Editing Ulster Defence Regiment (section)

{{short description|Former infantry regiment of the British Army}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Ulster Defence Regiment CGC
| image                         =
| image_size                    = 150px
| caption                       = [[Cap badge]] of the regiment
| dates                         = 1970–1992
| country                       = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| type                          = Line infantry
| role                          = Internal security
| size                          = 11 battalions (at peak)
| current_commander             = 
| garrison                      = [[Lisburn]]
| garrison_label                = Regimental Headquarters
| identification_symbol         = [[File:Flag of the Ulster Defence Regiment.svg|100px|border]]
| identification_symbol_label   = Regimental Flag
| march                         = (Quick) ''[[Garryowen (air)|Garryowen]]'' & ''Sprig of Shillelagh''<br /> (Slow) “Eileen Allanagh”
| anniversaries                 = 
| motto                         = ''"[[Quis Separabit]]"'' ({{small|Latin}})<br />''"Who Shall Separate Us?"''
| commander1                    = First: [[John Anderson (British Army officer)|General Sir John Anderson GBE, KCB, DSO]]. <br />
Last: [[Charles Huxtable (British Army officer)|General Sir Charles Huxtable, KCB, CBE, DL]]
| commander1_label              = Colonel Commandant
| commander2                    = Colonel Sir [[Anderson Faulkner]] CBE
| commander2_label              = Colonel of the 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,<ref name="Potter-p25">Potter p25</ref> their official role was the "defence of life or property in [[Northern Ireland]] against armed attack or sabotage" but unlike troops from [[Great Britain]] they were never used for "crowd control or riot duties in cities".<ref name=Potter19/><ref>Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/10/newsid_3146000/3146929.stm|title=1969: Ulster's B Specials to be disbanded|access-date=14 April 2008|date=10 October 1969|work=BBC News}}</ref> At the time the UDR was the largest infantry regiment in the British Army, formed with seven [[battalion]]s plus another four added within two years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4736301.stm|title=Chequered history of Irish regiment|access-date=14 April 2008|date=1 August 2005|work=BBC News}}</ref>

It consisted mostly of part-time volunteers until 1976, when a full-time [[En cadre|cadre]] was added.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://www.royalirishassociation.org/history |title=History |publisher=Royalirishassociation.org |access-date=2013-07-17 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005223108/http://www.royalirishassociation.org/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> Recruiting in Northern Ireland at a time of intercommunal strife, some of its (mostly [[Ulster Protestant]]) members were involved in sectarian killings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/susan-mckay/soldiers|title=Soldiers|website=openDemocracy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/tyrone-hero-jim-devlin-s-death-still-resonates-after-all-these-years-1.1798905|title=Tyrone hero Jim Devlin's death still resonates after all these years|first=Keith|last=Duggan|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3SFzfha7VYC&pg=PA280|title=Bear in Mind These Dead|first=Susan|last=McKay|date=2 April 2009|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=9780571252183|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/cases/miami/InfiltrationUDR.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 March 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063806/http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/cases/miami/InfiltrationUDR.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The regiment was originally intended to more accurately reflect the [[demographics of Northern Ireland]], and began with Catholic recruits accounting for 18% of its soldiers; but by the end of 1972, [[Operation Demetrius|after the introduction of internment]] this had dropped to around 3%.<ref name=":1">Potter, page 67</ref> It is doubtful if any other unit of the British Army has ever come under the same sustained criticism as the UDR.<ref name=autogenerated9/>

Uniquely in the British Army, the regiment was on continuous active service throughout its 22 years of service.<ref name="history" /> It was also the first infantry regiment of the British Army to fully incorporate women into its structure.<ref name="history" /> In 1992, the UDR was amalgamated with the [[Royal Irish Rangers]] to form the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1992)|Royal Irish Regiment]]. In 2006, the regiment was retroactively awarded the [[Conspicuous Gallantry Cross]].