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 County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

. 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 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 ...

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

beside the railway station. Two companies were based in

Lisburn Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...

and one at

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...

. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel "Paddy" Liddle who had previously been a part-time

company commander A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are made up of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and struc ...

with the 1st (County Antrim) Battalion. Liddle has seen wartime service with the

Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an light infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal ...

and had attended Army Staff College. He was the only UDR officer to be promoted into battalion command. The battalion was mobilised, along with the rest of the regiment, for

Operation Motorman Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army ( HQ Northern Ireland) in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" (ar ...

. 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 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 ...

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 The Grand Central Hotel, later renamed the Broadway Central Hotel, was a hotel at 673 Broadway at West 3rd Street, in Manhattan, New York City, that was famous as the site of the murder of financier James Fisk in 1872 by Edward S. Stokes. ...

Royal Avenue Royal Avenue is a street in the heart of Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland. It runs for about 500 metres from the junction with Castle Place and Donegall Place to the junction with Donegall Street. It lies between the Cathedral Quarter, Bel ...

which was being used as an army base for the city centre.

Uniform, armament & equipment

See: Ulster Defence Regiment Uniform, armament & equipment

Greenfinches

Casualties

Lance Corporal L. Colin Houston, aged 30, was killed at his home in

Dunmurry Dunmurry (; ) is a suburb, suburban town and townland near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dunmurry is in the Collin (District Electoral Area), Collin electoral ward for the Local government in Northern Ireland, local government district of Belfast C ...

by gunmen from the

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ) is an Irish republicanism, Irish republican Socialism, socialist paramilitary group formed on 8 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seeks to remove ...

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.

Notable personnel

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

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, 30em Military history of County Antrim Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1972 establishments in the United Kingdom 1991 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1972 Military units and formations disestablished in 1991