Editing Ulster Defence Regiment (section)

==Background==
The UDR was raised in 1970, soon after the beginning of [[The Troubles|the Northern Ireland "Troubles"]]. Before then, the main security forces were the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) and the [[Ulster Special Constabulary]] (USC), otherwise known as the "B Specials".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/scarman.htm#5|title=CAIN: Violence and Civil Disturbances in Northern Ireland in 1969 – Report of Tribunal of Inquiry |website=cain.ulst.ac.uk}}</ref><ref name="Gob">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfEhAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |title=The Challenge of Ethnic Democracy |publisher=Routledge |author=Yoav Peled |date=October 2013 |isbn=9781134448937 |access-date=10 July 2015}}</ref> Catholics were reluctant to join what they saw as unionist militias that lacked impartiality leading to the forces becoming almost entirely Protestant.<ref name="Gob"/>

Large scale intercommunal [[1969 Northern Ireland riots|rioting in 1969]] stretched police resources in [[Northern Ireland]], so the British Army was deployed to assist the police.<ref>Ryder p26</ref> On 28 August 1969 security in Northern Ireland, including the USC, was put under the direct control of the [[General Officer Commanding]] in Northern Ireland, General [[Ian Freeland]].<ref name="bew2">{{cite book|last=Bew|first=Paul|author2=Gordon Gillespie|title=Northern Ireland: A Chronology of the Troubles, 1968–1993|publisher=[[Gill & Macmillan]]|year=1993|page=18|isbn=0-7171-2081-3}}</ref>

The USC, which had no training in riot control, was mobilised to assist the RUC. A catalogue of incidents ensued, such as Specials from [[Tynan]] shooting dead an unarmed civil rights demonstrator in [[Armagh]] on 14 August 1969.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/11th-april-1970/7/northern-ireland|title=NORTHERN IRELAND » 11 Apr 1970 » The Spectator Archive|website=The Spectator Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/stormont-cabinet-decided-not-to-call-in-scotland-yard-to-investigate-man-s-death-1.266068|title=Stormont Cabinet decided not to call in Scotland Yard to investigate man's death|first=Eamon|last=Phoenix|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> While the Northern Ireland cabinet remained supportive of the USC, it was put to them at a London meeting on 19 August that disbanding the USC was top of the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]]'s agenda.<ref>Hezlet p. 215</ref>

The [[Hunt Report]] commissioned by the [[Government of Northern Ireland]] published on 3 October 1969, recommended that the RUC "should be relieved of all duties of a military nature as soon as possible". Further; a "locally recruited part-time force, under the control of the G.O.C., Northern Ireland, should be raised" ... and that it "together with the police volunteer reserve, should replace the Ulster Special Constabulary".<ref name ='Hunt'>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/hunt.htm|title=CAIN: HMSO: Hunt Report, 1969|first=Dr Martin|last=Melaugh|website=cain.ulst.ac.uk}}</ref> The new force was to be "impartial in every sense" and "remove the responsibility of military-style operations from the police".<ref>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/hunt.htm#2 "Hunt Report" Conclusions and Recommendations], cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 27 October 2015.</ref>

The British government accepted the findings of the Hunt Report and published a [[Bill (proposed law)|Bill]] and [[white paper]] on 12 November 1969 to begin the process of establishing the UDR.<ref>{{hansard|1969/nov/12/ulster-defence-regiment-1|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref> Parliamentary debate in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] highlighted concerns that members of the USC were to be allowed to join the new force.<ref name=Hansard19691112/><ref>''Irish News'' (Belfast), 13 November 1969.</ref>

A working party was set up at Headquarters Northern Ireland (HQNI) chaired by Major General A.J. Dyball of the [[Royal Ulster Rifles]], then the deputy director of operations in Northern Ireland. The team included a staff officer from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), a member of the [[Interior ministry|Ministry of Home Affairs]] (Stormont) and Lieutenant Colonel S Miskimmon, the USC staff officer to the RUC. After discussions, they advocated a strength of 6,000 men (2,000 more than the Hunt recommendations), combat dress for duties, a dark green parade uniform, county shoulder titles, and a "[[red hand of Ulster]]" cap badge. The rank of "[[Volunteering|volunteer]]" was suggested for private soldiers. They recommended that each battalion should have a mobile force of two [[platoon]]s, each equipped with a [[Land Rover]]s fitted for radio plus three "manpack" radio sets.<ref>Potter, p18</ref>

After the presentation to the Ministry of Defence, a government white paper confirmed the agreed aspects of the new force and its task as:

{{blockquote|to support the regular forces in Northern Ireland in protecting the border and the state against armed attack and sabotage. It will fulfill this task by undertaking guard duties at key points and installations, by carrying out patrols and by establishing checkpoints and roadblocks when required to do so. In practice, such tasks are most likely to prove necessary in rural areas. It is not the intention to employ the new forces on crowd control or riot duties in cities.<ref name=Potter19>Potter 2001, p. 19</ref>}}