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On
the 1st September 1964 The 3rd Battalion The
Royal Anglian Regiment came into being when the East Anglian
Regiment became The Royal Anglian Regiment.
The 3rd Battalion was on duty in
Berlin, guarding the last three Nazi War criminals, Rudolf Hess,
Albert Speer and Baldur Von Schirach, in Spandau Prison, as well
as the "Russian War Memorial" and patrolling the Berlin
Wall.
After leaving Berlin in August 1966 the
Battalion was then posted to Tidworth in Hampshire to make ready
for moving to Aden in the October of that year.
The Battalion then spent 9 months in Aden
patrolling the Sheikh Othman area, which was to be quite an
experience for many of its young soldiers, who in the the end gave
a good account of themselves.
In May 1967 they handed the Sheikh Othman
Area of Aden over to the Para's and returned to Tidworth UK.
Whilst at Tidworth they spent a month in
Kenya on exercise around the Nanyuki area, training in the African
bush and in the jungle on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
In 1968 they moved to Aldershot as part of
the Rapid Deployment Force working alongside the Para's, from here
they went to Germany and France on various NATO exercises.
In 1969 the Battalion left Aldershot for a 6
month Tour with the United Nations in Cyprus as part of UNFICYP,
with the Battalion's HQ based at Polemedia Camp near Limmasol.
They returned to Aldershot in April 1970.
In December 1970 the Battalion was posted to
Alanbrook Barracks, Paderborn in Germany.
From here they did 3 Tours of Duty in
Northern Ireland.
In August 1975 they returned to England and
became part of the Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
In February 1976 they once again returned to
Cyprus this time as part of the British Garrison based at Episkipi.
They returned to the Uk in February 1978
with a posting to Bulford Barracks in Wiltshire and from where
they did another Tour of Duty in Northern Ireland.
In November 1979 they where posted to
Colchester and from here they went on a 6 month Tour to Belize
[ May 82 to Nov. 82 ] and then back once again to Cyprus for
another UN Tour. [ Dec 80 to May 81 ]
From February 1984 they where based in
Minden, Germany.
The winter of 1986/87 was spent on a 5 month
Tour of Northern Ireland.
They also went to Canada three times to take
part in Exercise " BATUS " and also to the USA to Fort
Lewis in Washington State.
In February 1989 they returned to the Uk to
be based in Colchester, where from once again they did another
Tour of Duty in Northern Ireland.
Then on the 5th October 1992 the Battalion
was disbanded and its men where merged into the 1st and 2nd
Battalions of the Royal Anglian Regiment, and so ended the History
of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. |
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Much
of the Royal Anglian's History can now be seen at the
Imperial War Museum at Duxford, it is well worth a visit.
The Officer on the right in the
picture below is Lt Harrington-Spier who won a medal for
rescuing two soldiers who had been left behind in Sheikh
Othman during the " Battle of the Mosque ".
An account of this action and others
can be read in Alan Cole's edited extract from the book
" Crater to Creggan " by Michael Barthorp at the
following web site: |
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http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Aden/Creggan.htm
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