Speirs demanded all comments about my English wife be eliminated44 and states this is all I care about.45 Again he mentions, she was not, as you stated a widow at our marriage.46 Speirs writes, she was a wonderful person.47, The passenger manifest of the Queen Mary shows Speirs leaving England in January of 1946 as a Company Commander with 82nd Airborne Division. These three British Infantry regiments share a history and tradition as pioneers and innovators. Discover more about The Royal Green Jackets by visiting The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum in Winchester. Speirs was reassigned to D Company of the 2nd Battalion prior to the invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and later assigned as commander of E Company during an assault on Foy, Belgium after the siege of Bastogne was broken during the Battle of the Bulge. In 1958, he became the American governor of the Spandau Prison in Berlin, where prominent Nazis such as Rudolf Hess were imprisoned. We are taking you back to 1977 in this next documentary, it follows three months in the life of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Green Jackets (also known as the Black Mafia) as they move from their Dover barracks for a tour of duty at the Tower of London. View the profiles of people named Robert Speirs. Martha and their five children boarded the SS Winifredian in Liverpool on 13th December, 1924,9 sailing for Boston to be reunited with Robert. "Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 18911943," database with images, FamilySearch (, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:23XG-W15, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronald_Speirs&oldid=1151899605, United States Army personnel of World War II, United States Army personnel of the Korean War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 22:59. He shot one of his own sergeants between the eyes for getting drunk. By the end of the 18th century European armies often included infantry specialised in the roles of skirmishing and reconnaissance. His final assignment was at the Pentagon. Speirs, then the commander of D Company, sprinted to Dike and blurted out, Im taking over. With Speirs now in charge, Easy Company surged into Foy and took the town. "First time @NAM_London today. They became the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of a new regiment, The Royal Green Jackets. He doted on his grandchildren, taking them to the park. The information proved of great value to his unit. On 1 January 1966, in a period of much change in the structure of the Infantry and impending strength reductions, these Regiments chose to forego their independent titles and form a large regiment of three battalions The Royal Green Jackets. He also stated his wife was never a widow to begin with and that he had always loved her. By this time, Robert was a journeyman engineer. There I met my English wife who was a member of the ATS, the British womens service.20 They married in the local village church of St Michaels at Aldbourne, where fellow paratroopers Lt Fredrick Heyliger and Lt Herbert Viertel acted as witnesses to the marriage.21, The girl Speirs married was a spinster and her marriage to Speirs was her first.22,23,24,25 After the war ended, she decided she could not bear to leave her close knit family to go to live in America.26 It is known that Speirs was terribly upset by this turn of events.27 It is also known that Speirs said she was the love of his life, and that he clearly always loved her.28,29, This marriage produced a son who was to be Speirs only child.30 Speirs never lost contact with his son Robert and remained a presence in his son life. His three beautiful children are my pride and joy." Speirs made the military his career. He was initially assigned as a platoon leader in B Company of the 1st Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The 43rd(Monmouthshire Light Infantry) and the 52nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry) fought at the Siege of Badajoz. Contents 1 History 2 Traditions 3 Amalgamations of 2007 4 Battle honours 5 Uniform 6 Notable members 7 Alliances 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History In his letter Speirs states he is 71 years old. When the future Duke of Wellington landed in Portugal in 1808, the5/60th was the first unit ashore at Mondego Bay. In 1966, the three regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade - 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd), 2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps and 3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade - were amalgamated. It is unclear if Speirs had a life partner between his divorce in 1966 and final marriage which took place in 1987 when he was 67 years old. The Generals last words were: 'we shall learn better how to do it next time. The British Army was expanded and reduced to suit the needs of the moment. Cold war Rifleman in NBC protective gear. Speirs again warned the