Regimental Histories - Year 1960-1985 - Brockbank - Page 0086
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Ulster the Police Divisions in Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone. The third “off operations" squadron was in Omagh. Squadrons rotated through these locations doing six weeks in the Police Divisions and then three weeks in Omagh. HQ Squadron achieved a strength of 320 in order to provide the additional people to man the operations room, intelligence staff, special reserve and dog troops, and all me usual administrative organ- isations. The order of battle in September is shown at page 93—94. A lady doctor was a novelty in a cavalry regiment. Captain Louise Lobban, RAMC, had joined in Detmold and for three weeks in the winter had been assigned as Medical Officer to the ski team. In Ulster she learnt to ride. When Captain Gillian Rayner, RADC, ioined her in the Medical Centre in Omagh the attraction of going sick, it is recorded, rose steeply. (Captain Rayner stuck to the Lancers and married Captain Bennett in 1980). The Ulster Defence Regiment of which the 4th, 6th and 8th Battalions were located in the regimental area became close friends. B Squadron (Major Clapton shortly to be relieved by Major Marman) deployed to County Fermanagh on arrival. Squadron Headquarters was in the new camp at St Angelo and troops were based at Belcoo, Belleek, Kinawley, and Lisnaskea where they supported the Royal Ulster Constabulary. An extra troop, borrowed from A Squadron in Omagh, went to Rosslea. Some of these posts overlooked the Border — in fact Belleek Police Station, “the last outpost" as it was known, with its bullet marked walls and high wire fence looked like a fortress in the Badlands, On the second day after the Squadron arrived three RUC Constables were killed by a booby trap at Belcoo. 4 Troop (Lt Graham) dealt with the follow up. The same afternoon the PIRA blew up Irvinestown Library. These incidents indicated that life was not going to be anything like 1960. The initiative, of course, lay with the PIRA and other terrorist groups which had grown up, They were now better organised and armed and they con- cealed their weapons when not in use in a much more skilled manner. Their targets varied from the security forces and British VIPs to campaigns against businessmen and the com— mercial life of the Province. To discredit and terrorise anything 83 |
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