Squaddies on the Frontline BBC Documentary 2018 British Army in Northern Ireland
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- Опубликовано: 14 сен 2018
- Some of My Stories of time in Northern Ireland
Mortar Platoon
1st Battalion Kings Own Royal Border Regiment
Londonderry
Northern Ireland
1992 - 1995
My dad served in NI from 93-07 and he Said that the scariest part was being at home because we are from NI and he served in the Royal Irish reserves so instead of going back to the barracks safe and protected,he was constantly looking underneath his car every morning and looking back his back because he lived at home with my mum
A great video , my dad served in Northern Ireland in the 70’s he later went on to take his own life when I was young , this gives me an insight to what he went through while he was there , thank you sir
Did bless your dad ❤️🇬🇧
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve had friends that have served and seen action. They all had one thing in common. They never seemed to have got over it. Hopefully more is done now to help people. I think there is more of an understanding of post traumatic combat stress disorder. War is possibly the most horrific behaviour man is capable of. Hope you family and loved ones are all good at this difficult time.
Watched a documentary recently about British veterans and as an irishman found it disgusting...a huge number were disgarded when they outlived their use and plagued with mental health issues and homeless....seen one guy living in a tent that had to sell his war medals for his next meal... unbelievable and spongers never worked in their life living like lord's compared....I'm a nationalist through and through but found this incredibly hard viewing
@@jackietreehorn5561 Not often I agree with nationalists but I have to say I couldn't put it better myself. It's a pity we lived closely before all of this throughout the late 20s to the early 60s.
I watched a documentary and one person interviewed told a story of his parents owned and worked a pub in East Belfast and all their customers were Protestants and before the Troubles started the customers were laughing, joking and buying pints for the Catholic owners but once it started people stopped going to the pub and other shameful things happened. Plenty of story's of friendships breaking up due to the Troubles. As a young Unionist I'm willing to die for the Union though many of my friends is nationalists which would do the same for a Uninted Ireland but we set our differences to the side and have a good time and poke fun at eachother for the laugh. At the end of the day we all bleed red.
@@ulsterinfidel9897 I say this as a northerner myself but just shows us, the lads up the ladder pulling the puppet strings don't give one fuck about either of us.....just Cannon fodder to progress them up the political spectrum and cushy salaries...I worked with a guy from the shankill and became mates...even drink in his house but knew meself I was asking for trouble if went to bars...sad reality
I did 8 operational tours in NI and revisit it every night.
Read Bhagavad Gita As It Is by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
What do you have to lose at this point?
I'm so glad these guys survived and I got to hear their story. Respect and best wishes, from an Irishman.
You get these quislings. Odd people that gravitate towards people who oppress them. Pathetic really.
Shame on you
I'm English from a Irish background going back to the black and tans, I'm astonished and also glad they survived
@@user-pt5vy1uu6j shame on you
You fucking TRAITOR!
I know the most of the fellas talking on this documentary. Every one of them decent fellas and people I call my friends. I'm from Derry, my brother was killed by a British soldier while travelling home from the cinema on the bus. I have done talks with most of these people and although it was a tough experience sometimes..it's been very healing. I watched this programme with so so many emotions running through me..but I believe we all have to move forward. The past is only for ghosts and memories..the what ifs and the if onlys. We all lost out. All of us. We remain scarred from our experiences but it's our choice if we allow those battles to imprison our hearts and minds.
@@billelliot51 Thanks Bill. I've been through the range of emotions and reactions to how life was back then. They were dark times , for us all. I'm a proud Irish woman but I'm not proud of how I used to think.. I was an angry person, full of resentment rage and hatred at what was happening to me, my family and those in my community especially. From 7½ all I knew was fear and terror. It took a lot of time to get to a stage where I had to look outside my own bubble of grief and see the bigger effect that this was having on us all..it's not been pretty nor straight forward..but I don't want to think like I did before. I don't ignore what has happened in the past. I have my moments. Believe me! But when I became a mother I promised they wouldn't know the madness and pain I had. My 5 adult children are not in any form secterian or have a hatred in them towards anyone because of their origins. As I told them if someone ,no matter what they are, treats you badly, turn and walk away from them. No one needs that in their life.
It's all a process Bill. It takes time. But it would be time well spent making changes and learning from the horrible past. God bless you and yours Bill. Much love and luck x
@@billelliot51 you too Bill..
