15th (King's) Parachute Battalion
Encyclopedia
The 15th Parachute Battalion was an airborne
infantry
battalion
of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 15th Parachute Battalion was formed in India during 1945 from the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment (Liverpool). Prior to this the battalion had been part of the Chindit special force. It was assigned to the 77th Indian Parachute Brigade, part of the 44th Indian Airborne Division.
The war ended before the battalion was committed to any combat but a number of officers and sergeants parachuted into Japanese Prisoner of War
Camps in Java
, Sumatra
, Bangkok
and Singapore
to provide aid to the prisoners.
.
In June 1974, Warrant Officer Class 2 John Gordon McRae, became the first territorial to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal
. During a practice parachute jump from a C-130 the parachute of one of his men failed to open. The man crashed through McRae’s rigging and as he did so McRae managed to keep a hold of him and they both descended safely on the one parachute.
During September 1974 the battalion suffered the highest loss of TA soldiers during a major NATO exercise. Dropped off course six men landed in the Kiel canal
and drowned. Defence cuts in April 1993, resulted in the amalgamation of the three remaining TA parachute battalions. The battalion numbered 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, retains a rifle company (15th (Scottish) Company) based in Scotland.
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 15th Parachute Battalion was formed in India during 1945 from the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment (Liverpool). Prior to this the battalion had been part of the Chindit special force. It was assigned to the 77th Indian Parachute Brigade, part of the 44th Indian Airborne Division.
The war ended before the battalion was committed to any combat but a number of officers and sergeants parachuted into Japanese Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
Camps in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to provide aid to the prisoners.
Territorial Army
The battalion was disbanded in December 1946 and reformed by the Territorial Army (TA) in 1947 as the 15th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion (TA). In 1967 it was re-designated 15 PARA (SV) and came under command of the 44th Parachute Brigade44th Parachute Brigade (V)
The 44th Parachute Brigade was formed on 1st April 1967 from 44th Independent Parachute Brigade Group . The Brigade was the only Territorial Army Parachute formation in the Army's order of battle...
.
In June 1974, Warrant Officer Class 2 John Gordon McRae, became the first territorial to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal
Queen's Gallantry Medal
The Queen's Gallantry Medal is the third level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.It was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, and the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry...
. During a practice parachute jump from a C-130 the parachute of one of his men failed to open. The man crashed through McRae’s rigging and as he did so McRae managed to keep a hold of him and they both descended safely on the one parachute.
During September 1974 the battalion suffered the highest loss of TA soldiers during a major NATO exercise. Dropped off course six men landed in the Kiel canal
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal , known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948, is a long canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.The canal links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula....
and drowned. Defence cuts in April 1993, resulted in the amalgamation of the three remaining TA parachute battalions. The battalion numbered 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, retains a rifle company (15th (Scottish) Company) based in Scotland.