The Royal Hampshire Regiment

Here I am again people asking for help, especially from the "old hands" of The Royal Hampshire Regiment or from anyone who knows anybody who served with them.

I contacted the Regimental Museum and eventually received a reply that was rather dismissive and belittling to the Regiment. Part of the reply is shown below.

"In fact the Royal Hampshire Regiment is no longer and I do not believe any purpose will be served recording their somewhat limited time in Germany, other than the war years."

The italics are mine.

As they are shown on the main site as being in BAOR/BFG on at least seven occasions, I would not call that limited.

So I am appealing to anyone out there who has information that could help.

Paul.

I'm afraid that does seem a typical reply, in my experience of military/regimental museums. Some are more helpful than others but a lot of them don't have much of a concept of friendly customer service.

There used to be a great site called regiments.org that had details of where pretty much every battalion over the past couple of hundred years has served, but unfortunately its down at the moment.

The following information was gleaned from the museums web site.
I was a Tiger from 1964 to 1970 and left when the regiment was cut to company strength.
The article gives little detail on where in BAOR the postings were but from memory I think these are about right.

1957-60 Lemgo

1962-65 Munster (where I joined them)

1977-81 Munster

1983-86 Berlin

The Regiment was reduced to one battalion in 1949 and subsequently served with distinction in the Malayan Emergency from 1953 to 1956. After a three year tour in Germany , they moved to the West Indies in 1960 where their tasks varied from quelling uprisings in Jamaica , to hurricane relief in British Honduras and containing a major riot in British Guiana . Following further service in Germany the Regiment undertook an emergency tour in the Far East in 1966, which included six months active service in Borneo . In 1967 the Battalion returned to England to Netheravon as part of the Army’s Strategic Reserve, carrying out a wide variety of duties such as clearing up after the Torrey Canyon disaster, Public Duties in London and serving as part of the United Nations Forces in Cyprus . In 1969 the Regiment undertook the first of its six emergency tours in Northern Ireland .

In 1970 the Battalion was reduced to company strength and was called Minden Company. In 1962 the Company returned from Gibraltar and the 1 st Battalion was reformed. It moved to Hong Kong in 1974 and on its return, undertook its first residential tour in Northern Ireland in Ballykelly. The Battalion then moved again to Munster where it was based from 1977 to 1981. It returned to England to Dover , from where it served five months in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia . In 1983 it was stationed in Berlin and while there, HRH The Princess of Wales was appointed the first Colonel in Chief of the Regiment in 1985. The Battalion returned to Tidworth in Hampshire in 1986 and it was there on Minden Day, 1 st August 1986 , that the Colonel in Chief presented new Colours. In March 1989 it became the Resident Battalion in Londonderry , remaining there until the end of May 1991, when it moved to Colchester .

The Regiment amalgamated with The Queen’s Regiment in 1993 to form a new regiment of two battalions entitled ‘The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires)’.

The Regiment has gained 10 Victoria Crosses during its history, four at the Capture of the Taku Forts in 1860, three in the Great War and three in the Second World War.

In the time 90/91 I was stationed in `Derry as a driver for the L.Rovers and the Pigs at the VCP´s.
The Hampshires being my home Regt.,me coming from Basingstoke,I was still a bit surprised to see guys from my old school.I cant remember any names but would like to hear from those that were there around that time.Maybe we "stagged on " together at the RUC station or maybe up at Charley 2 where I spent a lot of time

hi i too was stationed at munster bks 1978-80. did one year in shacklton bks derry. six month tour in st georges bks derry. served in y coy and hq coy. would like to hear from anyone who remembers me

regards graham george

graham wrote:

hi i too was stationed at munster bks 1978-80. did one year in shacklton bks derry. six month tour in st georges bks derry. served in y coy and hq coy. would like to hear from anyone who remembers me

regards graham george

Graham,

I think you mean Fort George

Paul.

It always makes me very sad to hear about these proud regiments being amalgamated. I remember watching my Father cry when The Lancashire Fusiliers were amalgamated along with all the other Fusilier Bn's

And then of corps my own Corps was lost in '93.

Its happened to me twice,1R.Hamps and then the RAOC,perchance I'm jinxed.

I know Nobby,