9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment
{{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= 9th (County Antrim) Battalion
Ulster Defence Regiment
|image= Insignia of the Ulster Defence Regiment.svg
|caption= Ulster Defence regiment crest
|dates= 1972–1984
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|branch= {{flagicon image|Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg}}British Army
|type= Infantry battalion
|role= Internal Security
|size= 750
|current_commander=
|garrison=Lisburn
|garrison_label=Regimental Headquarters
|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|march=(Quick) Garryowen & Sprig of Shillelagh.
(Slow) Oft in the Stilly Night
|anniversaries=
|motto= "Quis Separabit" ({{small|Latin}})
"Who Shall Separate Us?"
|commander1= First: General Sir John Anderson GBE, KCB, DSO.
Last: General Sir Charles Huxtable, KCB, CBE, DL
|commander1_label= Colonel Commandant
|commander2=Colonel Sir Dennis Faulkner CBE
|commander2_label=Colonel of the Regiment
}}
The 9th (County Antrim) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from two companies of the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment creating a second battalion in County Antrim. It was amalgamated with 1 UDR in 1984 to form 1/9 UDR.
History
The battalion was formed in 1972 from the two companies of the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment who were based in the south of the county, creating a second battalion in County Antrim.Potter p63 Battalion headquarters, HQ Company and one other were based at Steeple Camp, Antrim, a remnant of World War II beside the railway station. Two companies were based in Lisburn and one at Carrickfergus.
The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel "Paddy" Liddle who had previously been a part-time company commander with the 1st (County Antrim) Battalion. Liddle has seen wartime service with the Royal Ulster Rifles and had attended Army Staff College. He was the only UDR officer to be promoted into battalion command.Potter p64
File:Former Grand Central Hotel, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 628907.jpg
The battalion was mobilised, along with the rest of the regiment, for Operation Motorman. The UDR provided 5300 soldiers in support of the regular army. After this there was a battalion mobilisation of 9 UDR to help guard the new Belfast city centre segment. This was a zone in the commercial heart of Belfast where 41 streets had been sealed off with barbed wire entanglements and steel fences to prevent explosives being brought in. No cars could be parked there and all shoppers and workers entering the few open streets being searched. Accommodation was found for them in the former Grand Central Hotel in Royal Avenue which was being used as an army base for the city centre.Ryder p54
Uniform, armament & equipment
See: Ulster Defence Regiment Uniform, armament & equipment
Greenfinches
{{See also|Ulster Defence Regiment#Women's UDR (Greenfinches)}}
Casualties
Lance Corporal L. Colin Houston, aged 30, was killed at his home in Dunmurry by gunmen from the Irish National Liberation Army on 20 January 1984. Lance Corporal Houston died in his wife's arms. He had only recently joined the training team at the UDR's Ballykinlar Training Camp.{{Cite web|url=http://www.palacebarracksmemorialgarden.co.uk/archive/UDR%20Training%20Camp.htm|title=Palace Barracks Memorial Garden - Northern Ireland, Falklands Islands, Felix Memorial Garden.}}
Notable personnel
See also
Bibliography
- A Testimony to Courage – the Regimental History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969 – 1992, John Potter, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2001, {{ISBN|0-85052-819-4}}
- The Ulster Defence Regiment: An Instrument of Peace?, Chris Ryder 1991 {{ISBN|0-413-64800-1}}
- Lost Lives, David McKittrick, Mainstream, 2004, {{ISBN|184018504X}}
{{Campaignbox Northern Ireland Troubles}}
{{The Troubles|state=collapsed}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Category:Military history of County Antrim
Category:Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment
Category:1972 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:1991 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Military units and formations established in 1972
Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1991