The Red Devils are the British Parachute Regiment's parachute display team. The Red Devils are regular serving paratroopers from the four battalions of the Parachute Regiment who have volunteered to serve on the display team. Like other members of the regiment, they wear the maroon beret that designates airborne forces.
As the official parachute display team of the British Army, the team regularly perform at air shows[1][2][3][4] and other events.[5][6][7][8][9]
History
editColonel Edward Gardener created the team in 1964 as the Parachute Regiment Free Fall Team and was their commander in the first year.[10][11] They became the official parachute display team of the British Army in 1979.[9] Their name derives from the nickname given to members of the Parachute Regiment by German forces in the North African campaign of the Second World War; the paratroopers jumped wearing the Denison smock, whose rear flap gave the effect of a tail, and became coated in red earth on landing.[12]
In July 2022, two Red Devils team members broke the Guinness World Record for the largest flag down-planed while skydiving, measuring 450 square metres (4,800 sq ft).[13] In 2023, five team members pioneered a new stunt, 'the Pentagram', in which their parachutes are joined at a single point.[14][15]
At Whitehaven Air Show in June 2015, a team member became entangled during a stunt collision, but his partner was able to bring him safely to the ground.[16][17] In October 2022, a member of the team was killed in an unplanned manoeuvre while off-duty.[18]
Notable members
edit- Charles "Nish" Bruce (1978–1982).
References
edit- ^ Dominic Gates (15 July 2016). "Red Devils parachute into the Farnborough Air Show, carrying the flag". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Sean Gleaves (4 July 2023). "Blackpool Air Show: World-class parachute display team The Red Devils join August line-up". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Ben Tuffin (9 May 2024). "Witness the Red Devils: Aerial Excitement at Andover Armed Forces Day". Love Andover. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Matt Simpson (2 July 2024). "Bournemouth Air Festival: Red Devils returns after break". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Crowds flock to Epsom for Derby Day". BBC News. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Samrat Chakraborty (14 July 2019). "Watch: Parachute Team Delivers Official Match Ball In World Cup 2019 Final". NDTV Sports. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Lee Ferran (20 June 2022). "How to (safely) parachute into a baseball stadium". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "D-Day in the Forest: Red Devils in Mitcheldean". The Forester. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Army Parachute Display Teams". The British Army. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "The Red Devils Free Fall Team: unofficial historical website". Archived from the original on 18 July 2019.
- ^ Alex Candlin (30 May 2023). "Red Devils pay tribute after death of founder Colonel Edward Gardener". Forces.net. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Red Devils: How WWII paratroopers earned the nickname". Forces.net. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Red Devils break Guinness World Record". Forces.net. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Lesley Gale (24 August 2023). "Outrageous stunts: The Pentagram". Skydiving magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Aaron Harper (24 July 2023). "Netheravon's Red Devils skydive team achieve world first". Greatest Hits Radio Salisbury. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Laura Smith-Spark; Lucy Pawle (20 June 2015). "UK army parachutist rescues teammate after chute fail". CNN. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Red Devils team members relive moment parachute failed". The Observer. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Parachute stunt led to Red Devils death - coroner". BBC News. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Red Devils (Parachute Regiment) at Wikimedia Commons