The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British
white paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry.
Duncan Sandys, the recently appointed
Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
, produced the paper. The decisions were influenced by two major factors: the finances of the country and the coming of the missile age.
In the past, combat in the air would have been between aircraft, with high flying bombers carrying nuclear weapons and fast interceptor fighter aircraft trying to stop them. Now the
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
could deliver these weapons with no possible defensive response. In this new environment, the interceptors and
surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...
s (SAMs), along with their associated radar networks, seemed superfluous. Likewise, it appeared new manned aircraft of any sort would have little utility in airspace dominated by SAMs. Numerous ongoing projects were abandoned, leaving too little work for the large number of aircraft companies. The paper suggested that the companies join forces to rationalise their operations for a future in which there would be smaller numbers of military projects.
Finally, the Army had a strong presence in Germany as a counter to
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
forces, but ultimately its goal was simply to act as a
tripwire force to deter an attack – the actual battle was assumed to be carried out by nuclear weapons. The size of the Army was far larger than it had to be for this role, and led to reductions in the Army's size. Only the Navy was left significantly unchanged, although it refocussed on
force projection rather than all-out battle with a Soviet fleet.
Main aspects of paper
The role of missiles
UK war plans of the 1950s were based on a "three-day war", in which the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
's forces would begin with a conventional attack in Europe, but the war would quickly progress to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. NATO’s overwhelming
air superiority would win the resulting battle. From that point, if the war continued, strategic weapons would be unleashed and the battle would be between the strategic bombers and the opposing defences. The massive superiority of the western air forces meant this battle would be short and largely one-sided, but the UK would have to survive at least one wave of Soviet attacks.
To handle this attack, in the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
era the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
deployed the
ROTOR radar network that covered the entire British Isles in order to attack any
strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range Penetrator (aircraft), penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unl ...
that might attempt to approach. The defensive weapons of the system included new jet-powered
interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are c ...
and, originally, reorganised
anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...
with new
tactical control radars. By the early 1950s, the increasing speeds and altitudes of bombers meant they could "toss" their weapons from ranges outside even the largest anti-aircraft artillery, and plans began to replace these weapons with
surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...
s.
By the mid-1950s, the USSR was known to be developing a variety of
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
s able to deliver nuclear warheads. Split into classes based on their range, much of the attention internationally was on the longest-ranged
intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
s (ICBMs). However, short-range missiles were both less expensive and easier to develop, and these had the performance needed to deliver a warhead to the UK from bases in
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. There was no defence from these
medium range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range (aeronautics), range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. D ...
s and it appeared they would be widespread by the mid-1960s.
The introduction of strategic missiles seriously disrupted the UK's defensive posture. Planners of an
anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to Missile defense, destroy in-flight ballistic missiles. They achieve this explosively (chemical or nuclear), or via hit-to-kill Kinetic projectile, kinetic vehicles, which ma ...
system code-named
Violet Friend concluded no effective defence against these weapons was possible. The only way to stop an attack would be to stop it from being launched, and the only way to do that was through deterrence. Although the survival of the
V force was required even before this point, there was some expectation that it would survive direct air attack given the ROTOR defence. With missiles, there was no way to do this. Any sign of an attack would require the immediate launch of the V force to ensure its survival - even if attacking bombers were detected, they would undoubtedly be accompanied by missiles. In this case, there was no point trying to defend their airfields - they would either be empty or the war was already lost.
In such a scenario, the need for air defences was essentially eliminated. If an attack occurred, even the complete attrition of attacking bombers would have little to no effect on the ultimate outcome once the missiles arrived. Much more likely was the opposite scenario, a missile attack on the V-force with Soviet bombers arriving later to ensure hits on targets that would likely have already been destroyed. With no existing system for detecting missile launches at long range, this became the primary concern.
As a result, the White Paper cancelled many defensive systems, like the
Blue Envoy SAM and
Saunders-Roe SR.177 interceptor, and significantly reduced the scope and mission of the
Linesman/Mediator radar network that was being planned to replace ROTOR. To provide an indication of such a missile attack, the UK arranged to have a US
BMEWS radar sited in England. Linesman was now tasked mostly with intercepting aircraft carrying
carcinotron jammers, which the Soviets might use to mask BMEWS.
