Headquarters Northern Ireland

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.

HQ Northern Ireland
Active1922–2009
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeCommand
Garrison/HQThiepval Barracks, Lisburn

History

Northern Ireland District was established following the partition of Ireland in 1922 and was originally based at Victoria Barracks, Belfast.[1] 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.[1] The status of the formation was upgraded from District to Command under the leadership of Lieutenant General Sir John Hackett in 1961.[2]

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"[3] and by 1972 it had 27,000 troops under its command.[4]

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.[5] 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".[5]

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.[4]

On 1 January 2009 the name of the formation changed to 38 (Irish) Brigade and HQ Northern Ireland was dissolved[6] with residual regional functions being migrated to HQ 2 Division in Edinburgh.[7]

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.[8]

Northern Ireland District Organization in 1939

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:[9][10]

HQ Northern Ireland formations, December 1989
Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn, command headquarters

In December 1989 the following units were based in Northern Ireland under command of HQ Northern Ireland:[11]

General Officers Commanding Northern Ireland

General Officers Commanding have included:[12][13][14]
Northern Ireland District

Northern Ireland Command

References
  1. "Northern Ireland District". British Military History. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  2. "Hackett, Gen Sir John Winthrop". Liddell Hart Military Archives. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  3. "The mission". HQ Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 16 August 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. "Security forces in the Troubles". BBC. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  5. Written Ministerial Statements for 10 May 2006
  6. Heyman, Charles (2011). The British Army: A Pocket Guide, 2012-2013. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1848841079.
  7. 38 Bde/HQ NI website accessed January 2008
  8. Battle of Jutland veteran HMS Caroline to stay in Belfast Belfast Telegraph, 1 December 2009
  9. "British Northern Ireland District on 3 September 1939 :: The Patriot Files :: Dedicated to the preservation of military history". www.patriotfiles.com. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  10. Niehorster, Dr Leo. "Northern Ireland District, British Army, 03.09.1939". niehorster.org. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  11. "NATO Order of Battle". Andy Johnson. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  12. Whitaker's Almanacks 1922 – 2010
  13. Northern Ireland Command at Regiments.org
  14. "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.

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