Sorry for your loss wat a waste xxx
@@johnfraser9243 thank you.. so many lives lost..and all for what? And who's those that gained anything from it all.. makes the heart so heavy
@@billelliot51 That comment is such dross. Britain can't afford to hold onto the occupied part of Ireland. Britain can continue to pay reparations after they leave. Eventually, the democratic will of Ireland will prevail. Ireland did not vote to be partitioned. A majority in the republic supports a united Ireland, just as an overall majority of Ireland has supported it, long before partition was imposed by the British. "Annexation" is such double speak. It will be re-unification. It will happen but it will be a peaceful transition.
@24.52 buncrana rd
I agree with the jock at end of video
I have watched this a couple of times in the past - Top Bomber - Respect as always chris
I work with two former squaddies who both served in Crossmaglen in the late 1980’s. One said he loved every minute of it. The other said he hated it.
Were they 1RRF?
Every guy I have known well that has experienced combat. It might be well hidden but inside them somewhere they have never fully recovered . More should be done for those that have experienced and to prevent others going through it.
@@jambutty2218It’s the same thing for the ones on the other side of the coin.
@@jambutty2218and what about the people the army ,udr and RUC terrorised every single day !!! We didn't do a tour and go home !!! We were at home and strangers came and tortured us !!! With the sectarian f--kers in the UDR and ruc colluding and joining in on the murders of innocent Catholics !!! Assassinated because they were catholic !!! Their only crime .
A very interesting documentary.
Pp
I love the honesty of most of the interviewees
There’s gonna be some mixed opinions on here. Usually from ppl who have never served or neither from Ireland.
I'm not from Vietnam or the USA or served on either side, but that didn't stop me from having an opinion on The Vietnam war. One doesn't need to have served or eg come from Ireland to have an opinion on this either and that applies to all wars and conflicts.
Thomas O'Flaherty ... well said Thomas
Hahaha RUclips automatically delete comments with swearing in. They're not British! Now you look a fool don't you. 😘😘🇬🇧🇬🇧
M.E hang on a minute how about all the people who got blown to bits on the mainland through nail and car bombs outside pubs and stuff,it affected more people than you seem to comment about it ain't just squaddies and Irish folk..
It affected both the Irish & the British so their views are legitimate. I wish the Irish people of all persuasions peace, health & happiness.
Fantastic documentary.
All I wanted to do as a kid at cadets was join the paras. Then I left cadets at 16 and started reading books and came to the conclusion I'm not giving my life for a share price, queen or country. Family served in NI and first gulf and came back to being let down by the establishment. Respect to all these lads but fuck that. Can't imagine it.
Good video mate niceone 👍👍
Exactly where I did my PDT (Lydd in Kent) the makeshift town is exactly the same now as it was back then. I managed to dislocated my shoulder mid public order training 🤦🏽♂️👍🏽
Thanks for your efforts.
Outstanding documentary. The best perspectives are usually from the soldiers on the ground. They give you the unvarnished truth.
Deffinatley 👍👍 We were the boots on the ground 👍👍
I feel so lucky to not have had to grow up around this. I feel sorry for my mother who had to be uprooted from her home on the N'ards Road in East Belfast because of the conflict. She lost a cousin in the Shakill bombing as well that shook the whole family, but she never let herself become bitter or filled with hatred because of it, having a best friend who was Roman Catholic and worked alongside many of Roman Catholics, instilling in me that we are all the same, it did not matter what part of Belfast you came from or what church or chapel you went to. Im so grateful for how she raised me, I wish more people would join the majority and leave the minority who still want violence.
Yeah the fact you say Roman Catholic still !!! Says a different teaching you got !!! That's a bitter term ,and you just used it !! Uprooted from her home on n/Ard's rd ???? Why ??? It seen FA only burning Catholics from their homes there or burning the chapel ,catholic owned bars ,they really loved that ,looting for the drink !!!!
@@TheNinyo77 Youre as bitter as a lemon. Roman Catholic is a correct term, research it. I make the presumption that you are Roman Catholic, and yet you don't even know this about your own religion and decide to take pure offence from it when zero malice was insinuated. Goes to show how much you've come along - zero by the sounds of it. Also, the excessive use of exclamation marks indicates you are 40/50+ years of age so I am not surprised about your bitterness, its on both sides unfortunately but its people like YOU that are the problem - I wonder what kind of up bringing and lessons your children got, probably to "KAH" and "Up the 'RA" - Only two words to describe you; a Bigoted Ballonon.
other seeing this,, I like you ever more,,,, well done for getting over the fire thing.... Top bloke...
