The 10th (City of Belfast) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from elements of the 7th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment creating a second battalion in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. It was again amalgamated with 7 UDR in 1984 to form the 7th/10th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment.

Uniform, armament & equipment

: See: Ulster Defence Regiment Uniform, armament & equipment

Greenfinches

Notable personnel

* :Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers * :Ulster Defence Regiment officers

Gerry Adams wounded

When

Gerry Adams Gerard Adams (; born 6 October 1948) is a retired Irish Republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020. From 1983 to 19 ...

(the Sinn Féin president) was wounded in an assassination attempt by three members of the UFF it was an off duty full-time

Non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

of 10 UDR who gave chase to their car and arrested them, assisted by an off duty policeman. This is not noted in Adams' Sinn Féin biography and the BBC still insists the assailants were arrested by "plain clothes policemen". The UDR NCO received the

Queen's Gallantry Medal The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM), formerly the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM), is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of courage, bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the l ...

for arresting the gunmen. In the long term however the soldier was intimidated out of his home and the UDR as a direct result of these arrests.

Investigations

A 1977 Army investigation involving D Company, 10 UDR, based at Girdwood Barracks in Belfast revealed that about 70 of the company's soldiers were suspected of links to the UVF, but evidence was only found against two, who were dismissed on security grounds. 30 soldiers from D Company were suspected of fraudulently diverting £47,000 to the UVF; and that UVF members socialized at Girdwood Barracks junior ranks mess. This investigation was halted after a senior UDR officer claimed it was harming morale.http://www.thedetail.tv/issues/20/udr-girdwood-story/british-army-covered-up-udr-units-links-to-uvf "British army 'covered up' UDR units links to UVF"

Bibliography

* ''A Testimony to Courage – the Regimental History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969 – 1992'', John Potter,

Pen & Sword Books Pen and Sword Books, also stylised as Pen & Sword, is a British publisher which specialises in printing and distributing books in both hardback and softback on military history, militaria and other niche subjects, primarily focused on the Unit ...

Ltd, 2001, * ''The Ulster Defence Regiment: An Instrument of Peace?'', Chris Ryder 1991 * '' Lost Lives'', David McKittrick, Mainstream, 2004,

References

{{reflist Military history of County Antrim Military history of County Down Military units and formations established in 1972 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992 Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1972 establishments in the United Kingdom 1984 disestablishments in the United Kingdom