Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant Barry Hirst

  • General Service Medal Clasp (1962 onwards) medal
  • United Nations Medal, Cyprus

Barry Hirst began military service as a Boy Soldier with the Royal Armoured Corps(RAC), based at Bovington.

He joined the 4th Hussars in 1955 and saw service as part of the BAOR in Hohne, Germany. He 1958 he began his Airborne service with 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) and took part in the deployments to Cyprus, Kuwait, Bahrain and Libya, before rejoining the Hussars with the Queens Royal Irish (QRIH) in 1962, where he served in Singapore, Borneo and the Ipoh region of Malaysia.  

In 1964 he began four years service with Parachute Squadron RAC, including deployments to Aden, Radfan and the Gulf States. After a short spell back with the QRIH, in 1969 he became a Staff Instructor at the Guided Weapons Wing, Gunnery School RAC based at Lulworth, then later Paderborn, Germany.

In 1971 he rejoined the QRIH and took part in the UN mission to Cyprus, and attained the rank of SQMS during this period.

Leaving the military for several years following 22 years regular service, Danny re-entered service as a Volunteer to 10 PARA in 1983, forming part of 5 Coy of the Home Service Force (HSF), a Territorial/Volunteer force established as Home Defence unit against sabotage in 1980s.

He is still active in the Airborne community and PRA, and now volunteers regularly at the Airborne Assault Museum, Duxford.

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Service History

  • 1953
    Boys Squadron Royal Armoured Corps (Trooper)
  • 1955
    4th Queens Own Hussars (Corporal)
  • 1958
    The 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (Lance Corporal)
  • 1962
    The Queens Royal Irish Hussars (Corporal)
  • 1964
    Parachute Squadron, RAC The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corp (Corporal)
  • 1968
    The Queens Royal Irish Hussars (Corporal)
  • 1969
    (Staff Instructor) Guided Weapons Wing, RAC, Gunnery School, Lulworth (Sergeant)
  • 1971
    The Queens Royal Irish Hussars (Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant)
  • 1983
    The 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA) 10th Bn Para Regt 5 coy HSF (Corporal)

Decorations

  • General Service Medal Clasp (1962 onwards) medal GSM
    Campaign service medal
  • General Service Medal Clasp, Malay Peninsula
  • General Service Medal Clasp, South Arabia

Photos_1

  • Barry Hirst and Graham Cox before a training exercise

    Barry Hirst and Graham Cox before a training exercise

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