Shit happens mate 😉😉 occupational hazard.
nice to see you as a young optonic...............suprised to see Gus in this footage, Bless him, and thank YOU for your service... ( its ok, im not after cheaper leads....lol )
Cheers mate. I went to Gus's funeral 😔😔😔🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
They're cheap enough 🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍
Did tours there in 90s a month before each tour there was shootings, bombings even my checkpoint was shot at day before I arrived, 6 months, found a weapons hide, empty!! Looking back now, I’m glad it was quiet, met many lads and lasses, at Combat Stress, who were ex NI. The 70s/80s were particularly nasty they said. No one really won after all the misery and heartache. Sad.
Alex Williamson Northern Ireland is lovely wee country anyway
@@caleb4790 Ireland as a whole is.
Very sad situation all around.
Respect to you all
Served in the Irish Army from 73 to 79 did a stint on the Border in 76 it was nothing compared to what these lads had to go through, I was in Dublin the day of the Dublin Monaghan bombings walked past one of the cars with a bomb in it and almost walked into the bomb that killed 33 ppl outside dockrells / guineys will carry that memory to my grave we had a very very narrow escape that day.
It was the Irish army’s/government’s job to fight a foreign army out of the national territory (according to our constitution at the time)
That’s why there was an ira in the north because the government wouldn’t dare
Whilst admiring their personal bravery these men were fighting to keep Ireland divided against its Will. The general at the start as much.
That is fundamentally anti democratic
It was members of the UDR with the help of their British handling agents that carried out Dublin & Monaghan. Nairac has been implicated along with it and the murders of the Miami Show band.
14 were killed outside Guiney's, not 33. That was the total killed that day.
@@jamesbristow4361how did the south win independence? Feather dusters and colourful language
All did a great job at the worst times take my hat of to you for what you did along with so many thanks.
Dave Cuddy, Well said.
Being from ulster we, v seen n lost so many back in the troubles,, its kinda strange to have army back in Belfast for the covid 19 virus
Very honest from that Scottish soldier .....from a republican ...... All I can say is .... I have the absolute highest respect for your honesty .... God Bless
@Mark K do you have a link for that by any chance?
@Mark K cheers!
@Paul Simpson Yeah, because none of us ever went on to do well at anything else, did we? Save your ill-informed simplistic sympathies for those who need it eh?
I thought he was talking total nonsense frankly, I can't imagine what he was thinking when he said that. He appears to have absolutely no idea what he was doing there, why it was necessary of what the alternative was. Bizarrre.
paddy864 does anyone at that age?………… he is honest and that’s why he is being applauded.
Very interesting Prog.
2rrf 79 84 bin there donnit got shot still hurts today .
You and everyone else. The scars are often not visible.
17:33 ah yes the terrible original SA-80 magazine release strikes again
Judging from his timeline, he must have been using the SLR.
Leode Siefast No, likely the SA80, it had serious issues when it came out. It shows this man was in there until 1988, so there’s a good chance it’s the new stuff.
@@zoltancsikos5604 It was quite loose and needed a double tap to load but i never had any problems with it,
I grew up as a catholic in NI. My late uncle joined the UDR in the early days but left after having rounds left in his locker. As they previously said in this doco,we hated the uniform ,not the person. I have spent the last 25 years in Australia and drink with a bloke who has had all his UVF tattoos burnt off. Great bloke and we are just the same but on the other side of the world
Excellent documentary, this is the first time I have seen any of your old vids and now I understand totally your patriotism to our country. You have seen stuff that the average civi can only imagine. Massive ,massive respect to you and your colleagues/friends.
Good video until the end with that super loud outro.... was it really nessicary?
Total respect for you Chris, Thanks for your Service and all your colleagues.
I second that 😁
26:29 one of hell of a flip
Respect !!
NIRT Training I remember that! Training in tin city, feels like a life time ago....
The sweat box at Hythe and Lydd lol 👍👍
It was...
Absolute total respect Chris.
