Airborne Assault MuseumArticle
Northern Ireland (Operation Banner)
A brief honeymoon as peace keepers between two warring communities locked in civil unrest descended into a virtual civil war ...
Major Richard Hamilton served with Airborne Forces as part of several Airborne services with 16 Parachute Brigade and later, 5 Airborne Brigade.Richard Hamilton, sometimes known as 'Grumpy' initially joined the Royal Signals in 1963, and trained as a Radio Operator, serving with the 11 Signal Regiment and 5 Regiment RA during the mid-to-late 1960s.
He first volunteered for Airborne Forces in 1969, and passed Pre-Parachute Selection (P Coy) at Browning Barracks, Aldershot, later passing his Basic Parachute Course at RAF Abingdon. After completing his training, he was posted to 216 Parachute Signal Squadron at Arnhem Barracks, Aldershot, and served with 216 until 1976.
In 1976, he re-traded to R Tg AA Drill Course at Pirbright, and qualified as a sub-unit coach (Small Arms) with The 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA). During his career in the late 1970s through to the mid-1980s, he completed exercises with several units of 16 Para Brigade. He took part in a deployment to Ghana, Africa with The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), in Cyprus was various Airborne units, Turkey with the US 82nd Airborne Division), Bermuda with 1 Parachute Logistic Regiment, and 'Escape and Evasion'(E&E) exercises at Cultybraggan, Germany with The 15th (Scottish) Battalion The Parachute Regiment (15 PARA SV). He was attached to 15 PARA at the time of the Kiel Canal disaster.
Operationally, he deployed to Northern Ireland attached with 1 PARA and 16 Parachute Brigade HQ, before being posted to the BAOR in 1976.
In 1986, Richard re-joined Airborne Forces when commissioned Capt (LE). 5 AB Bde HQ & Sig Sqn as Families & Admin Offr. Completed a painful, yet another, Basic Para at RAF Brize Norton in 1987. Finally left AB Forces in 1989, posted to N Wales.
Richard Hamilton retired in 1993 as Acting Major.
Profile in construction
Service History
- 1963 11 Signal Regiment (Signalman)
- 1964 5 Regiment RA (Corporal)
- 1969 216 Parachute Signal Squadron (Corporal)
- 1972 216 Parachute Signal Squadron (Sergeant)
- 1975 216 Parachute Signal Squadron (Staff Sergeant)
- 1976 1 Division HQ and Signal Regiment (Staff Sergeant)
- 1977 Tayforth University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) (Sergeant-Major)
- 1979 3 Armoured Division HQ and Signal Regiment (Sergeant-Major)
- 1982 28 (BR) Signal Regiment, Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) (Warrant Officer Class 1)
- 1984 NATO Forward Scatter Station(FSS) Shetland (Warrant Officer Class 1)
- 1986 HQ 5 Airborne Brigade and Signal Squadron (Captain)
- 1989 30 CTT (Captain)
- 1992 Army Apprentices College (AAC) Harrogate (Acting Major)
