27-28 February: Operation Biting, Bruneval, France see cite book |title=The Bruneval Raid |author= Miller, George |coauthors= |year= 1975 | publisher= Doubleday & Company, Inc. |location= New York |isbn=0-385-09542-2]
* 1 August: 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment ;1944
* 21 September: Operation Market Garden, Arnhem, the Netherlands [http://www2.army.mod.uk/para/history/arnhem.htm MoD Website] ;1946
* The 2nd and 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment reconstituted and amalgamated with 3rd Battalion; affiliated with Yorkshire Brigade, Lancastrian Brigade, and North Irish Brigade ;1948
* Disbanded see cite book |title=The Paras 1940-1984: British airborne forces 1940-1984 |author= Ferguson, Gregor |coauthors= Lyles, Kevin|year= 1984 | publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Altrincham |isbn=0850455731]
* June: 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. Re-formed at Husum from 5th (Scottish) Battalion ;1949
* November: Maida Barracks, Aldershot (16 Parachute Brigade)

1950-1959

; 1950
* 19 July: Aldershot. King George VI presents the Regiment with their first Kings and Regimental colours on Queens Parade [http://members.tripod.com/~audgen/colour1.html] ; 1951
* June: Ismaïlia, Egypt. Civil unrest in the region leads to a deployment to protect the Suez Canal [http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Canal/Para.htm The Paras in the Canal Zone] ; 1954
* England: Aldershot (16 Independent Parachute Brigade); 1956
* 21 July: Cyprus (16 Independent Parachute Brigade)
* 5 November: Operation Musketeer, Port Said, Egypt (16 Independent Parachute Brigade) [http://www2.army.mod.uk/para/history/suez.htm]
* 12 November: Cyprus (16 Independent Parachute Brigade) [http://www2.army.mod.uk/para/history/suez.htm] ; 1957
* January: Aldershot (16 Independent Parachute Brigade); 1958
* June: Cyprus (16 Independent Parachute Brigade)
* 17 July: 2 and 3 PARA deploy to Amman Airfield, Jordan to bolster support for King Hussein I following regional unrest (16 Independent Parachute Brigade) see cite book |title=Britain, Israel and the United States, 1955-1958: Beyond Suez|author= Almog, Donald |coauthors= Cameron Watt, Donald|year= 2003 | publisher= Routledge|location= |isbn=0714652466, 9780714652467]
* October: Cyprus (16 Independent Parachute Brigade); 1959
* January: England: Aldershot (16 Independent Parachute Brigade)

1960-1969

; 1961
* Kuwait ; 1963
* Bahrain ; 1964
* April: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot
* December: Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, Borneo; 1965
* June: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot ; 1966
* Aden
* Montgomery Lines, Aldershot ; 1968
* 1 April: Emergency Tour. Hong Kong; 1969
* Operation Sheepskin. Anguilla
* Montgomery Lines, Aldershot

1970-1979

; 1970
* February: Operation Banner 4 - Shankhill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland
* June: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot; 1971
* April: Operation Banner 4 - Northern Ireland
* August: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot ; 1972
* February: Operation Banner 4 - Northern Ireland
* June: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot
* 31 Jully: Operation Motorman - Northern Ireland [http://www.britains-smallwars.com/ni/Paras.html The Paras in Northern Ireland]
* September: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot ; 1973
* July: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot; 1975
* May: Operation Banner 4 - Northern Ireland
* September: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot; 1976
* November: Operation Banner 6 - Northern Ireland; 1977
* March: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot
* May: Berlin Brigade, Berlin, Germany ; 1979
* July - March 1981: Operation Banner (Residential 20) . Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinler, County Down, Northern Ireland (3 Infantry Brigade)
** August 27 - Warrenpoint ambush, County Down, Northern Ireland [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_3891000/3891055.stm BBC: On this day]

