The Veteran Issue 7
The Quarterly Magazine of the Alicante Branch of the Royal British Legion, issue 7 September 2022
The Quarterly Magazine of the Alicante Branch of the Royal British Legion, issue 7 September 2022
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
'We Served'<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
Ulster<br />
Defence<br />
Regiment<br />
Origins<br />
In 1969, civil unrest was starting to<br />
escalate in Northern Ireland. <strong>The</strong><br />
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)<br />
and Ulster Special Constabulary<br />
(USC) were proving overstretched,<br />
Hamish McConnachie served with the 3rd (County<br />
Down) Bn <strong>The</strong> Ulster Defence Regiment as Signals<br />
Permanant Staff Instructor from 1989 to 1991<br />
ineffective and mistrusted by the Catholic community. In the wake of riots, the Hunt<br />
Report - providing advice on policing in Northern Ireland - recommended a locally<br />
recruited 4,000-man part-time non-sectarian force to take over military duties from the<br />
RUC and replace the USC. An act of parliament to form this new unit came into force in<br />
January 1970.<br />
Role<br />
<strong>The</strong> UDR’s main tasks were guarding key points, patrolling, surveillance, and manning<br />
vehicle check points. As they were recruited from the community where they served, they<br />
were never used for crowd control or riot duties.<br />
Over 190 UDR soldiers were killed on active service, the vast majority by Republican<br />
paramilitaries. Another 61 were killed after leaving the regiment.<br />
19
Change language