Article My Tours of Northern Ireland

[Bombardier]

My first tour in the Province was in 1983 at the ripe old age of 18, I was an Artilleryman with 39 Heavy Regt Royal Artillery, our tour was short only a couple of months and consisted of time spent in the Crumlin Road jail, HMP Maze and patrols around the local areas of both prisons. My second tour was for six months (1992) with 27 Field Regt RA in the county of Fermanagh (Operation Loren) the purpose of this operation was to protect all the civilian construction workers who were upgrading the PVCP's (Permanent vehicle checkpoints) I worked in the control room for the first month or so however due to an injury sustained by one of the lads I volunteered to take up his post as a team commander which I did until the end of the tour. All went well and no casualties.

My time spent there really opened my eyes to the troubles in Northern Ireland and the whole thing really has had a lasting effect with me.

 

[Zofo]

I'll post some adventures a bit later - need to dredge the memory banks for stuff!

 

[Frisco-Kid]

Looking forward to reading about your experiences. Andy, being in the Arty there did you ever have any fire missions? If so, what were the circumstances? What were the "lasting effect" that you walked away with? all in your own good time, my friend.

As I believe I mentioned early on somewhere on here, 3 of my grandparents were born in Ireland. They all immigrated in the '20s as young adults. My father's mother was from Dublin, and my mother's parents were from Donegal. Her brother Bob, was born there and they immigrated as a family. My mother was the first-born here. She had a cousin [I don't know how far removed anymore] killed on Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972. His name was John P. Young. Her mother's maiden name was Young. I only mention this as a matter-of-fact, not to point fingers in any way, shape, or form.

Most Americans are very ignorant of The Troubles, including most Irish Americans. Most of them think of it as very black and white, Catholics vs. Protestants, not knowing how very much more complex it really is. For example, most of them don't know that the British military was originally sent there, and welcomed as, protectors of the Catholics from paramilitary Protestant groups. I'm hoping to get a bit of an education out of this forum.

 

[rotorwash]

I am also very interested in hearing what you have to say as my knowledge of the subject is absolutely nil. I don't think we Americans ever got a real handle on the subject and I think most of us have no opinion thats worth expressing.

RW

 

[Bombardier]

Just a quick one while I get my thoughts togeather about how to best start and deliver the information.

British military was originally sent there, and welcomed as, protectors of the Catholics from paramilitary Protestant groups. I'm hoping to get a bit of an education out of this forum.

You are correct frisco this was exactly the purpose for British troops being sent to N.I however the troubles do go a lot deeper than that and as a result the resentment soon turned against the Forces that were there. I personally felt that my role was to stop both Catholic and Protestant Paramilitaries from blowing each other to pieces and to enable the peace loving people of Ireland, of which there is a majority, to live their lives as we all like to live ours. In Peace.

Ps . Frisco, No arty in the Province as this is an area weapon and lacks the precision required, we were all sent as Infantrymen (peace keepers)regardless of our main role within the Forces. prior to Mobilisation we would have to conduct weeks of specialist training.

 

[tosh66]

I did the HMP Maze tour in 1988 and went back as an Arms and Explosives search dog handler in Bandit country, ( South Armagh )
Got to say it was the most exacting, stressful, fantastic time of my life.
Hey Andy, you weren't at the Maze in '83 when they all scarpered wre you?

 

[Bombardier]

Hey Andy, you weren't at the Maze in '83 when they all scarpered wre you?

Hee Hee , no buddy I missed that by a few months thank god

 

[tosh66]

It was my Battery, ( I didn't join til 84 ) Apparently they were just doing the handover in the towers when the Prison Officers started screaming at the squaddies to start shooting at the escapees running like headless chickens all over the place. Trouble was, they wre all wearing PO uniforms that they had nicked so no-one got hurt.