1980-1989

; 1981
* March: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (6 Field Force) ; 1982
* January: Aldershot (5 Infantry Brigade)
* 2 April - 20 June Operation Corporate, Falklands War (3 Commando Brigade) see cite book |title=A Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982 by Land, Sea and Air|author= Smith, Gordon|coauthors= |year=2006| publisher=Lulu.com|location=|isbn=1847539505, 9781847539502]
* 21 May: Operation Sutton. The Battalion are the first troops from the main assault body to land on the Islands. Landing on the shore at San Carlos Water (Codename: Blue Beach) see cite book |title=Amphibious Assault Falklands: The Battle of San Carlos Water|author= Clapp, Michael|coauthors=Southby-Tailyour, Ewen|year= 1996 | publisher= Naval Institute Press|location=|isbn=1557500282, 9781557500281]
* 28 - 29 May: Battle of Goose Green see cite book |title=Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green|author= Fitz-Gibbon, Spencer|coauthors= |year= 1995 | publisher= James Clarke & Co|location=|isbn=0718830164, 9780718830168]
* 13 - 14 June: Battle of Wireless Ridge
* 14 June: 2nd Battalion recapture Port Stanley
* June: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Infantry Brigade); 1983
* November: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade); 1984
* November: Operation Banner County Armagh, Northern Ireland (3 Infantry Brigade); 1985
* March: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade); 1987
* May: Clive Barracks, Ternhill, Shropshire, England (143 Infantry Brigade)
* September: Peace support and training, Belize (BATSUB) ; 1988
* 20 February: A Provisional IRA bomb destroys a section of Clive Barracks see cite book |title=A Guide to Shropshire|author= Raven, Michael |coauthors= |year=2005| publisher= Michael Raven|location= Shropshire |isbn=0906114349, 9780906114346]
* March: Clive Barracks, Tern Hill (143 Infantry Brigade) ; 1989
* March: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade)

1990-1999

; 1990
* March: Operation Banner. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (8 Infantry Brigade); 1992
* October: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade), Belfast. Northern Ireland, Emergency Tour ; 1993
* June: Residential Tour, Operation Banner, Holywood Barracks, Belfast, Northern Ireland (39 Infantry Brigade); 1994
* A Company attached ("Gurkha Reinforcement Company") ; 1995
* July: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade); 1996
* October: Operation Banner. South Armagh, Northern Ireland (3 Infantry Brigade); 1997
* April: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade); 1998
* December: Operation Banner 6 - Northern Ireland (39 Infantry Brigade); 1999
* June: Montgomery Lines, Aldershot (5 Airborne Brigade) (to Sept 99)

2000-Present

; 2000
* April: Meeanee Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade); 2001
* 25 August: Operation Essential Harvest, Macedonia (NATO)
* November: C (Gurkha) Company disbanded
* Merville Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade); 2002
* February: Operation Fingal, Afghanistan (16 Air Assault Brigade) [http://www.operations.mod.uk/fingal/photo_gallery_patrols.htm]
* May: Merville Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade)
* September: Northern Ireland; 2003
* March: Merville Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade)
* November: Operation Telic, Iraq (20 Armoured Brigade) ; 2004
* March: Meeanee Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade) ; 2005
* October: Operation Telic VII, Iraq [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Herrick_order_of_battle] ; 2006
* Meeanee Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade); 2008
* April: Operation Herrick, Afghanistan
* October: Merville Barracks, Colchester (16 Air Assault Brigade)

Commanding Officers

See also

* 1 PARA
* 3 PARA
* 4 PARA
* SFSG
* Red Devils (Parachute Regiment)
* List of battalions of the Parachute Regiment
* Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum

References

External links

* [http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/4630.aspx 2 PARA at Army.mod.uk]
* [http://www.britisharmedforces.org/i_regiments/paras_index.htm British Armed Forces and National Sevice History]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/paras/index.html Parachute Regiment War Dead]
* [http://www.palacebarracksmemorialgarden.org/ Palace Barracks Memorial Garden]
* [http://www.exairborneforces.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5528&sid=7c48a06e052ddaf890d49cffb1ba1799 Exairborne Forces history page]
* [http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/barracks/5630/co2para.html Commanding Officer of 2 PARA]