The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum

The Gallery includes photographic collections and displays of uniforms, equipment and memorabilia from some of the Regiment's many deployments since 1964.

On the left is a scene from one of the 1960's deployments to Aden. The Regiment has served in a variety of locations worldwide to protect British interests, ranging from 2-6 months emergency operational deployments to up to 9 years in Germany. These deployments include garrison, counter terrorist and peacekeeping duties both with and without families. On the right is a scene from Northern Ireland. The Regiment has served there 29 times.

Deployments
The Regiment today maintains the high reputation of its predecessors with recent operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Tours since 1964 include:

Aden and Radfan (5 times), Afghanistan (3), Bahrain, Belize (2), Berlin (2), Bosnia (2), Cyprus (6), Falkland Islands, Germany (8), Gibraltar (3), Iraq (3), Kuwait, Libya, Malta, Northern Ireland (29) and Sierra Leone.

Above scene is a Milan Anti-tank weapon as used by the 5th (Volunteer) Battalion during the 1980s.

United Nations
Peacekeeping under the United Nations, or in conjunction with forces of other nations, may be the Regiment's most likely role in the future. In addition to Battalions’ UN tours in Cyprus and Bosnia, individuals have served on UN operations in Lebanon, Namibia, Cambodia, Western Sahara, Iraq/Kuwait and Mozambique and on other peacekeeping deployments, not with the UN, in Oman (Dhofar), Mauritius, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and Sinai.

Sierra Leone 2000
In May 2000 the 2nd Battalion was warned to deploy some 250 officers and soldiers to Sierra Leone. The group consisted of two security platoons from B Company and 42 officers and NCOs to form an instruction team.

The timetable for the deployment was remarkable:

24 May - warning to deploy received in their barracks in Chepstow.

15 June - training started in Sierra Leone.

22 July - 1,000 Sierra Leone soldiers trained.

27 July - 64 days after warning, back in Chepstow.

Afghanistan 2002-2003
The 1st Battalion deployed to Kabul in March 2002. Its mission was to reassure the population by patrolling and deterring crime. An additional task was to train the Afghan National Guard .The 1st Battalion’s tour ended in June 2002.

Throughout the tour, a Regimental officer, Major General J C McColl CBE DSO, who was awarded the Regiment’s first Distinguished Service Order for his service in Afghanistan, commanded the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

In February 2003, A Company of the 2nd Battalion deployed to Kabul. Duties involved counter-insurgency patrols and community reassurance. The Battalion also trained NCOs of the new Afghan Army. In June, C Company relieved A Company, with the tour ending in October.

Iraq 2005
The 1st Battalion deployed to Basra Province between April and October 2005. The Battalion’s main task was to assist the emerging Iraqi Security Forces in developing their ability to preserve law and order. During this period the Iraqi people voted in a constitutional referendum in September 2005, which led to the establishment of their first democratic government.

The Battalion’s area of operations covered some 12,000 square kilometres and included borders with Kuwait and Iran, the main supply routes running from the south to Baghdad, access to the Arabian Gulf and vital economic infrastructure. As the tour progressed the Battalion became increasingly and very effectively involved in direct counter-terrorist operations.

Almost coincidentally, and in addition to providing 12 individual reinforcements to the 1st Battalion, The East of England Regiment, deployed a composite Territorial Army company that was based on 3 Company, to serve alongside Regular counterparts in the Rear Operations Battlegroup in South East Iraq from April to November 2005. Its main tasks were security of the Shaibah Logistics Base (a patrol area of 100 square miles and 14 miles of fence line), convoy protection and security for the Divisional Temporary Detention Centre.

Iraq 2006
The 2nd Battalion deployed to Basra from April to November 2006, initially to help retrain the Iraqi Army and Police Force. Increased militia activity meant that it re-roled in mid-tour to conduct counter-terrorism tasks in Basra. Again the 3rd Battalion provided 18 territorial soldiers as individual reinforcements to bolster 2nd Battalion numbers.

Terrorists targeted the Battalion almost daily. Some 40,000 small arms rounds were fired in reply to these attacks.

Afghanistan 2007

After only some 15 months break from demanding operations, the 1st Battalion deployed to Helmand Province in the south of Afghanistan in March 2007 for a six months tour of duty. The level of operations was extremely intense and the British Army had not experienced anything like it since the end of the Korean War. The Taliban were cleared and kept away from some very remote areas of the Sangin Valley. The first vestiges of normality were brought to villages that have not seen soldiers (state authority) since the end of the Soviet era. Medication and irrigation projects were particularly warmly welcomed, but they came at a price. On their return to UK in October 2007 the Vikings had sustained nine killed in action with some 70 injured.

While all that was going on the 3rd Battalion (Territorial Army) was doing its bit. In addition to supplying 13 soldiers as individual reinforcements to serve with the 1st Battalion, quite separately it provided a formed platoon for guard and security duties in Kabul. Like their regular counterparts they undertook a six months tour of operational duties.