Reduction in manned aircraft projects
With the development of missiles, those roles that missiles could cover meant that certain aircraft in development could be cancelled.
These included the next generation of supersonic interceptor for high flying bombers, the
F.155 and the interim aircraft that would have covered it until its introduction in 1963, namely the
Saunders-Roe SR.53 and
Saunders-Roe SR.177. Sandys felt that the existing interceptor fleet would serve until the
Bristol Bloodhound was in service, and after that point, a bomber attack was unlikely as the world increasingly switched to missiles. As such, even the
Blue Envoy surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...
was also cancelled; although it offered much higher performance than Bloodhound, by the time it arrived in the mid-1960s it would have nothing to shoot at.
The RAF was especially critical of one part of Sandys' conclusions. They noted the introduction of the
Tupolev Tu-22 and
Myasishchev M-50 supersonic bombers would occur before Bloodhound was fully deployed, and that their existing interceptor aircraft like the
Gloster Javelin were incapable of successfully attacking these aircraft. Sandys relented and allowed the English Electric P.1 (which would become the
Lightning
Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
) to continue development, along with a new
air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft (including unmanned aircraft such as cruise missiles). AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid-fuel roc ...
to arm it, the
Hawker Siddeley Red Top.
The
Avro 730 supersonic light bomber was also cancelled, as was the
Blue Rosette nuclear weapon to arm it.
The
Royal Auxiliary Air Force's flying role was also brought to an end.
Aircraft industry reorganisation
The paper stated that the aircraft industry should re-organise, with a number of smaller companies becoming a few larger ones. It was made clear that new contracts would only be given to such merged firms, including the only new aircraft project, which would become the
TSR-2.
Under pressure, in 1960
English Electric
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes.
It initially specialised in industrial el ...
,
Bristol Aeroplane Company and
Vickers-Armstrong merged to form the
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric, English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs, Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), the Bristol Aeroplane ...
, or BAC.
Hunting Aircraft soon joined the BAC group. In the same year,
de Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...
,
Blackburn Aircraft and
Folland merged into
Hawker Siddeley, which had already consisted of
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Tyne and Wear, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomot ...
,
Avro,
Gloster and
Hawker since 1935.
Westland Aircraft took over all the
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
manufacturers, including
Saunders-Roe,
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes, Hillingdon, Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire that designed important military aircraft ...
and Bristol's helicopter work. Saunders-Roe's
hovercraft work was spun off and merged with Vickers Supermarine as the
British Hovercraft Corporation.
Very few companies were left independent after this wave of mergers, leaving only
Handley Page
Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...
as a major independent, along with the smaller companies like
Auster,
Boulton Paul,
Miles Aircraft,
Scottish Aviation
Scottish Aviation Limited was an aircraft manufacturer based in Prestwick, Scotland.
History
The company was founded in 1935. Originally a flying school operator, the company took on maintenance work in 1938.
During the Second World War, Scott ...
and
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...
. Most of these disappeared by the 1970s, having merged into the
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...
conglomerate. Scottish Aviation remained independent until 1977 and Shorts was purchased by
Bombardier in 1989.
Engine companies were likewise "encouraged" to merge. In 1959
Armstrong Siddeley and Bristol's engine division merged to become
Bristol Siddeley, but were shortly purchased by
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
in 1966, leaving RR as the only major British aircraft engine manufacturer.
Restructuring of the British Army
The
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
was to be reduced in size and reorganised to reflect the ending of
National Service and the change to a voluntary army, and to "keep the Army abreast of changing circumstances, policies, weapons and techniques of war". 51 major units and a large number of smaller ones were to be disbanded or
amalgamated, leaving the army with a strength of 165,000 officers and men. The process was to be carried out in two phases, to be completed by the end of 1959 and 1962 respectively.
The
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...
was to be reduced by the amalgamation of:
*
1st King's Dragoon Guards and the
Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) as
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
*
3rd The King's Own Hussars and
7th Queen's Own Hussars as
Queen's Own Hussars
The Queen's Own Hussars (QOH), was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed from the amalgamation of the 3rd The King's Own Hussars and the 7th Queen's Own Hussars at Candahar Barracks, Tidworth in 1958. The regiment served in Aden and ...
