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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>http://www.nivetsannex.com/ROH/certs/M0833.pdf</ref> 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]] 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 of men joining in other groups such as from the same work force 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" />
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