I'm 60 now, did 2 tours of N. Ireland. It left me very scarred and still does, it's like having a war in your own street! I was brought up on a Norfolk farm with very little education, so basically it was farming or the army - guess what - I made the wrong choice! The majority of the people you met in N. Ireland on a daily basis were very polite (even though this was probably the 3rd time that day they had been 'stopped'), and most of the time you thought 'what the fuck am I doing here? Then suddenly what looked like the same people would be trying to kill you, and your only interest then was looking after your mates. In my head people are still trying to kill me now!
I spent 6 months in Bosnia in 96 as a reservist and saw the end result of the same sort of thing there, I don't think this world is ever going to sort itself out, I'm just glad that now I have a potential life threatening illness, I will just be glad to be out of it.
Stay strong Dave, you're a good man.
I am from Newry but now live in New Zealand and left when about 18. Always thought it was madness but you find you can't change some peoples mind set no matter what you say. All very sad and I am sorry you are not well Dave. I wish you well.
Shit I don’t know how you did it I was a teenager in the late 80s early 90s did not fully understand the conflict but felt sorry for a lot of people..Catholics, soldiers, law abiding people.
@@masoodahmed2041 Did you not feel sorry for innocent protestants?
Adam patterson
Of course I did very sorry for that community.
Its a shame all this happend iam a aussie living in australia and skt back and think how lucky iam livi g here i xant understand whh this went on hope there peace for ever in ireland 🇮🇪 💙 you guys derserve it RIP TO EVERYONE THAT PASSED IN THE TROUBLES
And all we looked forward to was the egg banjo lol lol 👍
I managed 8 in one night 👍👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
edward mccafferty is a banjo a sarnie?excuse my stupidness,I'm from east mids..
@@cal-qw8ov A sandwich made from (usually) half stale white bread, spread on both insides with margarine and slotted in with at least one greasy fried egg, preferably soft yolk to distribute better, covered with sauce of own choice, brown or tomato(ketchup to the Spams).
It becomes a banjo when....
...the yolk and sauce dribble down your front. You move the hand containing the sandwich away and up to a point level with your ear as you look down your front and usually to an accompanying "Aw bollocks" you wipe/smear the said yolk & sauce into your shirt with your free hand giving a passing imitation of playing 'air banjo' !
I had a scbool mate who got into the marines at 20,got his 1st posting in ireland,was there 2 weeks,and was shot by his own troops in a friendly fire incident...
My old man was in reme,did two tours,as with most,didnt want to go,(happier in germany or cyprus).....and i had an uncle who was bomb disposal in he 70s and was killed during the Birmingham pub bombings...
I really wish I had learned more about the Green finch I regularly patrolled with.(can’t remember her name)
I was far too young then to realise just how bloody brave these people were.
Chris, have you seen the new delks yet? What do you think? Tight lines mucker.
They're shite mate. I have heard rumours that Korda have bought them out??
Imagine for one moment Irish soldiers on the streets of England,end of story.
Go in ....let's hear it then.
I see Irish soldiers on the streets in England often. End of story.
The British Double Standards are exactly why they are so disliked Worldwide
They have a superior complex, and mostly on the Wrong side of History, but particularly in Ireland.
@@Dibley8899bullshit
Well done absolutely amazing very brave what you have done . 👍👏🎖
Respect Chris to you and all. 👍👍👍
I was a Royal Irish Ranger Cadet from 73 to 79 then served with the ULSTER DEFENCE REGIMENT 8 Batt Acoy Aughnacloy 82 till 94 along with most of my family 5 out of 7 still here
The mUrDeR regiment
Aughnacloy where they shot aidan mcanespie in the back in cold blood
O.P. Banner! Wow, I remember passing out of Strensil after an IRA attack, getting to Battalion, 2 week build up and then South Armagh. Shot at, kicked in the face and a Breez Block missing my head, by a Monky's Nut!
It was scary over hear with the Bombings, so you can imagine what it was like. It was not the best place to stay. Cows were a pain. XMG , Oscar 2, fun times.
Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from August 1969 to July 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was one of the longest continuous deployments in British military history.
Cyprus 64'...still on.
no kidding
@@rpm1796that’s not a British army deployment, it’s UN
The Disco Lol
Great Doco
Respect for work.. Enlighten me.
That women at 16:00 thought that soldier was a Jehova witness.
