1st Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment: Difference between revisions

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Line 1: {{Short description\|Military unit}} {{See also\|Ulster Defence Regiment}}▼ {{See also\|List of battalions and locations of the Ulster Defence Regiment}}▼ {{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox military unit \|unit_name= 1st Battalion,<br />Ulster Defence Regiment \|image= ~~[[File:~~Crest of the Ulster Defence Regiment ~~Crest~~.~~png\|UDR Insignia]]~~svg \|caption= ~~Regimental~~Ulster ~~Insignia~~Defence Regiment insignia \|dates= 1970–1992 \|country={{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|branch= {{flagicon image\|~~BritishArmyFlag2~~Flag of the British Army.svg}}[[British Army]] \|type= [[Infantry battalion]] \|role= Internal Security \|size= 750 \|current_commander= \|~~Regimental Headquarters~~garrison= [[Lisburn]] \|garrison_label=Regimental Headquarters \|identification_symbol= \|identification_symbol_label= \|identification_symbol_2= \|identification_symbol_2_label= \|march=(Quick): [[Garryowen (air)\|Garryowen]] & Sprig of Shillelagh.<br /> (Slow): Oft in the Stilly Night \|anniversaries= \|motto= ''"[[Quis Separabit]]"'' ({{small\|Latin}})<br />''"Who Shall Separate Us?"'' \|~~commander1~~notable_commanders= First: [[John Anderson (British Army officer)\|General Sir John Anderson GBE, KCB, DSO]]. <br />Last: [[Charles Huxtable (British Army officer)\|General Sir Charles Huxtable, KCB, CBE, DL]] ~~Last: [[Charles Huxtable (British Army officer)\|General Sir Charles Huxtable, KCB, CBE, DL]]~~ \|commander1_label= Colonel Commandant \|commander2=Colonel Sir [[Dennis Faulkner]] CBE Line 25 ⟶ 29: }} '''1st (County Antrim) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (1 UDR)''' was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original [[battalion]]s specified in The [[Ulster Defence Regiment]] Act 1969, which received [[Royal Assent]] on 18 December 1969<ref>{{London Gazette\|issue=44996\|~~startpage~~page=129747\|date=29 December 1969~~\|accessdate=5 March 2009~~}}</ref> and was brought into force on 1 January 1970.<ref>[[Statutory Instrument]], 1969 No. 1860 (C. 58), The Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969 (Commencement) Order 1969</ref><ref>The New Law Journal, Volume 120, Part 1</ref> It was amalgamated with the [[9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment]] in ~~1991~~1984 to form the [[1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment]].<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Ulster Defence Regiment - Regiment History, War & Military Records & Archives\|url=https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/1501/ulster-defence-regiment\|access-date=2021-05-20\|website=www.forces-war-records.co.uk}}</ref>▼ ▲{{See also\|Ulster Defence Regiment}} ▲{{See also\|List of battalions and locations of the Ulster Defence Regiment}} ▲'''1st (County Antrim) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (1 UDR)''' was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original [[battalion]]s specified in The [[Ulster Defence Regiment]] Act 1969, which received [[Royal Assent]] on 18 December 1969<ref>{{London Gazette\|issue=44996\|startpage=129747\|date=29 December 1969\|accessdate=5 March 2009}}</ref> and was brought into force on 1 January 1970.<ref>[[Statutory Instrument]], 1969 No. 1860 (C. 58), The Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969 (Commencement) Order 1969</ref><ref>The New Law Journal, Volume 120, Part 1</ref> It was amalgamated with the [[9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment]] in 1991 to form the [[1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment]]. ==History== Along with the other six original battalions, 1 UDR commenced [[Duty\|operational duties]] on 1 April 1970. The first training major (TISO) was Major G.D. Issac of the [[Royal Regiment of Wales]], who established battalion headquarters at the Depot [[Royal Irish Rangers]], [[Ballymena]].<ref name="P p27">Potter p27</ref> Where possible accommodation was sought in army bases, as although the old [[Ulster Special Constabulary]] (its most notable division being the 'B-Specials') platoon huts were vacant and available., Toto have used those would have ~~attracted~~highlighted ~~criticism~~the ~~from~~42% ~~those~~continuity ~~who~~in ~~were~~personnel ~~already claiming that~~between the ~~UDR~~Specials ~~was~~and the ~~B Specials under a new name~~UDR.<ref name="P p27" /> One of the first major interventions by the battalion was to, along with elements of the [[3rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment\|3rd Battalion]], provide support for [[7th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment\|7 UDR]] in implementing the deployment of 31 vehicle checkpoints on all main roads leading into [[Belfast]] to prevent the ~~movements~~movement of munitions into the city centre.