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New air assault battalion is Royal Irish.

I am a green jacket, I have been with them for just over a year and I am soon to start my first tour with them

RGJ are indeed a very unique regiment, they are part of the light div and therefore they do a different form of drill to 'red coats.' The drill is known as light drill, it basically means a quicker marching pace and all drill movements end with the 'squad' standing at ease. Orders are also given from the squad being stood ready.

They were indeed the first regt to use the rifle over the musket, that is why we call the bayonet a 'sword'. The reason behind that is when the army used to parade together and the green jackets used rifles with bayonets on the top their rifles were much lower than the other units with muskets. Therefore green jackets used a longer bayonet, known as a sword. And to this day, despite the fact the sword is the same size as a bayonet you will still find green jackets call bayonets swords.

RGJ were formed in 1969 (? off the top of my head someone please verify) from the Ox and Bucks LI, King's Royal Rifles and the Rifle Brigade. (Once again I think that is correct but needs verifying)
The OX and Bucks were of course made famous for their action on D Day, being the first allied unit into combat on Pegasus Bridge.

The Green Jackets are a proud regt with a proud history and well known as being one of the best infantry regiments.


The rumour about RGJ being airbourne is bullshit, 1RGJ are in Belfast and 2RGJ are in Blackpool doing mountain training (i think.)

I believe 2RGJ are going to Iraq in near future, although for my tour we are not being attached to them.

2 RGJ are in Northern Ireland on a long tour.

Allow me to stand corrected then, i know that some of 1RGJ are in Belfast, so maybe the rest of them are in Blackpool? and then 2RGJ are also in Ireland.

TA_soldier_abernethy wrote.."the rumour about RGJ being airbourne is bullshit".
You got that one right.
Firstly it 's AIRBORNE not airbourne, and secondly, do you know the difference between Airborne and Air Assault?

first of all 2 RGJ are in NI and 1RGJ are in blackpool, 2006 2 rgj are going back to the uk, And yes 1 RGJ are going to become Air Assault for the next 3 maybe 4 years till it changes again. Air Assault is not jumping out of aircrafts,

If air assault is not jumping out of planes then why are the REME troops in air assault require para wings, same for the Royal Engineers, their unit which is called air assault requires people who have done p-coy

Isnt air assault the same as the americans air cavalry?

Whereas airbourne is the same as our parachute batallion on p coys?

Hello people

I haven't posted in a long time due to work etc. As some of you might know that 1 RGJ have beens posted to Kosovo. I had a call last night from my mate in 1 RGJ. He said that they have not been issued with any cold weather gear. He says he sleeps fully clothed in two sleeping bag and is still freezing. Last night he said it was -11 with a wind factor of -5. Still the MOD fails to issue our troops with the resources they need to do the job.

We have a saying in Para training coy;

"If you cant hack it, be a Jacket".

how nice for you all , here have a medal

Jason The Argonaut wrote:Hello people

I haven't posted in a long time due to work etc. As some of you might know that 1 RGJ have beens posted to Kosovo. I had a call last night from my mate in 1 RGJ. He said that they have not been issued with any cold weather gear. He says he sleeps fully clothed in two sleeping bag and is still freezing. Last night he said it was -11 with a wind factor of -5. Still the MOD fails to issue our troops with the resources they need to do the job.

Just found this thread. Your mate is talking absolute bollox. I was there at the same time (different unit) but in same camp and I can assure you that they had all the kit they needed including hot air blasted into their tents at night.
I find it unbelievable that he could actually have been cold as it seemed the whole battalion never moved out of Echo's, the locally run cafe!!

Just to be an old pedant. The 2nd RGJ did not introduce the rifle to the British Army - neither did the first.

The rifle was introduced to the 60th Regt in 1798. The battalion had already existed since 1755 as the 62nd (Royal American) Regt of Foot but was renumbered after several other batts were disbanded.

There were a lot of numerical changes etc since the formation of the Royal Green Jackets but another poster has given the salient details.

TA_soldier_abernethy wrote: They were indeed the first regt to use the rifle over the musket

And indeed the first regt to use the "Shovel Lightweight G10" over a Danish tour guide's head.