I laughed hard there...wasn't expecting it!😂
9:55 What a fine weapon, that SLR! I love the British L1A1. I have an American-made version of it, but it has polymer furniture. This squaddie has one with wooden furniture. Not only does that beast have stopping power, it also has elegance in its design. Why did y'all have to change to that ridiculous L85? Not only did it jam like crazy with sand, it's just weird-looking!
The new SA80 is far better
Its called L85A2 or L85A3
The L85A1 was introduced for multiple reasons, one of them was in Northern Ireland's experience due to raiding houses, being in built up areas or soldiers doing patrols in snatch Land Rovers made the SLR to awkward with its large size to manoeuvre when shouldered. The bullpup and the smaller 5.56 round ment it had more accuracy, less recoil, more compact, lighter, more movement and carry more ammunition.
The L85A1 was a piece of dung that fell apart but in the the late 90's Heckler and Koch which was under British ownership at the time upgraded it to one of the most reliable rifles as the A2 variant now the Army has the A3 again made by H&K but I think the American company Daniel Defence was involved in creating the new rail system.
The British Army started to phase out the wood furniture SLR from the mid or late 60's for polymer though still used in Northern Ireland it wasn't till maybe the mid 70s all British units including the UDR was using the polymer.
Personally aswell I think the SLR should have stayed on but with a smaller role but every platoon should have a few even in reserve for open combat areas in rural area's.
@@ulsterinfidel9897 Thanks for the explanation and the history of the L85.
@@lsnows Your welcome
One of the strangest occurrences in my life was a conversation with a former member of the parachute regiment. I expected him to be of a certain view and then he turned around and said that from what he saw, the nationalists were treated very badly and if he was a 19 year old nationalist that he would have joined the IRA. My jaw pretty much dropped.
The Irish asked for the army and turned on them what are you on about? Both sides lost innocent lives how many children did the ira blow up? You actually justify that?
@@governmentandmediadivideth8889 Tying to justify nothing. I was simply shocked by his point of view given his service in the province. Nothing more.
@@geraldjoyce7400 Johnny adair said the exact same thing thoug. It's common sense if we were born on either side during troubles chances are that we would join their paramilitaries. my bad dude was reading comment wrong
Lads ordinary people just trying to escape the dole queues in thatchers england at the time...love that honesty
respect to you and your oppos . I now see what shit my old man went through in his 23 year service . the mod put you through it but don't help you out of it. HATS OFF to the lads and lasses.
Your lads and lasses were often as far as I could see out of control and as many here will affirm above the law. Let’s have a little honesty here eh ah lot of them had little education a limited understanding of things Political and usually no idea what was happening in the six counties. A fact borne out by the policy whereby people of Irish parentage were shipped elsewhere at there request usually thus ensuring and perpetuating ignorance among the rank and file allowing them to brutalize or worse without a second thought. Given a high velocity weapon and told green bad orange good and packed I’m sure some of these guys would tell you themselves they were discouraged from thinking too deeply.
@Tiny mod British intelligence had infiltrated all paramilitaries at many levels from an early stage,let’s have a little honesty here among ourselves a squad is was only marginally less expendable than an Irish civilian and as for example with Corporals Woods and Howe who who when led like the proverbial lambs to their doom for political expediency. In front of the worlds media That entire two week period was choreographed by BI Thatcher herself was up to her neck in it. The awful carnage at Birmingham is another that you might remember, the people involved supposedly claim that the two nearby phones to be used to give an adequate warning were working perfectly then a few hours later they both failed we know about the dreadful loss of life and the shocking carnage but it’s sometimes overlooked that the then government then introduced a whole new raft of laws which were already drawn up, awaiting just such an outrage. The PTA section 11,12 and 13 and the immense damage done to the republican cause particularly internationally these are just a couple of high profile instances but there were many many others which happened that on first look it was just a botched operation by PIRA but in actual fact the British had went to great lengths to ensure an outcome that would give them maximum leverage in one a catholic WPC was pulled from normal duties to be in a car in catholic Newry which was to be killed (sacrificed) as with the Corporals, in an other a couple of nuns killed , the effect on middle of the road nationalists, well I imagine you get the picture.
Bloody good this. Really enjoyed it. EX-Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. 1990-1993.
