British Army Order of Battle 1989

The following order of battle is extracted from regiments.org (specifically the location data extracted from the national archive), and a question in Parliamentary Hansard about the role of TA units.

The British Army had 2 Forward Edge of Battle Divisions, the 1^st and 4^th. These would be the “front line” of the BAOR. The 3^rd Division was the tactical reserve, without any major TA reinforcements, it was lighter, but much more mobile than the 1^st and 4^th. The 2^nd Division was the deep reserve, almost entirely TA, and totally airmobile, they would counter any major penetration.

The Strategic Reserve at home comprised 3 Brigades ready for deployment to world trouble spots. The 3^rd Commando Brigade was largely formed of Royal Marines and the 5^th Airborne Brigade was comprised of Paratroopers. The 1^st Infantry Brigade was the a home based Armour-Mechanised formation, and included the highest priority TA Battalion in the army, 1 Wessex, which had priority above the vast majority of regular units for equipment and training.

The regional forces were a general reserve. Of note is 54 Brigade, which on mobilisation of 2^nd Infantry Division assumed control of the 15 and 49 Brigade areas, and the remaining units.

In addition to the forces listed in Northern Ireland, there were also roulemont units pulled from other formations, usually 4 major units, including armoured and artillery units in the infantry role.

British Army of the Rhine (1^st British Army)

Corps Troops

4^th Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (From 49^th (Eastern) Infantry Brigade)

9^th/12^th Royal Lancers (Recce)

Berlin Brigade

1^st Battalion, King’s Regiment

1^st Battalion, Light Infantry

1^st Battalion, Royal Highland Fusiliers

1^st Battalion, Black Watch

Artillery Division

Various artillery regiments

8^th Battalion, Queen’s Fusiliers (From 56^th (London) Infantry Brigade)

1^st Armoured Division

1^st Queen’s Dragoon Guards (Recce)

4^th Battalion, Parachute Regiment

10^th Battalion, Parachute Regiment

15^th Battalion, Parachute Regiment

7^th Armoured Brigade (Fallingbostal, FRG)

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

2^nd Royal Tank Regiment

1^st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment

4^th Battalion, Royal Green Jackets (From 56^th (London) Infantry Brigade)

12^th Armoured Brigade (Osnabruck, FRG)

5^th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards

4^th Royal Tank Regiment

1^st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment

1^st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets

22^nd Armoured Brigade (Hohne, FRG)

Queen’s Own Hussars

1^st Battalion, Scots Guards

2^nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Celle)

4^th Armoured Division

16^th/5^th Queen’s Royal Lancers (Recce)

11^th Armoured Brigade (Minden, FRG)

3^rd Royal Tank Regiment (Hemer)

2^nd Battalion, Queen’s Regiment

3^rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment

1^st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

1/51^st Highland Volunteers (From 51^st (Highland) Infantry Brigade)

2/51^st Highland Volunteers (From 51^st (Highland) Infantry Brigade)

1/52^nd Lowland Volunteers (From 52^nd (Lowland) Infantry Brigade)

20^th Armoured Brigade (Detmold, FRG)

Blues and Royals

4^th/7^th Dragoon Guards

2^nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (Lemgo)

5^th Battalion, Queen’s Regiment (From 2^nd (SE) Infantry Brigade)

5^th/8^th Battalion, King’s Regiment (From 42^nd (NW) Infantry Brigade)

3^rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales (From 160^th (Welsh) Infantry Brigade)

33^rd Mechanised Brigade (Paderborn, FRG)

1^st Battalion, Royal Scots (Werle)

1^st Battalion, Queen’s Lancashire Regiment

1^st Battalion, Queen’s Own Highlanders

3^rd Armoured Division (Soest, FRG)

4^th Armoured Brigade (Munster, FRG)

14^th/20^th King’s Royal Hussars

15^th/19^th King’s Hussars

1^st Battalion, Grenadier Guards

6^th Armoured Brigade (Soest, FRG)

1^st Royal Tank Regiment (Hildersham, FRG)

2^nd Battalion, Light Infantry

3^rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Hemer, FRG)

1^st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders (Hemer, FRG)

19^th Mechanised Brigade (Colchester, UK)

17^th/21^st Lancers (Catterick)

1^st Battalion, King’s Own Royal Border Regiment

1^st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment

2^nd Infantry Division (York, UK)

4^th Battalion, Queen’s Lancashire Regiment (From 42^nd (Northwest) Infantry Brigade)

4^th Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers (From 107^th (Ulster) Infantry Brigade)

5^th Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers (From 107^th (Ulster) Infantry Brigade)

5^th Battalion, Royal Green Jackets (From 56^th (London) Infantry Brigade)

