1st Regiment, Royal Military Police explained

Unit Name:1st Regiment, Royal Military Police
Dates:1971–1985
1996–present
Country: United Kingdom
Type:Military police
Size:Regiment
Command Structure:1st Military Police Brigade
Garrison:Catterick Garrison
Garrison Label:Regimental HQ
Colors:Royal Military Police
Colors Label:Corps
Battles:
Identification Symbol Label:Cap badge
Identification Symbol 2 Label:Heraldic Background
Identification Symbol 3 Label:Tactical Recognition Flash

The 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police (1 RMP[1]) is a military policing unit of the British Army which was formed during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, but disbanded in 1985 following cuts to the RMP in the region. The regiment was then reformed in 1996 following the Options for Change, and since 2014 has been an integral part of the 1st Military Police Brigade and just one of the two remaining RMP regiments since 2019.

History

First formation

The first time of the 1st Regiment, RMP was formed was on 5 November 1971, when 173 Provost Company based at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn in Northern Ireland was expanded into a full regiment. Prior to 1971, all provost companies were independent and if grouped were commanded by a 'Deputy Provost Marshal', however the deteriorating situation in Northern Ireland caused this tradition to be dropped. As a result, the first battalion sized unit of the Royal Military Police was created as 173 Provost Company was quickly reinforced within months to become a regiment of seven companies.[2] The regiment was the first of its type, soon after being joined by the 2nd Regiment during the looming Troubles which would occupy the British Army until 2007.[2] The regiment's initial organisation on formation was as follows:[3] [4]

After a short time in Lisburn, the regimental headquarters moved to Alexander Barracks in Aldergrove on 5 December 1972. In June 1973, 180 Provost Company was reformed bringing the regiment's strength to about 700 personnel. On 1 July 1973, the duties of the regiment was split with the formation of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Military Police with 175, 179, and 180 Provost Companies joining shortly thereafter. However, on 1 April 1978, 2nd Regiment RMP was disbanded and its companies disbanded except for 175 Provost Company which re-joined the 1st Regiment.[3]

In 1978, the regiment was now organised as follows:[3] [4]

From 1981 till the regiment's disbandment in March 1985, the strength of the unit gradually decreased. On 31 December 1981, 174 Provost Company was disbanded alongside 3rd Infantry Brigade; on 30 September 1983 177 Provost Company was reduced to 177 (Support) Platoon and became independent under Headquarters Northern Ireland; on 12 February 1985 175 and 176 Provost Companies became independent while 178 Provost Company was re-designated as 173 Provost Company; finally in March 1985, 173 Provost Company became independent and the regiment was disbanded.[2] [3]

On 12 February 1985, the regiment was officially removed from the Army's order of battle due to financial reasons following the 1981 Defence White Paper.[5]

Second formation

As a result of the Options for Change reforms announced in 1991 following the End of the Cold War, the old 1st Armoured Division was redesignated as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division and its provost companies reorganised. As a result of the reorganisation, the 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police was stood up at Wentworth Barracks in Herford to oversee these companies with each supporting one of the combat brigades.[2] [3] [6] [7] The regiment's structure after formation on 1 April 1995 was as follows:[3] [6] [8] [9] [10]

In later 1996, elements of the regiment deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR). On the regiment's return from Bosnia, during a parade in Herford, the regiment was granted the Wilkinson Sword of Peace.[2] [3]

According to the 1999 Staff Officers' Handbook, the establishment for 1st Regiment RMP was 18 officers and 343 other ranks. The regiment was also equipped with 4 x Leyland 4-tonne trucks, 109 x B-class vehicles including Land Rover Defenders, and 34 x Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles.[14] Following the reformation of the regiment, the commanding officer of the regiment held the position of 'Provost Marshal, 1st (UK) Armoured Division', and was assisted by three other officers at the armoured division headquarters: Staff Officer (SO)2 (Operations/Plans) – rank of Major, SO3 (Investigations) – rank of Captain, and SO3 (Ops/Plans) – rank of Captain.[15] If mobilised, the Special Investigation Branch detachments in Germany would form the nucleus of the Investigations Section of the regiment.