Royal Marines came to the C+A department store in my home town for a week., at set it up with a recruitment stand. , in 70s all we kids had was War comics and war toys war movies, or "playing "soldiers" with old chair legs. I became a RMC groupie when they gave me a chained down Sterling SMG to play about with, and the recce models etc. I was army barmy for a long while. Used to go on long runs with a brick backpack. I was Lucky. Due to the amount of girls I got it turned my head, and I never did join up. I know a few who did. None of them came out of it well, and one mate got blown to bits. The Others are messed up in the head to greater or lesser extent, for conflicts that don't mean much to anyone now except as platitudes. Even then, now, I'm still a bit gutted I never joined. Thank God.
Same here ( except the girls bit ).. At school I couldn't wait to be old enough to go in the army. At 15 ( 1983 ) went in the recruiting office to join up as a junior straight out of school. Failed the medical due to a dodgy right ear and left devastated by the rejection.I'm in my 50s now and think I had a lucky escape but still a little piece of me thinks I missed out on something.
The army did good for me. For every story you have told, there are hundreds who love and cherish their service mate. A lot of the post service depression is associated with the realisation that life in civvie street is never going to be as good with the brotherhood and camraderie etc.
@@vladnelson1 Of course you did. This person never served. Most people enjoy their service. These experiences are part and parcel of being in the mob which marks you as different. If you want to be a civvy, be a civvy, but don't look down your nose at people who went out and did the job.
@@deplorabled1695 Eh ? Where did I look down on anybody ? I said I had a lucky escape meaning I wouldn't have made a good soldier. Teenage me wasn't as tough as I liked to think I was.
@@vladnelson1 Fair enough pal. Take care.
Sir Galahad....1982, last trip
Great documentary what is the name of the Pink Floyd song 51:27?
I cold never compregend the bravery of the part-time UDR people. Unbelieveable that they could be out in uniform with the full backuo of the British Army one minute and back home in civie clothes with their families with no protection whatsoever the next. So many of them were killed!
@Albert Head Yeah, no Pink Floyd acid for them only Bells Whiskey.
Absolute Brass, bravest.
Same for the Constabulary....How do you go home to the family knowing you're painted.
Unbelievable bravery.
My grandad was in the Ulster Special Constabulery (B'Specials) which was an part time auxiliary police which the UDR would replace. Only recently told by my dad that when my grandad was working on the building sites as a sub contactor as he owned his own business but was hired to work with other firms, one time the lads in the other firm working on the same site found out he was a B man the nationalist started to throw blocks from the scaffolding at him but my grandad just carried on with his head held high and luckily no block hit him. That was happening in the 50s and 60s before the Troubles started. And similar stuff still happens today in Northern Ireland. I don't see peace here anytime soon no matter how much the government says there is peace, everyone with their eyes open in Northern Ireland knows peace never came it has only quiet down until the next out burst of violence which could possibly be around the corner
U.D.R and the SS R.U.C had many men who held dual membership with various loyalist death squads, backed by British collusion, especially under thatchers "shoot to kill " policy,the British where found guilty of torture of Irish republicans many a time by the European Court of human rights, FREE IRELAND NOW 🇮🇪
Not enough of the fascists got done in
The irony of the female UDR soldier talking about shooting people in the back of the head as if it was only the other side did that ..
Many UDR soldiers were happy to carry out sectarian murders at night with loyalist paramilitaries, but you won't hear that on this video
Memories:
1973 The Maze, Enniskillen, St Angelo, Lisnaskea
1974/5 Armagh city, Keady
Hiya bud this is good, i was 2rrf 98 92. I also watch ur fishing videos there wicked funny my names Pete , nice one 😎
Peter Bagley happy days Pete. Good times in NI with the lads 👍👍
16:06 she had to close the door in his face if she had of even said a word to him she would have been possibly targeted
Joey Irish Or maybe she is quite capable of making her own choices, just like most people. She had no desire to speak to a stranger knocking on her door, especially a strange foreigner with a loaded weapon.. Why can’t you see it from the local native point of view ?
