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{{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
|image= Crest of the Ulster Defence Regiment
|caption=
|dates= 1970–1992
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch= {{flagicon image|Flag of the British Army
|type= [[Infantry battalion]]
|role= Internal Security
|size= 750
|current_commander=
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|garrison_label=Regimental Headquarters
|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|march=
|anniversaries=
|motto= ''"[[Quis Separabit]]"'' ({{small|Latin}})<br />''"Who Shall Separate Us?"''
|
|commander1_label= Colonel Commandant
|commander2=Colonel Sir [[Dennis Faulkner]] CBE
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}}
'''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|page=129747|date=29 December 1969}}</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 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>
==History==
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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>
During the 1974 [[Ulster Workers' Council strike]], 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
===Early operations===
[[File:Soldiers of 1 UDR on parade at Steeple Camp, Antrim.jpg|thumb|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
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==
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===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 |
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
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" />
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==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
[[Category:Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment]]▼
[[Category:Military history of County Antrim]]
▲[[Category:Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
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