British Army personal small arms weapons

[Bazz]

Whilst on my last NI tour (84) I was roled as a Sqn Medic, when we took patients in to the Hosp in Belfast we used a "Civilianised" mini, driver carried a Browning and the escort had a Sterling SMG.

 

The Sqn did training on the Browning prior to going, there was only 2 of us who passed the wht for the pistol.

[AlienFTM]

Whilst on my last NI tour (84) I was roled as a Sqn Medic, when we took patients in to the Hosp in Belfast we used a "Civilianised" mini, driver carried a Browning and the escort had a Sterling SMG.

 

The Sqn did training on the Browning prior to going, there was only 2 of us who passed the wht for the pistol.

 

Really? Did standards drop that far that quickly after I left? Having been RMP before 15/19H, I had been trained on the 9 milly as alternative personal weapon and it was a joke. Anyone who trained at RMPTC from 1976 may have seen me (mercifully without face to camera) on film stripping and assembling. Then having left 15/19H for RAPC in 1982, by 1984 I was shooting 9 milly (along with SLR and SMG) for the RAPC at Corpsam every year. I am sure if I walk about three paces to my half-right and check the back of the china cabinet I'll find at least one pistol award (I know there are SLR, SMG and LMG awards from down the years).

 

Back on-topic. In 14 years I never carried as small arm in addition to a personal weapon. During the Omagh tour I only felt the need to set foot out of camp once. I didn't sign out a 9 milly and I don't remember Jock McK, who accompanied me, signing one out either. I do recall this was in the aftermath of a lad finding that his wife (who hadn't travelled on the accompanied tour) was being seen by a civvy, so he managed to steal the CO's 9 milly and go on an assassination mission back in rural Northumberland. It made the news just before I joined and I suspect his death (having turned the gun on himself) was partly the reason I was posted to 4 Tp. That and Archie B being medevacced and posted to Netley psychiatric hospital because his symptoms sounded like trench foot except that is wasn't supposed to hurt and they felt it was psychosomatic.

 

Note that the lad (not sure of his name and internet searches down the years have consistently drawn a blank) stole the CO's 9 milly (not his own, which in the circumstances wouldn't have been so difficult to sign out openly if he had one), because the establishment of the NI RAC Regiment did not require 9 millies for everyone any more than any other RAC regiment's establishment did.

 

Outside of combat zones, the issue of small arms to regular units was extremely limited. In the RAC, all ranks up to and including major were issued with SMG (I cleaned the squadron leader's often enough when I was his driver). That left the CO (and I suspect the 2IC, a senior major). Certainly the adjutant and the RSO both carried SMGs, and they were just as staff as the CO and 2IC.

[Bazz]

I remember when I was in Command Troop, the Adjudant (Web Belt, name change for SEC) I was his Rover driver, he used to carry a 9 milly on EX.

[AlienFTM]

I remember when I was in Command Troop, the Adjudant (Web Belt, name change for SEC) I was his Rover driver, he used to carry a 9 milly on EX.

 

How strange. When he and I crewed Zero Bravo, he had an SMG that I used to AABB at sunset daily. I guess over time he managed to acquire a 9 milly that saved him from having to take out an SMG. Funny how things change in even a short time.

 

I spoke to him again at JC's funeral a couple of months ago. Still doing fine, though he is obviously older than we are and carries not an ounce of fat. Races horses. I doubt he's ever beaten one though.