*
4th Queen's Own Hussars and
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars as
Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
*
3rd Royal Tank Regiment and
6th Royal Tank Regiment amalgamated as 3rd RTR
*
4th Royal Tank Regiment and
7th Royal Tank Regiment amalgamated as 4th RTR
*
5th Royal Tank Regiment and
8th Royal Tank Regiment amalgamated as 5th RTR
Infantry changes
The infantry of the line was to undergo major changes. Existing regiments were to be grouped in "brigades". Each brigade was to have a single depot with those of the individual regiments being reduced to the status of regimental headquarters. There was to be a reduction in the number of regular infantry battalions from 64 to 49 by the merging of pairs of regiments. The brigades and regiments were to be (with changes to 1966):
*
Brigade of Guards with HQ at
Caterham Barracks.
**
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
—Reduced from 3 to 2 battalions, 3rd being placed in Permanent S/A (Suspended animation), and reduced to No.3 (Inkerman) Company in 2nd Btn.
**
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...
—Reduced from 3 to 2 battalions, 3rd being placed in P S/As
**G Squadron,
22nd Special Air Service Regiment—Squadron formed and placed under the Brigade of Guards
*
Lowland Brigade with HQ at
Glencorse Barracks
**
The Royal Scots—Merger of 7th/9th (Highlanders) Btn and 8th TA battalions to become 8th/9th Btn
**
Royal Scots Fusiliers &
The City of Glasgow Regiment (Highland Light Infantry) amalgamated to form
Princess Margaret's Own (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment—all TA battalions of formers brought under command with original titles.
**
The King's Own Scottish Borderers—merger of 4th and 5th TA Btns, to become 4th/5th Battalion
*
Home Counties Brigade with HQ at
Howe Barracks
**
The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment and
The East Surrey Regiment amalgamated into
The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment—5th and 6th (Bermondsey) Btns of
The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment transferred with former titles, and merged with 23rd London Regiment and 6th Btn
The East Surrey Regiment to form 3rd and 4th battalions in 1961.
**
The Queen's Own (Royal Kent Regiment) Buffs—formed by amalgamation of the
Royal East Kent Regiment (Buffs) and
The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, all TA battalions of formers brought under command with original titles.
**
The Duke of Cambridge's Own Middlesex Regiment—8th and new 5th Btns formed.
*
Lancastrian Brigade with HQ at
Fulwood Barracks, moving to
Formby
Formby is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under ...
in 1960.
**
The King's Liverpool Regiment and
The Manchester Regiment amalgamated to form
The King's Manchester and Liverpool Regiment—all TA battalions of the former regiments brought under command with former titles
**
The East Lancashire Regiment and
The Prince of Wales's South Lancashire Volunteers amalgamated to form
The Prince of Wales's Lancashire Volunteers—all TA battalions of the former regiments brought under command with former titles
**
The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and
The Border Regiment amalgamated to form
The King's Own Royal Border Regiment—all TA battalions of the former regiments brought under command with former titles but amalgamated into single 4th/5th Btn in 1961
*Yorkshire and Northumberland Brigade, renamed to
Yorkshire Brigade upon formation of
Fusilier Brigade in 1958 with HQ at
Imphal Barracks
Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a moat. ...