15^th (Northeast) Infantry Brigade (York, UK)

Queen’s Own Yeomanry (Recce) (Newcastle, UK)

6^th (Northumbrian) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Newcastle, UK)

1^st Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers (York, UK)

2^nd Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers (Hull, UK)

7^th (Durham) Battalion, Light Infantry (Durham, UK)

8^th (Yorkshire) Battalion, Light Infantry (Sheffield, UK)

49^th (Eastern) Infantry Brigade (Chilwell (Nottingham), UK)

Royal Yeomanry (London, UK)

5^th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Peterborough, UK)

7^th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Leicester, UK)

3^rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment (Wolverhampton, UK)

5^th (Shropshire and Herefordshire) Battalion, Light Infantry (Shrewsbury, UK)

5^th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Birmingham, UK)

24^th Airmobile Brigade (Catterick, UK)

1^st Battalion, Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire

1^st Battalion, Green Howards

United Kingdom Land Forces

Strategic Reserve

1^st Infantry Brigade (Tidworth, UK)

Royal Hussars (Tank)

13^th/18^th Royal Hussars (Recce)

1^st Battalion, Queen’s Regiment

1^st Battalion, Devon and Dorsets (Bulford)

1^st Battalion, Wessex Regiment (From 43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Brigade)

3^rd Commando Brigade (Poole, UK)

40 Commando, Royal Marines (Taunton, UK)

42 Commando, Royal Marines (Bickleigh, UK)

45 Commando, Royal Marines (Arbroath, UK)

5^th Airborne Brigade (Aldershot, UK)

Life Guards (Recce)

1^st Battalion, 2^nd Gurkha Rifles (Church Crookham)

1^st Battalion, Parachute Regiment

2^nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment

3^rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment

Headquarters, Northern Ireland

3^rd Infantry Brigade (Omagh, UK)

1^st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (Omagh, UK)

1^st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (Ballykinlar, UK)

2^nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Armagh, UK)

3^rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Down, UK)

11^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Craigavon, UK)

8^th Infantry Brigade (Londonderry, UK)

3^rd Battalion, Queen’s Regiment (Aldergrove, UK)

1^st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (Londonderry, UK)

1^st Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment (Ballykelly, UK)

4^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Fermanagh, UK)

5^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Londonderry, UK)

6^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Tyrone, UK)

8^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Tyrone, UK)

39^th Infantry Brigade (Lisburn, UK)

1^st Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons Regiment (Holywood, UK)

1^st/9^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Down, UK)

3^rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Co. Down, UK)

7^th/10^th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (Belfast, UK)

Regional Forces

2nd (Southeast) Infantry Brigade (Canterbury, UK)

1^st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

2^nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets

6^th/7^th Battalion, Queen’s Regiment

42^nd (Northwest) Infantry Brigade (Preston, UK)

Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry

3^rd Battalion, Light Infantry (Weeton)

1^st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (Chester)

43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Brigade (Winchester, UK)

Royal Wessex Yeomanry

2^nd Battalion, Wessex Regiment

3^rd Battalion, Devon and Cornwall Volunteers

6^th (Devon and Cornwall) Battalion, Light Infantry

51^st (Highland) Infantry Brigade (Edinburgh, UK)

1^st Battalion, Kings Own Scots Borderers (Edinburgh)

3^rd Battalion, Highland Volunteers

52^nd (Lowland) Infantry Brigade (Glasgow, UK)

2^nd Battalion, Lowland Volunteers

54^th (East Anglian) Infantry Brigade (Grantham, UK) – Formed from non 2 Div units

Queen’s Own Mercian Yeomanry

3^rd Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers

4^th Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers

6^th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment

3^rd Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters

56^th (London) Infantry Brigade (London, UK)

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

2^nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards

1^st Battalion, Coldstream Guards

2^nd Battalion, Scots Guards

1^st Battalion, Irish Guards

1^st Battalion Welsh Guards

107^th (Ulster) Brigade

All units BAOR committed

143^rd (West Midlands) Infantry Brigade (Shrewsbury, UK)

2^nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Bulford)

160^th (Welsh) Infantry Brigade (Cardiff, UK)

4^th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales

Training Establishments

Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars (Bovington, UK)

1^st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales (Warminster, UK)

Overseas

Brunei

1^st Battalion, 6^th Gurkha Rifles

1^st Battalion, 10^th Gurkha Rifles

Cyprus

2^nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards

Bermuda

Bermuda Regiment

Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands Defence Force

Gibraltar

3^rd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets

Gibraltar Regiment

Hong Kong

48^th Gurkha Brigade

1^st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment

2^nd Battalion, 2^nd Gurkha Rifles

1^st Battalion, 7^th Gurkha Rifles