| HQ Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1922–2009 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn |
HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009.
Ireland was partitioned in mid-1921. On 7 December 1922, the day after the establishment of the Irish Free State, the Parliament of Northern Ireland resolved to address King George V to opt out of the Irish Free State.[1]
The same year (1922), the first General Officer Commanding, Northern Ireland District was appointed, Major General Sir Archibald Cameron.[2] His headquarters was established at Victoria Barracks, Belfast;[3] he served until 1925.[4]
During the Second World War the role of the District was enhanced from internal security to that of combatting any threat of invasion from the Republic of Ireland.[3] In June 1940, VI Corps was formed to control the British forces based in Northern Ireland. The following month, it was transformed into HQ British Troops in Ireland (BTI, later renamed HQ British Troops in Northern Ireland or BTNI). Northern Ireland District was made responsible for local defence, and under certain conditions would control at least one division based there. However, BTNI became responsible for the overall defence of the territory and if needed would control forces assigned to Plan W, to counter a German invasion of the Republic of Ireland. The British Army's presence reached a peak of four divisions and generally maintained this strength (through the use of American troops after 1942) for most of the war.[5] BTNI was disbanded at the end of the war, leaving Northern Ireland District as the sole command. The status district was upgraded to Command, under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Sir John Hackett, in 1961.[6]
With the emergence of the Troubles, which started in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s, the role of HQ Northern Ireland increased substantially as it took responsibility for "assisting in the defeat of terrorism and the maintenance of public order"[7] and by 1972 it had 27,000 troops under its command.[8]
On 31 July 1972, Operation Motorman was launched, the biggest British military operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the biggest in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence.[9] It aimed to eradicate the 'no-go zones' that had built up in several areas across Northern Ireland. In the days before 31 July, about 4,000 extra troops were brought into Northern Ireland.[9] Almost 22,000 soldiers were involved,[9] including 27 infantry and two armoured battalions, aided by 5,300 soldiers from the local Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).[10] Several Centurion AVRE demolition vehicles, derived from the Centurion tank and fitted with bulldozer blades, were used. They were the only heavy armoured vehicles to be deployed operationally by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The tanks had been transported to Northern Ireland on board the amphibious landing ship HMS Fearless, and were operated with their turrets traversed to the rear and main guns covered by tarpaulins.[11]
On 30 January 2006 the Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House of Commons that 19 Light Brigade, then stationed at Catterick, would be re-roling into a light brigade and relocating to Scotland and Northern Ireland.[12] On 10 May 2006 it was further announced that "in addition to the HQ and other units of 19 Light Brigade that we expect to relocate to Northern Ireland in 2007 and 2008, a new and non-deployable regional brigade headquarters will form at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn. The current 107 (Ulster) Brigade, based at Ballymena, will merge on 15 December this year into HQ 39 Infantry Brigade, which will itself be replaced by the new regional brigade headquarters, 38th (Irish) Brigade under the command of the 2nd Division, on 1 August 2007".[12]
On 6 August 2007 HQ Northern Ireland and 38 (Irish) Brigade combined to create a single transitional headquarters with a two star General Officer Commanding. At the same time the British military presence in the Province was reduced to about 5,000 troops.[8]
On 1 January 2009 the name of the formation changed to 38 (Irish) Brigade and HQ Northern Ireland was dissolved[13] with residual regional functions being migrated to HQ 2 Division in Edinburgh.[14]
Other services had a smaller 'footprint' in the province during the Troubles. The RAF's presence in Northern Ireland was based at RAF Aldergrove, and 230 Squadron was based there for many years, among other units. The Royal Navy no longer maintain a regular presence in Northern Ireland waters with the disbandment of the Northern Ireland Squadron. The Royal Navy's main presence is HMS Hibernia, which serves as the HQ of the Royal Naval Reserve's Ulster Division.[15]
Before the start of the Second World War, the British Army in Northern Ireland was known as "Northern Ireland District". It controlled many units including:[16][17]
In December 1989 the following units were based in Northern Ireland under command of HQ Northern Ireland:[18]
General Officers Commanding have included:[19][20][21]
Northern Ireland District
Northern Ireland Command
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British army groups, armies, commands, and corps during the Second World War
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54°31′27″N 06°3′6″W / 54.52417°N 6.05167°W / 54.52417; -6.05167
