Tidworth

1^st Guards Brigade, 3^rd Division

Strategic Reserve

The move to Tidworth was generally welcome. The Battalion had enjoyed its stay on the Isle  of Wight but was nevertheless glad to get back into a more military atmosphere. Jellalabad  Barracks was modernized and comfortable, and Tidworth itself was well placed  geographically as far as access to the counties of Berkshire and Wiltshire was concerned. 

A few days after its arrival in Tidworth the battalion took part in a two sided 3rd Divisional  exercise ‘Red Banner’ which was mainly of interest because it tried out a new battalion  organisation in which each rifle company had its own platoon of support weapons which had  previously been concentrated in a Support Company. ‘B’ Company, who were under the  command of the Scots Guards, also tried out the new 1958 pattern web equipment for the  first time. This practically saw the end of the active training season except for a Brigade patrol  competition on Dartmoor, the Battalion entered two patrols under Lt D.A. JONES and Lt A.B.  COLE and achieved a creditable second. 

The Battalion the concentrated its efforts on administration, and its Annual administrative  Inspection was held on the 10th December, a bitterly cold day. It was carried out by the  commander of the 1st Guards Brigade who commended the Battalion, for its steadiness on  parade – no small compliment from a senior Guards Officer. A day or two later the new  organisation tried out on Exercise ‘Red Banner’ was put into effect, Support Company was  broken up, its mortars and anti-tank guns being distributed to company support platoons while  the machine guns and the assault pioneers were transferred to Headquarters Company. 

There were also social and ceremonial events to consider, principally the celebration of  Ferozeshah day, which after various rehearsals was finally held on the 17th December, the  Colonel of the Regiment being the Inspecting officer. The parade was followed in the evening  by the traditional ball given by the Warrant Officers and Sergeants, and by the time these  various events were over, Christmas had come. 

1960 was soon marked by the sad but unavoidable demise of ‘C’ Company, which due to the  scarcity of regular recruits had to be run down to cadre strength, leaving only two rifle  companies in the battalion. This made tactical handling difficult, and when a Brigade exercise  took place on Salisbury Plain at the end of January the Battalion was lent a Company of the  Welsh

In October 1959, the battalion moved to Tidworth, Hampshire where it formed part of  the 1st Guards Brigade. Six months later, in March 1960, the Brigade flew to Libya on  Exercise Starlight for a month.  

The battalion later changed to 51 Infantry Brigade where, as part of the Army's  Strategic Reserve, it had to be ready to fly to any trouble spot, worldwide. At that time  the Royal Hampshire Regiment was serving in the Caribbean and was under  strength. B Company was dispatched to the Bahamas in June 1960 to re-enforce  them. During this tour the Company was called upon to assist in the relief operation  mounted to cope with the trail of disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Donna. The  company returned home again in December 1960.  

Because of the rundown of bases overseas and the need to find alternative training  grounds for the Army, it was decided that units would make use of land available in  Canada. On the 19th June 1961 the battalion flew out there, the first ever-British unit  to do so, to train with units of the Canadian Army in Exercise POND JUMP. The  Battalion made such an impact that it was referred to as 'The Wonders' because of its  high standard of training and ability and in reference to the official title of 1 DERR.  The Wonders took part in a military tournament with the Canadian Army and gained a  popular victory in the forced march..  

Exercise POND JUMP should have been the last deployment to the Western  Hemisphere during the tour at Tidworth. In February 1961 the battalion was alerted to  fly out to British Guiana when riots and arson broke out in Georgetown, the capital. To  the disappointment of the rest only A Company, accompanied by a few men from D  and HQ Companies, went. The first days were tense, but the detachment was soon to  establish good relations with the community. So much so, that in March, when the Company left Georgetown, it took with it 20 new recruits, selected from a list of over  one hundred applicants.  

Regimental Journals published in Tidworth