When the 1st (UK) Armoured Division was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2003 for the impending 2003 Invasion of Iraq (codenamed Operation Telic), the regiment was deployed and involved in provost duties throughout the campaign.[2] [3] [6]

In 2003, as a result of the Future Army Structure programme announced following the Invasion of Iraq, the regiment was effectively reduced to an administrative command and its provost companies moved under the operational control of the 1st (UK) Armoured Division's armoured brigades.[3] The regiment's structure in 2006 was as follows:[3] [8]

Army 2020

In 2012, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010, the radical Army 2020 programme was announced which (among many things), would see the reorganisation of the provost forces and return of all troops based in Germany. As part of the A2020 programme, the three provost regiments alongside the three specialist police groups would be consolidated into the 1st Military Police Brigade.[2] [18] In addition, the Royal Military Police would be consolidated into three regiments, the 1st Regiment: providing support for the 1st (UK) Division based in York; 3rd Regiment: providing support for the 3rd (UK) Division based in Bulford; and the 4th Regiment: providing support for UK operations and Force Troops Command. The structure of all three regiments was also altered, so that there were no longer entirely regular regiments, with each regiment having at least one integrated Territorial (Army Reserve from 2015) company attached, thus making each unit a 'Hybrid' regiment.[16] [21] [22]

The 1st Regiment RMP became an 'Integrated RMP Regiment' as a result of the changes, and transferred from 1st (UK) Division to the 1st Military Police upon that brigade's formation on 1 December 2014.[18] After 2015, the regiment returned from Germany and has been based at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison in the North Riding of Yorkshire ever since.[16] [22] [23] [24]

111 Provost Company was disbanded in June 2014 following their return from Afghanistan.[2] Later 114 Provost Company was also disbanded before the regiment left Germany.[18]

By January 2015, the regiment now oversaw 243 Provost Company, which was formed in January 2015 by merging the former 243 (Scottish) Provost Company based in Livingston with 252 (Northern) Provost Company based in Stockton-on-Tees. The new 243 Provost Coy was now based in Livingston and maintained 252 Platoon in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham.[22] [23] [25] [26]

In 2015, the regiment was now organised as follows:[23] [27]

Today and future

In 2017, a supplement to the Army 2020 programme was announced entitled the Army 2020 Refine which reversed many of the unit-level changes of the former. Under the 'Refine', the 4th Regiment RMP was disbanded in late 2019 and its companies dispersed to the other two remaining regiments, including 1st Regiment RMP. The regiment gained the Army Reserve's 116 Provost Company based in Cannock and Gorton, in addition to the regular 174 Provost Company based in Donnington.[30] The regiment is currently organised as follows:[27] [31]

In addition to the internal reorganisations, the regiment was transferred to 101st Logistic Brigade, but this decision was reversed during the 2019 Field Army reorganisation.[40]

Under the Future Soldier changes, the regiment will restructure by March 2025, though its future sub-units are unknown at this time.[41]