Didn't think of it that way but I suppose many in nationalist communities were probably terrified of the IRA if they were seen to be "collaborators"
I’m from Antrim town most of my school friends joined army RAF and Navy to get out of it. He few who stayed and joined RUC and prison service are pensioned off early due to injuries and physiological problems. I joined Royal Navy and only been back to Antrim twice since 1984. Now left uk altogether this past 18 years with happy life working Middle East and family living in Bangkok. Miss home a little but I will never go back to that life in NI
I know where you're coming from. I moved to Sweden but had to come home
ScreamingDelkims it’s a shame everyone moving sway
Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Special thanks to the guest speakers sharing personal information/experiences relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland. A realistic documentary about urban war fare.
Trained with the Royal British Marines at USMC base Camp Geiger(1971)They we’re heading to Northern Ireland we were training for Vietnam.🇺🇸
I also seen a shooting once on the Craigavon bridge in derry at night from my sisters flat we could see the tracer rounds fired down towards the soldiers on the bridge. They looked beautiful. It was around 1992 93 summertime. Those were beautiful days in my life I look back very fondly on and had always great friends in derry. Its really hard to envisage the soldier's there were in life and death struggle with ira as my young mind was not equipped to understand that. It was all rainbows and unicorns in my head at that time. Now just darkness and hatred. What a turn around.......
I remember that...... I was there. They fired from the Gobnascale on the East of Foyle.
Wendy McAnena how was it beautiful to watch tracers being fired at human beings?
@@caleb4790 I was 10 yeas old they look like pretty lights in the sky ffs not in my imagination was there intent on putting horrendous bodily injuries and killing its not my thinking at that age
Wendy McAnena oh right I thought u ment it was good there was men gettin shot
@@caleb4790 as far as I am aware no one actually got shot just shot at the tracer rounds were very visible because it was night time. If I see this today my perception of it is different of course its a violent act then I didn't see it as that more like firework display
An then comes the PTSD for the rest of your life on all sides, stay safe and well from Australia 🇦🇺.
Yep. You're not wrong there mate 😉😉
@SchmidtE
Squeak 🐭
51:24 They were good those Pink Floyd trips. Walls we called them.
Class seeing you in the video, nothing but respect for your service for our great country
Fair play chris, i love a geezer like yourself, a proper human being!!!! I salute you..........
The squaddies, when around the estates would give you a fair fight (1 on 1), but the best I ever seen was outside the Abercorn bar, when a squad of squaddies picked on a lad out having a smoke, before they knew it, the whole bar had surrounded them....reinforcements had to be called and the superior officer was livid, Christ we all had a good laugh in the bar that night!
A great documentary about Britain imperialism
Respect to you my friend thank you for your service
15:42 Michael Pike is a funny chap, "the kids throwing bricks were accurate little fuckers" from watching this in Dublin, i don't know how they did it, these men were the same as the people living there. hate the establishments not the men in uniform. they were no different to us. brilliant documentary by the soldiers. most of the comments here are very respectful from both sides. its nice to see, we all have history, i think it makes us stronger
@Rowan O'Mullane it's actually 9%. With the IRA at 49%
1988 Clogher, county tyrone after bought me self out ,after serving 9 years.
Patrols and checkpoints in a area riddled with i.e.d and sniper with locals who hate your guts...why does that sound so familiar?
I can't agree with Michael Pike at the end saying 'What did it achieve?' and 'Typical Britain, sledgehammer tactics', watch the first part of this great film and you will see the reason for the British Army in NI, mainly to stop Catholics and Protestants causing a civil war, at the beginning the Catholics were thankful of the Brits until those evil murderes from Sinn Fein spun their cowardly web and basically used Mafia tactics to strike fear and lies into the Catholic hearts. If anything it shows just how professional and just how RIGHT the British Army was, there was no other way, if Britain leaves NI then they are accused of leaving behind rivers of blood, it's a shame he cannot see the whole picture for one who spent so much time there. Simply the grestest Army in the world bar none.
Not an example of an unbiased viewpoint.
Except they shouldn’t have ever been there in the first place…..
Murdering scumbags u dickhead.???
Massive respect to you and the other lads chris 🇬🇧🇬🇧
6.28 two lads from my platoon
Till we all muster for the last time lads .
Absolute full respect to you mate. I find myself in a few dodgy situations in the fire service, but can’t imagine the shit you lads must have dealt with.
Ps, if you want any advice on the cats in “that park lake” let me know. I’ve fished it for about 15 years and mainly for the cats. Had loads out of there.
Lloyd Watson thank you for your service
I served just over 8 years in the British army back in the late 70's early 80's'. I spent about 3 years in N. Ireland. ..That's the bit that always sticks in my head.
