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At 5pm on the 14th of August 1969, Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Prince of Wales Regiment of Yorkshire Marched onto the Strand Road in Londonderry marking the start of Operation Banner. Nobody could imagine that it would be 38 years before the operation ended.
Life for a Soldier in the mid to late 1980's was somewhat different to the lives of the Soldiers of 69. The 'Enemy' had learned tactics that were effective and had a community that was in the main - willing to support and hide them. They blended into society even though the Security Forces knew who they were, and at times operated with impunity against Soldiers who had become bogged down in rules and orders that made it nearly impossible to be effective at times. The Blue and Yellow Cards as they were known made it hard for Soldiers to defend themselves as the rules of engagement said basically that Soldiers had to have a weapon pointed at their heads before they could react!
In the Typical Infantry Battalion, there were 5 Companies (3 Rifle Companies, 1 Support Company - which consisted of specialist platoons like Milan Platoon, Mortar Platoon etc, and an Administration Company - usually termed Headquarters Company which was made up of Supporting Groups of Soldiers from different Corps such as Engineers, Drivers, Regimental police, Chefs, Mess Staff, Clerks, Assault Pioneers, Battalion Headquarters, Training Wing Staff etc etc). Each of the Rifle Companies were further sub - divided into 3 Rifle Platoons and a further administration based Headquarters Platoon - Confused Yet?
For one month of each 4 month cycle in Londonderry, 1 Company was deployed to the Cityside. Each Rifle Platoon would be assigned a particular area for their Cityside Tour. The Make up of the Cityside Deployment would be typically as follows -
1 Rifle Platoon - Masonic Patrol Base
1 Rifle Platoon - Rosemount RUC Station & Patrol Base
1 Rifle Platoon - Fort George/Border Checkpoints
HQ Platoon - Fort George/ Floating Between different Locations
Work up for the City tour started about a month before deployment with training both on the rifle Ranges and CQBR(U) (Urban Close Quarters Battle Training) purpose built Urban range at Ballykinler in County Down this involved training for encounters with gunmen on populated streets and riot control. It should be remembered that each City Tour usually involved a number of soldiers from the Platoon who were fresh out of Basic Training and who had no experience in dealing with Soldiering in an Urban setting, so the concept was completely alien to them. The learning curve for these young men was steep, and it was the job of the more experienced Soldiers and NCO's to mentor these young men and the Platoon banded together to help each other. The term 'Band of Brothers' would be an adept way of describing the way everyone looked out for each other.
Anyone who worked out of a small patrol base anywhere in Northern Ireland will understand that when I say conditions were a little "cramped" - that would be an understatement! A Rifle Platoon would consist of between 35 to 50 men, and for 30 days, the Platoon lived toe to toe in the City - it was no picnic!
Thanks to Steven Mosley ex - Green Howards for the photographs used on this page which he took in Londonderry during his City Tours between 87 - 89.
The Masonic Patrol Base 1987 - Not exactly Butlins!
Kilo Sanger 1987 - Overlooking the Bogside from the Walls of the City
Notice the Seige Cannon next to the Sanger! Talk about Irony!
The Interior of Kilo Sanger in 1987 - Note the Mugshots, and Arcs photographs
Looking towards the Diamond and Ebrington Barracks beyond from Papa 5 Alpha in 1987
Papa 5 Alpha on top of Bishopgate in 1987
Londonderry Republican Murals 1987
The Rossville Flats dominate the Bogside Skyline in 1987
The "Free Derry" Wall in The Bogside in 1987
Kilo Sanger is visible on the City Walls
Mobile Patrol approaches Rosemount Police Station which doubled as a Patrol base for deployed Soldiers. In the second Picture, you can clearly see the value on good protective screening! And people think the Government only scrooged on kit for troops today!!! The metal pole on the front left side of the Macralon skinned Land Rover was designed to protect the Soldiers on Top Cover from being garotted. Early in the conflict, the IRA used a tactic where they would tie fishing wire or metal cheese wire accross the road, and when a mobile patrol passed by, the Soldier on top cover usually suffered severe neck or head injuries. A number of Soldiers were basically "Scalped" before this device was fitted to all mobile patrol vehicles.
Each Platoon on City tour's had an opportunity to leave a mural within the base for future Battalions and as a record of their deployment. This particular mural was painted within the Masonic Base and depicted 2 platoon, A Company, 1 Green Howards. If any former Soldier has any pictures of other Platoon murals within bases, please send them in so we can display them.
