16th Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 16th Parachute Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1948–1977[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Airborne forces |
| Role | Parachute infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the British airborne forces |  |
The 16th Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade of the British Army.
It can trace its formation to February 1948, when the
4th/6th Parachute Battalion became the 1st Battalion, and the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion became the 3rd Battalion. Finally, on 25 June 1948, the brigade was re-designated as the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade Group, taking the "1" and "6" from the two wartime airborne divisions, the 1st and 6th.[2][4]
In 1956 as the Suez Crisis arose, the Brigade Group, which was intended to be the main British strike force against Egypt, was heavily involved in the Cyprus Emergency. Paratroop training had been neglected in favour of counter-insurgency operations.[5] During Operation Musketeer the brigade helped seize the area around Port Said.
In July 1960, the brigade was re-designated as the 16th Parachute Brigade Group removing the word "Independent" from the title.
Notes
- ^ "16th Parachute Brigade | ParaData". www.paradata.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ a b "2nd Independent Parachute Brigade Signal Squadron 1947–1948". 216 Parachute Signal Squadron Old Comrades Association. 1980. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Watson and Rinaldi, p.3
- ^ Ferguson, p.34
- ^ Varble 2003, p. 15.
- ^ "216 Signal Squadron [Parachute Brigade Group] 1959 -1965". 216 Parachute Signal Squadron Old Comrades Association. 1980. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ a b "216 Parachute Signal Squadron 1965 -1977". 216 Parachute Signal Squadron Old Comrades Association. 1980. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "6th Field Force Headquarters & Signal Squadron 1977 – Present". 216 Parachute Signal Squadron Old Comrades Association. 1980. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
References
- Ferguson, Gregory (1984). The Paras 1940–84, Volume 1 of Elite series. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-573-1.
- Wilson, Dare (2008). With the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine 1945–1948. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-771-6.
- Varble, Derek (2003). The Suez Crisis 1956. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8417-6418-4.