I'm an American, Catholic, and of Irish decent, and I can tell you that me, my family, my church congregation and priests all condemned the IRA, especially the bombings which seemed very cowardly to us. Then again, we were in Texas, I realize it was much different in Boston and a few other pro republican places over here.
@@pfdrtom
That's nice to hear. My experience was that most Irish people also condemned the bombings, even at the height of the Troubles.
Those fucking stairs in Bessbrook Mill!!!
Why @13:28 is the fella mounting up carrying a steyr a1
Wow. They glossed over Bloody Sunday pretty quickly, didn't they?
Yeah CNN must have edited it lol
Typical of them. They murdered more than the record books suggest. They were colluding with loyalist death squads so we'll never know true numbers.
They act like they done nothing wrong, They claim to be the best army in the world yet over the many many years the Irish and IRA almost brought them to their knees
At least it was mentioned. They didn't mention bloody Friday. I know all about that. The memory of explosions going off around me in Belfast at 4 yo will always be extremely vivid.
Let's forget the many many women and children the ira killed, on need, no excuse no point, they surrendered in the end and started talking to the British government.
my opinion slr,s are miles better weapon than sa80,s just a bit long if they sawed the the barrell down it would have been the perfect weapon. i should have got a hack saw off the wokshops. can you take 4 inches off this mate .
I was in the Australian Army. Same same SLR basically but made here. I've carried and used an SLR. I also jad acess to a shorter SLR made here for Papua New Guinea. It was about 2 inches shorter. Bigger recoil less accurate. 4 inches shorter barrel, would turn a perfectly good weapan into shite
Brits can't make rifles, should have taken the m4
Much respect. Can someone name the song at 17:05? Thank you
MrKnoxguy101 ...... no clue mate. Sounds like "The Cure"
ScreamingDelkims.. yes you are correct. It is The Cure. Song is called “Just Like Heaven”. Thanks mate.
The Cure Friday I’m in love.
Looking back it was so unrealistic way to live always knowing someone is watching you. But growing up as kids in a war zone was normal to us, we hated the UDR because they made it personal and picked targets for personal reasons, the brits where there because they was soldiers and soldiers do and go where there told to go, they where hated as well but not so much as homegrown UDR or RUC. I’m glad we have a peace now yet the young are still joining paramilitary groups. Some are even sad it’s not a hot zone.
Massive respect !!!!!
"I want to see the world!"..."Good, you are going to Northern Ireland, get ready".......not so bright
Heres summat to think about..Northern Ireland is...in the world....not so bright
@@spm36 Look, if you wanna go to NI, you can just buy a ticket. Get it now?
Personally i enjoyed Ni id done a year at jumior leaders shorncliffe where it was all be on the mark every minute to a year in Berlin that was pretty slack then being fully switched on in Ni that personally i preffered and getting stripe 1 a week b4 we went at 19
Mr Pike..i salute your honesty and all of those lads who had the intelligence to asses that which has been subjected and interpret the horror of it..nothing but respect...and i hope you found some peace of mind and soul
Fascinating documentary thank you so much, just don’t know who is to blame, feel sorry for the soldiers and poorCatholics tackling discrimination, not a big fan of the 1690 brigade but they have their own reasons.
Had you been born into a " 1690 Brigade " family, you would have been a fan.
Good luck.
Q1. How long was an enlistment in the British Army?
Q2. How long was a NI tour of duty?
Q3. What did British soldiers do during off duty hours during their NI tour of duty?
3 to 22 years
3 years 1992 - 1995
Try not to get killed 😉😉
Thanks for your response. I would think that joining the British Army and being stationed in NI would be a lousy assignment. Are there any beaches, etc, in NI to go to for R&R?
@@rockyzrockyx917 we were not there for beaches and R&R mate. We were fighting the dirty politicians war.
Just pawns in a game.
I'm older now and much wiser
Pompano Beach, Florida on R&R RULES!!!!!!
ScreamingDelkims LOLOLOL.
Chis thorn hill has a you tube channel. Good fisher man.
This Is my RUclips channel mate 😉😉👍👍
@@ScreamingDelkims And yes very good fisherman with loads of army banter
”Will the ’Walls of Segregation’ be demolished in my lifetime? One lives with hope & optimism!”