sergeant, who now levelled his rifle at Speirs. The ship docked at Boston Harbour on Christmas morning, 1924.10. It has since served in several conflicts, including the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hello we are the Royal Green Jackets. CMTC for the infantry was held at Great Diamond Island in Portland, Maine.16, After finishing high school, Ronald went on to study at Bentley College, graduating with a certificate in accounting17 which enabled him to find employment as a junior accountant.18, Ronald Speirs first marriage took place on 20th May 1944 to an English girl he met whilst stationed in Aldbourne, Wilshire, England.19 Speirs recalled, before the invasion, I was sent down to Winchester to set up a camp for an infantry division coming up from Africa. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - 8th September 2022. [citation needed]. Simply enter your email address below to start receiving our monthly email newsletter. This regiment was formed in 1756 and was one of the first in the British Army to be equipped with rifles. Designed with the highest levels of protection, the unique JCB HMEE (High Mobility Engineer Excavator) is self-deployable, has a top speed of 90kph and is air-transportable by Hercules C-130. Thanks for watching. 1977This production is for viewing purposes only and should not be reproduced without prior consent. Captain Gross was killed in battle the next day, and the incident was never pursued. It was gazetted under the new title of The Rifle Corps. Please use a different web browser. As a rifle company commander,[citation needed] he was part of his battalion's mission to secure the drop zone; forty to fifty enemies were killed and wounded by the battalion. Hello we are the Royal Green Jackets. REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS ROYAL GREEN JACKETS RHQ RGJ Peninsula Barracks Romsey Road Winchester S023 8TS Telephone: Winchester (01962) 828524 Fax: (01962) 828500 Colonel I.H. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43rd & 52nd), The Kings Royal Rifle Corps (60th) and The Rifle Brigade (95th) were amalgamated in 1966 to form The Royal Green Jackets. Other deployments included Gibraltar for 2nd Battalion (1975), West Berlin for 3rd Battalion (1975-77) and Hong Kong for 1st Battalion (1978). And Jim Lahey can fuck off. The 2nd Battalion led Wellington`s army into Paris in 1815. Two years later, the regiment was brigaded together with The Light Infantry, another newly formed unit, under the administrative umbrella of the Light Division. Robert Speirs, Ronalds father, was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1882.3 His engineering career began as a young man when he became an apprentice engineer fitter in the Glasgow area.4 Around this time, Robert met Martha McNeil. Born in 1920, Speirs would have been 71 years old in 1991 not in 1981. Within six months the Corps had proved its worth and ceased to be experimental. This rifle regiment was formed in 1800 and was one of the first to undergo light infantry training. It was renumbered the 52nd a year later. The new 1st Battalion was in Cyprus from 1993 to 1996. With the sword fitted to the rifle, the overall weapon was the same length as a musket with bayonet attached. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Speirs (1945 - d.) - Genealogy Lieutenant Colonel Robert Speirs Back to Speirs surname View Complete Profile view all Immediate Family Robert's mother mother By US Army - US Army http://www.band-of-brothers.nl/artikel/vet_vet_speirs.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8571418 After the capture of Ciudad Rodrigo, Lieutenant Gurwood of the 52nd received the French Governor's sword in surrender. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43rd & 52nd),The Kings Royal Rifle Corps (60th)andThe Rifle Brigade (95th)were amalgamated in 1966 to form The Royal Green Jackets. He was the last commander of the legendary Easy Co, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne (the Band of Brothers), and led the company longer than well-known Lt. Dick Winters. The battalion's successors continue to be part of the British Army as part of The Rifles, Royal Corps of Signals (until 2005), and the Army Air Corps. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. The short 41 year history of the Royal Green Jackets began and ended with battalions on operational duty, in 1966 in Borneo, in 2007 in Iraq. Donalds final departure from this life shewed him a worthy specimen of his country, and his methodical arrangements, while they prove what I have stated, may, at the same time, serve as a model for Joe Hume himself, when he comes to cast up his last earthly accounts. All three battalions of The Royal Green Jackets had multiple postings in West Germany and Northern Ireland between 1966 and 1992. On 1 FEBRUARY 2007 the following Battalions were redesignated The Rifles: 288-9: "On the morning following the storming of Badajoz: Of the doomed, who still survived, was poor