Footnotes

Citations

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: King. Hannah. Treasure Hunting With The Royal Military Police. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 5 February 2016 . en.
  2. Web site: Olver. Rob. RMP Regiment Marks End of Germany Stay. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 26 November 2014 . en.
  3. Web site: British Army units from 1945 on - Major Units. 2022-01-01. british-army-units1945on.co.uk.
  4. Web site: British Army units from 1945 on - Provost Companies 170 to 260. 2022-01-01. british-army-units1945on.co.uk.
  5. Mackinlay, pp. 362–363
  6. Watson & Rinaldi, p. 137
  7. Blume, p. 8
  8. Web site: British Army units from 1945 on - Provost Companies 101 to 169. 2022-01-01. british-army-units1945on.co.uk.
  9. Web site: Royal Military Police – RMP Units. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090430185853/http://www.army.mod.uk/rmp/rmp_units.htm. 30 April 2009. 2 January 2022. British Army.
  10. 1999 Handbook, p. 141
  11. Web site: 110 Provost Company, 1st Regiment Royal Military Police. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140731220901/http://army.mod.uk/documents/general/proRmpUnit_110_1rmp.pdf. 31 July 2014. 2 January 2022. British Army Website.
  12. Web site: 15 April 2021. Freedom of Information Act request regarding Garrison reductions and expansions under Army 2020. 2 January 2022. What do they know?.
  13. Web site: 111 Provost Company, 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140822015852/http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/proRmpUnit_111_1rmp.pdf. 22 August 2014. 2 January 2022. British Army Website.
  14. 1999 Handbook, p. 39
  15. 1999 Handbook, p. 34
  16. Web site: King. Hannah. Royal Military Police March Across Europe. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 29 June 2015 . en.
  17. Web site: Matthews. Amy. Migrant Security Concerns At British Army Bases. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 11 February 2016 . en.
  18. Web site: Olver. Rob. The Disbandment of 111 Provost Company. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 18 June 2014 . en.
  19. Web site: 114 Provost Company, 5th Regiment, Royal Military Police. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140822013753/http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/proRmpUnit_114_5rmp.pdf. 22 August 2014. 2 January 2022. British Army Website.
  20. Web site: 150 Provost Company, 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121021002532/http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/proRmpUnit_150_3rmp.pdf. 21 October 2012. 2 January 2022. British Army Website.
  21. Web site: 10 January 2014. Transforming the British Army: An Update. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. British Army. 13.
  22. Brooke-Holland. Louisa. Rutherford. Tom. 26 July 2012. United Kingdom Parliament International Affairs and Defence Committee Report on the Army 2020 programme. United Kingdom Parliament. International Affairs and Defence Committee. SN06396. 12.
  23. Web site: Royal Military Police – RMP Units. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180113125218/http://www.army.mod.uk/agc/provost/31838.aspx. 13 January 2018. 2 January 2022. British Army Website.
  24. Web site: 29 July 2013. Regular Army Basing Matrix by Formation and Unit. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160814181412/http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf. 14 August 2016. 1 January 2022. Army Families Federation. British Army.
  25. Web site: 3 December 2013. Summary of Army 2020 Reserve Structure and Basing Changes. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203193356/http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/20130703-SUMMARY_OF_ARMY_2020_RESERVE_STRUCTURE_AND_BASING.pdf. 3 December 2013. 1 January 2022. British Army. 36.
  26. British Army, British Army Official Reserves Order of Battle following Army 2020 programme. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  27. Web site: 12 June 2015. Freedom of Information Act request regarding the sub-units of the Royal Military Police and Intelligence Corps under Army 2020. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications.
  28. Web site: 22 November 2018. Written Questions, Answers, and Statements: Question for Ministry of Defence (Army): Order of Battle by manpower and basing location. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliament. Ministry of Defence.
  29. Web site: Typhoon aircraft relocate to RAF Lossiemouth. 2022-01-01. GOV.UK. en.
  30. Web site: 10 March 2017. Freedom of Information Act request regarding the Army 2020 Refine changes by unit. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. Ministry of Defence.
  31. Web site: RMP Reserves. 2022-01-01. www.army.mod.uk. en-GB.
  32. Web site: King. Hannah. Military Police Put Soldiering Skills To The Test. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 8 March 2016 . en.
  33. Web site: Royal Military Police Re-Adapt For The 21st Century. 2022-01-01. Forces Network. 20 March 2018 . en.
  34. Web site: 1 December 2021. https://www.facebook.com/1MilitaryPoliceBrigade/posts/1831936583660389?__cft__[0=AZUVk_bU7EYNT20ZrGRJ2MZlTrf3vyARX_nzUivag1XOVwlMGzxxsR_fp3Dai2m9AKFTCRAdT8unnMGz9oXw-qH03vCeowslH2ZYZOrvAd14ZaPMG36IyN1uPMIAfM4xEYY&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R 110 Provost Company Host the 1 RMP Commanding Officer's Cup at Leuchars Station]. 1 January 2022. Facebook. 1st Military Police Brigade.
  35. Web site: November 2016. A Batter Defence Estate Publication. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications.
  36. Web site: Shropshire base flying the flag for military future. 2022-01-01. www.shropshirestar.com. 20 November 2014 . en.
  37. Web site: Army Reserve Centre, 156 Walsall Road, Bridgetown, Cannock WS11 0JB. 1 January 2022. British Army Recruiting.
  38. Web site: 6 July 2020. Freedom of Information Act regarding changes to Army Reserve units under the Army 2020 Refine. 1 January 2022. What do they know?.
  39. Web site: Army Reserve Centre, Belle Vue Street, Manchester M12 5PW. 1 January 2022. British Army Recruiting.
  40. Web site: 18 July 2019. Freedom of Information Act request regarding Army 2020 Refine changes since 2017. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. Ministry of Defence.
  41. Web site: 30 November 2021. Future Soldier Guide. 1 January 2022. United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. British Army. 101–102.

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