moving to
Strensall Camp in 1960
**
Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (North) Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards)—2nd Battalion disbanded, 4th and 5th Btns amalgamated to form 4th/5th (Yorkshire Volunteers) Btn
**
The Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment—5th Btn reformed and subsequently amalgamated with 7th to form 5th/7th Btn, West Riding Btn formed in 1961 from 5th/7th
**
The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment and
The Duke of York's Own East Yorkshire Regiment amalgamated to form
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire—all TA battalions of the former regiments brought under command with former titles, 5th (WY) and 4th (EY) merged to form 3rd Btn in 1960, 7th Btn re-titled as Leeds Rifles 1961
*
Midland Brigade, renamed as
Forester Brigade in 1958 with HQ at
Budbrooke Barracks, brigade broken up in 1963
**
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment—no changes, renamed as
Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers in 1963 and year before moved to
Fusilier Brigade
**
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment—4th btn formed
cadre and subsequently merged with 5th Btn to form 4th/5th in 1961 in 1961, transferred to
East Anglian Brigade in 1963
**
The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment (The Sherwood Foresters)—5th and 8th battalions merged in 1961 to form 5th/8th Btn
*
East Anglian Brigade with HQ at
Gibraltar Barracks, all regular battalions merged into
The Royal Anglian Regiment (1st—4th Btns) in 1964 (changes below shown FROM 1959)
**
The Royal Norfolk Regiment and
The Suffolk Regiment merged into
1st (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk) East Anglian Regiment—all TA transferred under former titles,
Suffolk Regiment (Territorial Army) merged with
Cambridgeshire Regiment to form
The Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Regiment 1961, all TA transferred to corps of
Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964
**
Royal Lincolnshire Regiment and
Northamptonshire Regiment amalgamated to form
2nd (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire) East Anglian Regiment—all TA transferred under former titles all TA transferred to the corps of
Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964
**
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment and
Essex Regiment amalgamated to form
3rd (Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex) East Anglian Regiment—all TA transferred under former titles, 5th (Bed) and 1st (Hert) merged to form
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (Territorial Army) 1961, all TA transferred to the corps of
Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964
*
Wessex Brigade with HQ at
Wyvern Barracks
**
The Royal Hampshire Regiment—4th Btn disbanded
**
Devonshire Regiment
The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, ...
and
Dorset Regiment
The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the List of British Army regiments (1881), county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although ...
amalgamated to form
The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment—TA units renamed as former regiments:
The Devonshire Regiment (1st Rifle Volunteers) and
The Dorset Regiment (Territorial Army)
**
Princess Charlotte of Wales's Royal Berkshire Regiment and
The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment amalgamated to form
The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment—TA units transferred under former titles
*
Light Infantry Brigade with HQ at Strensall Camp
**
Prince Albert's Somerset Light Infantry and
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry amalgamated to form
The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry—TA transferred and took titles of former regulars:
The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) (Territorial Army) and
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (Territorial Army)
*
Mercian Brigade with HQ at
Whittington Barracks
**
The South Staffordshire Regiment and
The Prince of Wales's North Staffordshire Regiment amalgamated to form
The Prince of Wales's Staffordshire Regiment—5th (NS) disbanded 1961 and merged with
cadre of 5th Btn to form 5th/6th Btn 1961
*
Welsh Brigade with HQ at
The Barracks, Brecon moving to
Cwrt y Gollen in 1960
**
The Royal Welch Fusiliers—2nd Btn disbanded, 6th and 7th Btns merged to form 6th/7th Btn
**
The Welsh Regiment—6th Btn reformed
*
North Irish Brigade with HQ at
St Lucia Barracks, moving 1960 to
Thiepval Barracks, 1962:
Ebrington Barracks, and 1966:
St Patrick's Barracks
**
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers—2nd Btn disbanded
*
Highland Brigade with HQ at
Gordon Barracks
**
The Duke of Albany's Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) and
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders amalgamated to form
The Queen's Own Seaforth and Cameron Highlanders—TA units transferred without change of titles
**
Gordon Highlanders—4th/7th and 5th/6th Btns merged to form 3rd Btn 1961
*
Green Jackets Brigade with HQ at
Peninsula Barracks
**
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry renamed as 1st (Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire) Green Jackets—4th Btn disbanded and concurrently renamed as
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Territorial Army)
**
The King's Royal Rifle Corps renamed as 2nd (King's Royal Rifle Corps) Green Jackets—2nd Btn disbanded,
Queen Victoria's Rifles and
Queen's Westminsters amalgamated to form
Queen's Royal Rifles 1961 as TA affiliated unit
**
Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade renamed as 3rd (The Rifle Brigade) Green Jackets—
London Rifle Brigade and
The Rangers amalgamated to form
London Rifle Brigade/Rangers 1960, and
City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) moved under command 1956, moving out 1961
*
Fusilier Brigade with HQ at
St George's Barracks moving to
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
1960 and back in 1966
**
The City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)—8th Btn renamed as
The City of London Battalion 1961
**
The Lancashire Fusiliers—2nd Btn disbanded
Royal Artillery changes
The Royal Artillery saw many changes, mostly in the way of AA units. When AA command was disbanded in 1955, many of the regular AA units were not disbanded like their Territorial counterparts, but disbanded in 1958/62.
