c1980s 6 Field Force Headquarters Printed Cloth Formation Sign Badge

6 Field Force printed yellow Pegasus on blue Background Cloth Formation Sign patch. Facing right as worn by HQ Personnel. Removed from uniform neatly.

6 Field Force was formed on 1 April 1977 in Aldershot on the re-designation of 16 Parachute Brigade to provide the United Kingdom Mobile Force (UKMF) role previously held by 3 Division which had been moved to Germany to become an armoured Division under the Army Restructuring Plan 1975.

6 Field Force was a UK based regular army and TAVR strategic reserve to move immediately to Germany to reinforce British Army of the Rhine BAOR in Denmark or Northern Italy in the event of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

HQ 16th Parachute Brigade and 216 Parachute Signal Squadron amalgamated on 1 April 1977 to form the new integrated 6th Field Force HQ and Signal Squadron. 6th Field Force retained a parachute battalion group with a limited airborne role to provide a rapid intervention force known as 6 Field Force Parachute Contingency Force of initially one parachute battalion in 1977 and then two by 1981. One of the three regular army para battalions was always deployed to Northern Ireland on rotation and 3 Para was assigned to 5 Field Force and 7 Field Force. 6 Field Force was allocated 1 Para 1977 to April 1978 and 2 Para March 1981 until being reassigned to the new 5 Infantry Brigade in 1982. The three TA parachute battalions were not permanently assigned to 6 Field Force until the event of war. 6 Field Force had supporting arms including artillery guided weapons armoured recce 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers AAC squadron transport squadron 6 Field Force Ordnance Company 81 and 82 Airborne Ord Companies field workshop 6 Field Force Ambulance from Parachute Clearing Troop PCT and 16 Field Ambulance and a provost company. With these changes many previously elite Airborne Corps and Supporting Arms units lost their parachute capability and the coveted red beret.

When the Task Force Field Force concept was developed in 1976 it was assumed that advances in communications technology would allow more than just the traditional 3-4 battle groups to be controlled by a single Brigade headquarters. However it was discovered that the advances in technology did not increase speed of decision-making on the part of the Brigadier and as a consequence the Field Forces were converted back into Infantry Brigades in 1982.

6 Field Force was duly disbanded on being reorganised and renamed 5 Infantry Brigade.

The Formation Sign facing right was worn right arm by HQ staff and facing left version was worn on the left arm by assigned Battalions and Support Units.

Code: 171