<ref name="P 49">Potter p49</ref> This was mainly done at weekends so that the part-time soldiers could be used day and night.<ref name="P 49" /> The battalion responded to a general call-out in August 1971 to support regular troops during the first [[Operation Demetrius\|internment]] sweep of [[the Troubles]]. In total, the entire regiment managed to provide 3,100 men during the call-out.<ref>Ryder p44</ref> InDuring the 1974 ~~during the~~ [[Ulster Workers' Council strike]] ~~the battalion~~, ~~along with the rest of~~ the regiment was placed on general call-out. Forty drivers from 1 UDR, 9 UDR and [[10th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment\|10 UDR]] were drafted into Belfast to assist the [[Royal Corps of Transport]].<ref name="P 131">Potter p131</ref> Over nine days, they logged up {{convert\|15,000~~ miles~~\|mi\|km}} in the process of delivering rations and supplies to military units throughout Northern Ireland, as well as meeting troop reinforcements arriving at Belfast docks and transporting them to their temporary camps.<ref name="P 131" /> ===Early operations=== [[File:Soldiers of 1 UDR on parade at Steeple Camp, Antrim.jpg\|thumb\|~~left~~right\|250px\|C Company, 1 UDR on parade at Steeple Camp, Antrim, Remembrance Sunday 1970.]] The experience of 1 UDR was the same as that of all battalions of the regiment in the early days. Because of equipment shortages patrols had to be carried out in private cars or in vehicles borrowed from other army units.<ref name="Gamble 133">Gamble 2009, p133</ref> Instead of torches, patrols carried [[Lantern#Modern ~~fueled~~ lanterns\|Hurricane Lamps]] which had to be lit by hand. These were eventually replaced by the Bardic torches carried by the regular army.<ref name="Gamble 133" /> The [[9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment\|9th (Country Antrim) Battalion]] was formed on 15 December 1971 from the companies of 1 UDR who were based in the southern half of Country Antrim. ===Intelligence=== Intelligence gathering within 1 UDR was good. The local community responded well and in particular, Catholics were keen to warn individual soldiers of threats to their lives or to phone information through to the barracks advising of potential "happenings" in the battalion area.<ref>Gamble 2009, p134</ref> ==Structure== Line 54 ⟶ 55: ===B Company=== B Company was formed in March 1970, in the former [[North Irish Horse]] barracks at John Street, Ballymoney.<ref name="Gamble 130">Gamble 2009, p130</ref> The first [[Officer Commanding]] (OC) was Major John Munnis, formerly the sub-district commander of the [[Ulster Special Constabulary]] (USC). Major Munnis was killed in a traffic accident in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.nivetsannex.com/ROH/certs/M0833.pdf \|title=M0833.pdf \|access-date=2013-07-27 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031354/http://www.nivetsannex.com/ROH/certs/M0833.pdf \|archive-date=2016-03-04 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Failed verification\|date=September 2019}} The [[Company sergeant major]] was [[Warrant Officer (United Kingdom)#British Army\|WO2]] Willy Mooney who had been a [[Sergeant\|sergeant instructor]] with the same USC unit. Soldiers in B Company were mostly drawn from the towns and villages of North Antrim such as: Ballymoney, [[Ballycastle, County Antrim\|Ballycastle]], [[Bushmills, County Antrim\|Bushmills]] and [[Dervock]].<ref name="Gamble 130" /> There was a high number of recruits who had been USC men (B Specials) who joined from these areas too, as well as from the village of [[Stranocum]], although ~~incidences~~incidents of men joining in other groups such as from the same ~~work force~~workforce or as neighbours were few.<ref name="Gamble 131">Gamble 2009, p131</ref> Entire families joined together and this created problems in dividing them up on patrol. There was a fear that two or more members of the same family could be killed or wounded if they were together in the same vehicle which was under attack.<ref name="Gamble 131" /> Line 85 ⟶ 86: ==Bibliography== Gamble, Ronnie. ''My Service Life'', 1939–1979: William (Bill) Balmer, 2009, Causeway Museum Service, {{ISBN \|978-0-9552286-4-3}} Potter, John Furniss. ''A Testimony to Courage – the Regimental History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969–1992'', [[Pen & Sword Books]] Ltd, 2001, {{ISBN \|0-85052-819-4}} *Ryder, Chris. ''The Ulster Defence Regiment: An Instrument of Peace?'', 1991 {{ISBN \|0-413-64800-1}} {{Campaignbox Northern Ireland Troubles}} Line 93 ⟶ 94: ==References== {{Reflist\|30em}} ~~{{reflist~~ ~~\| colwidth = 15em~~ ~~\| refs =~~ [[Category:Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment]]▼ }} ~~[[Category:Infantry regiments of the British Army]]~~ [[Category:Military history of County Antrim]] ~~[[Category:Defunct Irish regiments of the British Army]]~~ ▲[[Category:Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment]] [[Category:1970 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]