Paras origins - Royal Marines??

[BigStevie]

Try this:

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/s ... tm#history

[SO19]

All the blokes were originally from No. 2 Commando and were subsequently re-trained to the parachute role.

[taggytwo]

The guards and most county regiments also supplied troops to the para regiments.

[got1]

[quote="taggytwo"]The guards and most county regiments also supplied troops to the para regiments.[/quote]

They had to come from other regiments as there was no direct enlistment into the Para Reg until sometime in the 50s.

[Tab]

I think one of the first lot of people drafted in to form the Parachute Regiment were from the Commandos

[Paratrooper01]

Army Commando's.....NOT Royal Marines.

[druadan]

Army Commando's.....NOT Royal Marines.

A mixture surely?

[harry hackedoff]

Don`t call him Shirley
Unless he`s ashore with 2 Para Mortars

[got1]

H, 3Para mortars not 2. Not that I would know

[harry hackedoff]

They are all beefers, far as I can see mate
Number One Parachute Training Skool, AKA Ringway Airfield, is now a famous International Airport in the north west
And, no, it`s not Liverpool John Lennon ffs
Weston on the Green,anyone? It`s got a nice pub

[Chas]

Prior to official formation of RM Cdos many RMs' served with No.8 Army Cdo.
Paras please correct me correct me but I believe that there were various
cap badges on maroon berets right up to 1959.
In 58 'Farrar the Para' was wearing his para beret with a Gloster cap badge.
Of that I am 100% certain since he offered me a job !!
Also the Glider Regiment was still part of the Airborne Brigade and some of their guys were with me.

Chas.

[Tab]

Chas......The Red Beret came in to being about 1941 along with the cap bdage. Prior to that yo wore your parent regiment badge and gear. Now they did not start a direct intake to the Parachute Regiment until the mid 1950's, so prior to that you had to be a trained soldier before you could apply. You then went and did the P Course which would run in those days every couple of weeks, if you failed any part of it just once you were RTU. Now this also applied if you did not fit in or caused to much trouble. again it applied if you could no longer hack it in the Regiment.
Various badges in the Beret..... While I was with the 16th Independant Parachute Brigade then we had a full range of supporting services for the Brigade that were trained paratroopers and who had passed the P Course and attached to the Brigade so that they would wear the Red Beret and their own Unit Badge, and much of this still goes on.

[Chas]

Tab,
Thank you very much for clarifications.
As I recall Farrar was also wearing Gloster
shoulder flashes.
Best wishes,
Chas.

[Tab]

Chas......Major Farrar was out OC for a while and he is the Officer sitting on the left. in the middle L/t Gerry Taylor now colonel in Canada the man on the far right of the picture was L/T Hennessey who became the most decorated Australian Officer since the end of WW2. they would not allow these two men to stay in the British Army as they were on short term Commissions. Hennessy got these awards in Vietnam and wound up a full colonel in the Australian Army and ran their staff college for umpteen years. The bloke at the back was a L/t Sainsbury who wound up working as a grocer in his family business,

[owdun]

Tab, 16th Independant were down Suez during the 50s, were you with them at that time?


Owdun.