Donald McPherson, a gigantic Highlander of about six feet and a half, as good a soul as ever lived; in peace a lamb - in war a lion. Moore was killed in the final battle but his army was able to embark and return to England. The name Ron Speirs will always be associated with deeds done during WWII, he said. Hearing that their support was urgently needed in Spain, they set out on a forced march of 250 miles to join Wellington's army at Talavera. Includes Address (3) Phone (9) Email (22) See Results. [2]:83[3]:88[4]:69, Speirs' platoon spent the night of 6 June being shuffled in position with other platoons as the company was arranged for battle to begin early the next morning. Swift and Bold. This was the first British unit to be dressed in a green jacket and armed with a rifle in place of the smoothbore musket. Robert and Martha left Glasgow in 1908 as Robert went to work at the shipyard in Devonport, Plymouth, England. He later became the American governor for Spandau Prison in Berlin. His English mother died some years ago. [3]:187 Winters stated that Speirs was alleged on one occasion to have killed six German prisoners of war with a Thompson submachine gun and that the battalion leadership must have been aware of the allegations, but chose to ignore the charges because of the pressing need to retain qualified combat leaders. 1st Battalion The Light Infantry into 5th Battalion The Rifles. We are able to bring you these interesting documentaries, which would otherwise be held in a vault, or away from public view because we purchase commercial licenses often at considerable expense.. The Royal Green Jackets Association Photographic Site Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - 8th September 2022. Whilst in Plymouth, Robert and Martha had had three daughters and a son.7 The family left Devon and moved back to Scotland in 1918 and it was during this time, in Edinburgh, that Ronald was born. * Ronald Speirs wrote a letter to Stephen Ambrose which he dated 29/01/1981. Both battalions returned to the United Kingdom by 2002 and in 2003 the 1st Battalion served on Operation Telic 2 in Iraq. He emigrated with his family to the United States, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 December 1924. 1st Battalion Dorset and Devonshire Light Infantry, and 1st Battalion Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry into 1st Battalion The Rifles. The rifle battalions fought in this formation at the opening battles of bidos and Rolia but. They began in the eighteenth century to improve tactics and training, mobility and marksmanship, equipment, personnel-management and individual initiative. June 30, 2022 . DiMarzio, who was lying in a prone position next to a sergeant, stated he remembered the sergeant being drunk. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions were also based in West Germany, Osnabrck (1RGJ), Minden (2RGJ) and Celle (3RGJ). It also saw action in Bosnia and Kosovo during the Yugoslav Wars. Under the 1982 Defence White Paper, a small reduction was made . 1st Lt. Donald McPherson of the 95thwas severely wounded during the storming of Badajoz, 6th April 1812. The battle honours of the Royal Green Jackets were therefore worn on the regimental cap badge. The reason goes far beyond shooting [the sergeant] because he was drunk.. The Ox & Bucks would become the 1st Green Jackets (43rd & 52nd . In 1992, 1st Battalion was disbanded. In contrast to his nearly super-human deeds of toughness, Speirs had a softer side. On 8th July 1755 a column of British redcoats under General Braddock were ambushed by the French. In 1741, the 54th Regiment of infantry was raised, with its headquarters at Winchester. Brutal and death-defying stories abound about Speirs: Speirs nicknames included Bloody and Killer, but is the reputation valid? 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets formed from the 4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) and the Buckinghamshire Battalion, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 10:16. news. [3]:272, Winters assessed Speirs as being one of the finest combat officers in the battalion. Royal Green Jackets Association Contact Webmaster Samus Lyons, Requests for Access to Personal Data Held by the Ministry of Defence. The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry ). Welcome to the Royal Green Jackets and Former Regiments Photographic History pages. The three regiments that merged to form The Royal Green Jackets were: These regiments had a history of cooperation and comradeship dating back to the actions of the Light Division during the Peninsular War and had come together in 1958 to form The Green Jacket Brigade; the exploits and history of these Regiments are set out in the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum. The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). Swift and Bold. Jim Lahey is a drunk, bald bastard number one: he can fuck off, and number two: he can fuck off. [7], The regiment was classed as a 