Matches in DBpedia 2014 for { ?s ?p The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army which began duties in 1970. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements, most of their membership came from the disbanded Ulster Special Constabulary. Their official role was the "defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage" but unlike troops from Britain they were never used for "crowd control or riot duties in cities". It was the largest infantry regiment in the British Army, formed with seven battalions plus another four added within two years.It consisted mostly of part-time volunteers until 1976 when a full-time cadre was added. Recruiting in Northern Ireland at a time of intercommunal strife, it was accused of sectarianism and collusion with Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisations. The regiment was intended to be nonpartisan[citation needed], and began with Catholic recruits accounting for 18% of its soldiers; however due to various circumstances, by the end of 1972, this dropped to around 3%. Many in the British establishment had doubts about its true loyalties, with Merlyn Rees commenting: "The Army’s judgement was that the UDR was heavily infiltrated by extremist Protestants, and that in a crisis situation they could not be relied on to be loyal."It is doubtful if any other unit of the British Army has ever come under the same sustained criticism as the UDR.Uniquely in the British Army the regiment was on continuous active service throughout its 22 years of service. It was also the first infantry regiment of the British Army to fully incorporate women into its structure.In 1992, the UDR was amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment. In 2006, the regiment was retroactively awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which entitled it to be known as The Ulster Defence Regiment CGC.. }
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- Ulster_Defence_Regiment abstract "The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army which began duties in 1970. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements, most of their membership came from the disbanded Ulster Special Constabulary. Their official role was the "defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage" but unlike troops from Britain they were never used for "crowd control or riot duties in cities". It was the largest infantry regiment in the British Army, formed with seven battalions plus another four added within two years.It consisted mostly of part-time volunteers until 1976 when a full-time cadre was added. Recruiting in Northern Ireland at a time of intercommunal strife, it was accused of sectarianism and collusion with Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisations. The regiment was intended to be nonpartisan[citation needed], and began with Catholic recruits accounting for 18% of its soldiers; however due to various circumstances, by the end of 1972, this dropped to around 3%. Many in the British establishment had doubts about its true loyalties, with Merlyn Rees commenting: "The Army’s judgement was that the UDR was heavily infiltrated by extremist Protestants, and that in a crisis situation they could not be relied on to be loyal."It is doubtful if any other unit of the British Army has ever come under the same sustained criticism as the UDR.Uniquely in the British Army the regiment was on continuous active service throughout its 22 years of service. It was also the first infantry regiment of the British Army to fully incorporate women into its structure.In 1992, the UDR was amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment. In 2006, the regiment was retroactively awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which entitled it to be known as The Ulster Defence Regiment CGC.".