*
Royal Horse Artillery
**
2nd Field Regiment transferred to
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
as
2nd Field Rgt
**
4th Field Regiment disbanded 1961, batteries transferred to
7th Parachute Rgt RHA, reformed in
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
as
4th Regiment Royal Artillery
**
5th Field Regiment transferred to
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
as
5th Regiment Royal Artillery
**
7th Parachute Regiment formed 1961 from 4th RHA and 31st RA
*
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
**
2nd Field Regiment formed from 2nd RHA
**
5th Field Regiment formed from 5th RHA
** 10th Anti-Tank Regiment disbanded, personnel transferred to 5th RA 1958
** 15th Medium Regiment disbanded, personnel to 21st Medium Rgt 1958
** 23rd Field Regiment placed in suspended animation, personnel to 32nd Medium and 42nd Field Rgts 1958
** 31st (Driver) Training Regiment placed in suspended animation 1961
** 33rd Parachute Light Regiment disbanded to form 7th Parachute Rgt RHA 1961
** 41st Field Regiment placed in suspended animation, personnel to 49th Field 1961
** 47th (Field) Guided Weapons Regiment reformed 1957
** 48th Field Regiment placed in suspended animation 1959, disbanded 1962
** 51st Coast Regiment disbanded 1958
** 52nd Locating Regiment placed in suspended animation 1958, disbanded 1962
** 58th Medium Regiment disbanded 1959
** 61st Field Regiment disbanded 1959, personnel to 45th Regiment
** 64th Training Regiment disbanded 1962
** 67th Selection Regiment disbanded 1957
** 68th Selection Regiment placed in suspended animation 1961, disbanded 1962
*
Anti-Aircraft Command (Anti-Aircraft Command or AA Command was disbanded in 1955, but most regular AA units were disbanded in 1957 or 1958)
** 21st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment placed in suspended animation 1964
** 30th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment placed in suspended animation, 1958 personnel to 24th and Junior Leaders Rgts
** 35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment disbanded 1958
** 38th (Signallers and Technical Anti-Aircraft) Training Regiment placed in suspended animation 1960, personnel to Junior Leaders and 31st Training Regiments
** 43rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment placed in suspended animation 1959
** 44th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment placed in suspended animation, personnel to 32nd Medium Rgt 1958]
** 46th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment placed in suspended animation 1958
** 53rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment disbanded 1957
** 54th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation in 1958, disbanded 1962
** 55th Royal Artillery Training Regiment suspended animation in 1958, disbanded 1962
** 56th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation 1958
** 57th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation in 1960
** 72nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment disbanded 1958
** 74th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation 1958
** 77th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation 1958
** 80th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment suspended animation 1958 disbanded 1962
The
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
would be reduced by approximately 15,000 officers and men, with divisional engineer regiments to be replaced by field squadrons. The
Royal Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...
was to lose 13,000 soldiers by reduction of second-line units. Some of the work of the
Royal Army Service Corps was to pass to civilian contractors, allowing a loss of 18,000 men. The
Royal Army Ordnance Corps was to lose 11,000 soldiers, and was to be organised more efficiently with a large number of depots closed. The
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers".
History
Prior t ...
was to lose 23,000 soldiers. Other arms and services were to be reduced in proportion.
Ending of air branch RNVR
Since 1938 the Air Branch of the
Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve had been contributing reservists for air operations. From 1947 it had been curtailed to anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and fighter units only — there being a large number of propeller aircraft still in use. The increasing complexity of weapons system and the use of helicopters for ASW was thought to be beyond what reservist training could manage. With the ending of the Air branch, the
Short Seamew was no longer required and production was cancelled.
References
External links
15 March 1957 Draft copy of 1957 Defence White Paper30 March 1957 Draft Copy of 1957 Defence White Paper*https://archives.nato.int/reorganization-of-united-kingdom-armed-forces;isad - REORGANIZATION OF UNITED KINGDOM ARMED FORCES - statement by UK representative to NATO allies, including details of drawdown of I (BR) Corps and 2nd TAF.
{{UK Defence Review
1957 documents
Defence White Paper
Defence white papers
1957 in military history
1957 in British politics
20th-century military history of the United Kingdom