 

[Bombardier]

Remember the story well mate. I think the most lasting memory I have of my time at the Maze was falling down from the top floor of a sangar coz Id left the hatch open, almost carried on down to the bottom. No lasting injuries though just some bruising. thank god I was in there on my own or that would have been embarassing.

Ps I was with 34 Seringapatam Heavy Battery, 39 Hvy Regt RA.

 

[tosh66]

i was in 31 Bty, but went to the Maze with 3 Bty. Talk about a chickenshit unit! We were up before breakfast every day picking up litter, even if we had been on patrol til 6 that morning. And we had to run round the wall 50 times before the tour was up or they would leave us behind at endex. (They actually kept up this threat and left one of my guys behind, all because he didn't have the nous to cheat like the rest of us and hide in the old Long Kesh camp and book in 5 circuits at once!)

 

[Bombardier]

And we had to run round the wall 50 times before the tour was up or they would leave us behind at endex.

Jeeesus and I can see the point and purpose in that NOT!. I dont know sometimes the British Army never ceases to amaze me. :? .

I dont think we had anything like that, infact I recall the feeling that any down time that was available was treated by the senior ranks as a valuable tool for morale and we were allowed to use it as we wished. Of course there was plenty of PT but hey that was standard wherever we were. army;

 

[DMZ-LT]

Good Luck

Did any of you guys carry anything with you for good luck ? In Viet Nam I wore a Saint Joan medal ( have it on today , I've never taken it off since then ) and wore an AK 47 round around my neck that I got out of a AK from a dead guy. Rumor was if you wore that that it was the round ment for you and you would not get shot. Also wore one dog tag around my neck and had another in my boot laces. Not for luck though just to increase the chances of identification

 

[Zofo]

Any one do any time at "Tin City", Sennelager (I think it was)? Playing at snatch squads and low level tactics. I did a little bit just as a eye opener.
I remember flying into Aldegrove for the first time and getting shifted into a hanger to disembark. After that, it just seemed to get worse. I did two emergency tours lasting not more than a week at a time.

We never did any of the patrolling or Long Kesh duties but it was not a place that I enjoyed. Plenty of adreneline on the helo into XMG (and out again) but there was plenty of action for the guys based there.

 

[Bombardier]

I used to carry a minature Ace of Spades card and still have it


Dont know why I carried it?, it just felt good

 

[Bombardier]

Any one do any time at "Tin City", Sennelager

Yep Yep yep!, i did time as squaddie and as Civ Pop (civilian population). What a place. Apparently we were not supposed to have the place to train for N.I, the germans thought we were training for FIBUA.
Funny you should mention this though coz I was looking around for images of Tin City on the Internet the other day, unsuccesfully though

I used to love the Helo Insertions and Extractions, WHAT A BUZZ!!!

 

[DMZ-LT]

We carried the ace of spades also but not for luck. We would leave it on enemy dead. I called it the death card.

 

[Bombardier]

We carried the ace of spades also but not for luck. We would leave it on enemy dead. I called it the death card.

Was there a reason for leaving the Ace of Spades on enemy dead?

 

[Zofo]

That's right mate, the Germans had forbidden the Brits to train for NI so it was very unsubtly disguised as FIBUA!
I got to chuck rocks at infantry and narrowly avoided getting the sh*t kicked out of me by a snatch squad! I went into a brick later and had the stuff chucked at me. The "civvies" were very good, swearing and all. Good training. I never went up in the helo for insertions tho' - I wasn't needed for that!

 

[DMZ-LT]

Many of the cards had our unit patch on the other side. If it didn't we would leave the card and a unit patch on the dead. We wanted their buddies to know it was us that killed them.

 

[Bombardier]

Many of the cards had our unit patch on the other side. If it didn't we would leave the card and a unit patch on the dead. We wanted their buddies to know it was us that killed them.

Psywar eh?, I can see how that would freak me out if I found one of your cards. I have got to say though that after a while I would get so used to it that it would probably just piss me off after a while?.