| Unit Name: | Ulster Defence Regiment CGC |
| Dates: | 1970–1992 |
| Country: |  United Kingdom |
| Branch: | British Army |
| Type: | Infantry Regiment |
| Role: | Internal Security |
| Size: | 11 battalions (at peak) |
| Garrison: | Lisburn (1992) |
| Garrison Label: | Regimental Headquarters |
| March: | (Quick) Garryowen & Sprig of Shillelagh. (Slow) Oft in the Stilly Night |
| Motto: | "Quis Separabit" "Who Shall Separate Us?" |
| Ceremonial Chief: | General Sir John Anderson GBE, KCB, DSO |
| Ceremonial Chief Label: | Colonel in Chief |
| Colonel Of The Regiment: | Colonel Sir Dennis Faulkner CBE |
Ulster Defence Regiment battalions were located throughout Northern Ireland. The bases were a mix of regimental, battalion, company and platoon locations.
HQUDR was based at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn.[1] This location was also home to the 39 Infantry Brigade (39 Bde) and Headquarters Northern Ireland (HQNI).
The UDR's main training centre was located at Ballykinlar Army Base where the battalion headquarters of the 3rd (County Down) Battalion were also situated.[2]
| Name | Active | Bases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1970–1992 | Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn | |
| 1st (County Antrim) Battalion | 1970–1984 | BHQ HQ Coy & A Coy – Ballymena; B Coy – Ballymoney; C Coy – Antrim; D Coy – Lisburn; E Coy – Larne | |
| 1st/9th (County Antrim) Battalion | 1984–1992 | BHQ, HQ Coy, Antrim; A Coy, B Coy, G Coy, Ballymena; C Coy, D Coy, Antrim; E Coy, Larne/Carrickfergus, F Coy, Carrickfergus | |
| 2nd (County Armagh) Battalion | 1970–1991 | Drumadd Barracks, Armagh (replaced Gough Barracks which was taken over by the RUC); Loughall UDR Barracks; Glenane Barracks (destroyed in an IRA attack); Newtownhamilton RUC Station | |
| 2nd/11th (County Armagh) Battalion | 1991–1992 | Mahon Road Barracks, Portadown. Drumadd Barracks, Armagh. | |
| 3rd (County Down) Battalion | 1970–1992 | Ballykinlar
| |
| 4th (County Fermanagh) Battalion | 1970–1991 | Grosvenor Barracks, Enniskillen; Lisnaskea; Monea; St Angelo | |
| 4th/6th (County Fermanagh and County Tyrone) Battalion | 1991–1992 | ||
| 5th (County Londonderry) Battalion | 1970–1992 | Ballykelly
| |
| 6th (County Tyrone) Battalion | 1970–1991 | St Lucia Barracks, Omagh; The Deanery, Clogher; Castlederg; Strabane | |
| 7th (Belfast) Battalion | 1970–1984 | Palace Barracks
| |
| 7th/10th (City of Belfast) Battalion | 1984–1992 | Palace Barracks
| |
| 8th (County Tyrone) Battalion | 1971–1992 | Killymeal House, Dungannon; Cookstown UDR Barracks; Aughnacloy; | |
| 9th (Country Antrim) Battalion[3] | 1972–1984 | BHQ, HQ Coy, C Coy, Steeple Hill, Antrim; A Coy, F Coy, Carrickfergus; B Coy, D Coy, Lisburn; E Coy, Ballyclare | |
| 10th (City of Belfast) Battalion | 1972–1984 | Malone Road, Belfast; Carryduff | |
| 11th (Craigavon) Battalion | 1972–1991 | BHQ, A Coy, B Coy, E Coy, Mahon Barracks, Portadown; C Coy, Kitchen Hill Barracks, Lurgan; D Coy, Scarva Road Barracks, Banbridge; F Coy, Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn |
The regiment was reduced to nine battalions in 1984, then to seven in 1991. 9th (County Antrim) Battalion was formed in 1972 from two companies of the 1st Battalion. As part of the Options for Change review, it was amalgamated with 1 UDR again in 1991.
The dispersal of UDR soldiers into their areas of responsibility was through sub-barracks, as illustrated in the table below, which could hold several companies or perhaps just a platoon. Battalion Headquarters would be located in a major town (usually the county town but not always as some counties had two Battalions). Guarded by a permanent cadre of soldiers these barracks would become doubly active after 6 p.m. as part-time soldiers arrived for evening duties. After Ulsterisation began in 1976 many battalion headquarters eventually had full-sized permanent cadre companies attached and these would maintain a 24-hour presence in the battalion's Tactical Area of Responsibility. In each battalion area, sub headquarters units would maintain direct contact with their own men and Battalion HQ by radio. In many cases, the radios were operated by Greenfinches whose husbands or sons were out on patrol. This led to tense moments when mobile units or foot patrols came under attack and submitted a "contact report" (contact with the enemy) by radio.[4] [5]
An example of this structure can be seen in the make-up of 2 UDR based at Drummad Barracks in Armagh:
| Company | Part/Full-time | Base | Hours of duty | Number on duty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HQ Coy | Mixed | Armagh, Command, Control & Admin | Admin 9-5, Watchkeepers 24 hr | 9-5 = 15, 24hr = 5 | |
| A Coy | Full-time | Armagh | 24 | 35 | |
| B Coy | Part-time | Armagh/Newtownhamilton/Caledon | 7pm – 2am | 35 | |
| C Coy | Part-time | Glenanne | 7pm – 2am | 35 | |
| D Coy | Part-time | Loughgall | 7pm – 2am | 35 |
The raising of citizen militias has a history in Ireland stretching back to the creation of the Irish Militia in 1793. The Militia itself was officially disbanded in 1908 and replaced with the Territorial Force[6] (in Ireland, it was called the Special Reserve and, after the Great War, the Supplementary Reserve),[7] which later became the Territorial Army.
Some battalions of the Irish Militia remained on the Army list (in name only) until 1953 as part of the Territorial Army; The 5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers:[8] 6th Royal Ulster Rifles and 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers.
The raising of the Ulster Defence Regiment followed the practice of raising citizen militias in Ireland for two reasons:
The raising of battalions on a county basis followed the pattern of raising militias. There were, however, several exceptions with the UDR. Belfast was not a county borough in 1793 and previous militia units in County Londonderry did not use a county or city suffix and were simply known as "Derry" or "Londonderry".
The county connections are: