The Ulster Defence Regiment Medal is a long service medal awarded to part-time members of the

Ulster Defence Regiment The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army established in 1970, with a comparatively short existence ending in 1992. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements,Potter p25 their offi ...

. Established in 1982, the medal was awarded for 12 years of long and efficient service, with a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

being awarded for each subsequent six years of qualifying service.

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

awarded the medal were entitled to use the

post-nominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

UD. The medal was replaced by the

Northern Ireland Home Service Medal The Northern Ireland Home Service Medal is a long service medal awarded to members of the Ulster Defence Regiment and its successor the Royal Irish Regiment. Established in 1992, the medal is awarded for 12 years of long and efficient service. ...

in 1992. Full-time members of the Ulster Defence Regiment were eligible for the

Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Ulster Defence Regiment) The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Ulster Defence Regiment) was a long service medal of the United Kingdom, established in 1982. The medal was awarded to full-time members of the Ulster Defence Regiment The Ulster Defence Regiment ( ...

after 15 years of service.

Appearance

Made of silver and 36 mm in diameter, the medal was designed by David Wynne and produced by the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...

. The

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bears a right facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the

Imperial State Crown The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and symbolises the sovereignty of the monarch. It has existed in various forms since the 15th century. The current version was made in 1937 and is worn by the monarc ...

. In relief around the edge is the inscription ''ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID.DEF.'' The reverse depicts a harp, its upper left frame in the form of the head shoulders and wings of an angel. Above the harp a high relief crown. Surrounding the design are the words ''ULSTER DEFENCE REGIMENT''. The medal hangs from a 32 mm dark green ribbon with a golden yellow centre stripe flanked by thin red stripes.

Number awarded

The award of "UDR specific" long service medals had complex rules which meant that few were ever issued. The UDR medal was issued to only 1,254 personnel out of the 40,000 who served. From 1995 to 2008, 57 clasps were also issued. In that period, 35 medal applications and 3 clasp applications were refused.

References

{{Efficiency and long service decorations and medals , state=collapsed Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth Ulster Defence Regiment 1982 establishments in Northern Ireland Awards established in 1982