Figure 1.--The British Army was deployed in Ulster to maintain public order in the midst of the Troubls and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) campaign f terror. It was unlike any other operation conducted by the British Army in that there were large numberrs of children involved, both boys and girls. Some of the children were attracte out of interest. Others were taunting he soldiers. And some throwing rocks. he soldiers were in a quandry. Many of the children were very yung--often primary-school age. Yu culdn' shot them, but dealing wth themn was a constant problem. One Italian photohrapher describes a love-hate rekationship on the r of the teen-age girls. Photgraphr: Pulvio Grmalsi.

Operation Banner was the British Army security operation in Ulster during the Troubles (1969-2007). Amazingly, it became the longest continuous British military history. Given the duration and extent of the British Empire that is amazing. This action was considered when violence erupted between the newly formed Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and armed Republicans (1966). The British Government resisted for some time. Pressure steadily mounted as the the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and ‘B-Specials’ struggled to contain the mounting civil rights protests accompanied by sectarian violence (1968). British Army commanders were especially reluctant o deploy troops in notably dangerous urban environments packed with civilians. Then rioting, violence, and gun fights erupted in the Bogside area of Derry (August 1969). Te violence spread to cities in Northern Ireland which he RUC was unable to contain on its own. Security forces are able to contain such situations only if they have a clear preponderance of force. Once this is lost, he only option would be to resort to deadly force. This forced the Government's hand. The initial deployment was requested by hard-pressed RUC. The Army arrived to support the embattled RUC and help restore order and maintain the authority of the British Government. The Army actions included standard patrolling, guard duty, maintaining check points, as well as counter-insurgency operations. There was also riot control and bomb disposal. Some 0.3 million men eventually served in the Operation in the mealy four decades. At its peak some 21,000 British soldiers were active (1970s). Most were British, but there was a Irish regiment recruited--the Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR). They were opposed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) which conducted an irregular campaign against the British presence in Ulster (1970-97). Catholics at first welcomed the troops because they saw the RUC as both sectarian and brutal. It did not take long, however, for the relationship to sour. Any security force supporting British rule, given the animosity and tensions involved, almost inevitably was going to lead to clashes

Created: 10:31 PM 12/1/2024
Last updated: 10:31 PM 12/1/2024