'rifle' regiment, having its lineage in the regiments of foot that were equipped with the first Baker rifles. The troubles in Northern Ireland saw battalions frequently stationed in Ulster or sent there on short emergency tours of duty to support the police against terrorism. Speirs was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1920 and spent his first few years there. He finished the war in the European Theater as a captain. His actions were in accordance with the highest standards of military service. In the intervening years Green Jacket Riflemen served around the world; in mechanised formations in Germany facing the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War; as part of the garrisons stationed in Berlin, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Gibraltar; on peace keeping duties with the United Nations and in the United Kingdom formations designated as Rapid Deployment forces. In 1803, the 43rd and 52nd were chosen to form the first Corps of Light Infantry and joined with the 95th Rifles (later The Rifle Brigade) to constitute the Light Brigade under the command of Sir John Moore. When Napoleon's armies invaded Spain and threatened Lisbon in 1808, the 43rd and 52nd were in Wellesley's force sent to oppose them. It was brigaded with the 95th. [1], On 24 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence announced that the regiment would be amalgamated with The Light Infantry, the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry to form a single large regiment to be called The Rifles. It continued in British Army service until 2007, when it was amalgamated into The Rifles. Robert Speirs Vice President, Operations at Bob Evans Columbus, OH Bob Evans, +5 more SCSU Robert Speirs Director / Principal Ecologist at Capital Ecology Pty Ltd Gungahlin Capital Ecology Pty. If they caught enemies, their unofficial orders were to take no prisoners. Infantry battalions began to include a light company of men chosen for tasks needing rapid reactions. The The sergeant refused and began to reach for his rifle. Parliament agreed and provided for the raising of the 60th Royal American Regiment of four battalions of American colonists. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! Throughout the war, Speirs was seen doing his duty, no matter the cost. McCausland - 01962. We play a variety of different games with a diverse community. Donald feared for nothing either in this world or the next; he had been true to man and true to his God, and he looked his last hour in the face like a soldier and a Christian! The four-page letter is dated June 11, 1945, and full of chatty news, not exactly the kind of letter a bloodthirsty killer would write. London Gazette: Died of wounds, 7 May 1812. In 1757, the 43rd moved to North America as part of Wolfe's force that captured Quebec. The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry ). They were married in 1908 5 and lived in Dalmuir, just outside Glasgow. Its first Colonel, Coote Manningham, helped shape the Light Infantry of the Army. As skirmishers and sharpshooters, they did not need to identify their fellows on the battlefield. in both print and TV. All rights reserved. Four companies of the 60th fought at the Battle of Albuera 1811. Thoroughly enjoyed it. He was initially assigned as a platoon leader in B Company of the 1st Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Japan surrendered before Speirs and Easy could be transferred to the Pacific Theater. Many years later, Ronald Speirs would write, my father was a Scotish Engineer who emigrated to the U.S. because of the lack of employment in the UK during the depression.8. All four future Green Jacket regiments fought at Vimeiro,the victory which forced the French to evacuate Portugal. 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Marcus Brothertons most recent book is A COMPANY OF HEROES, where he interviewed relatives of deceased E Co veterans. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. If you have photographs of your time in the Regiment (or of Fathers/Grandfathers/Uncles etc.) Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Charles Speirs (20 April 1920 11 April 2007) was a United States Army officer who served in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. This site uses cookies. That is much. In a 1992 letter written to Richard Winters, Speirs wrote that his first wife simply did not want to move to America with him and be away from her family in England. This British Army light infantry regiment was formed in 2007. Documentary about 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets. THE ROYAL GREEN JACKETS. The reorganisation into The Rifles took effect on 1 February 2007 with the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets becoming the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles and the 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets becoming 4th Battalion, The Rifles. 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