fv1609 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Some 40 years ago saw the start of Operation Banner. Given the length of the campaign, the deaths, the injuries, the general misery & suffering for large numbers of people & dare one even say the cost, it is extraordinary that this 40th anniversary seems so poorly recognised. I was in the National Army Museum a few days ago, there was not even a temporary display acknowledging this recent history. But I suppose history nowadays has to be sanitised,tidied up & selectively forgotten about. The sequence of events on the day: 1330 The RUC Inspector General requested the Ministry of Home Affairs request military aid in support of the civil power. 1500 The RUC were exhausted & the USC were mobilised 1500 The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland requested the British Prime Minister supply troops. 1630 The British Prime Minister & Home Secretary agreed to send in troops. 1700 British Troops (1st Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment) crossed the River Foyle to enter the Bogside. The rest is history… Around the web there are various links with pictures & videos that can be followed from a wide range of standpoints. It is a shame that so many of them use material that is chronologically wrong. This link is fairly straightforward: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationBannerNotableDates.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thank you for the link and reminder Clive ! It was indeed a very sad part of our history ! Lets hope it will remain as history for the future generations and never rear its ugly head again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Yes Andy, I found it extraordinary in this 40th year no living history group at W&P felt moved to make any sort of display to mark this anniversary. Although last year there was a group depicting Op Banner. I remember seeing several parties of school children being shown the various living history displays depicting a wide range of conflicts. But as one group of children started to head for this display they were shooed away by the teacher who shouted "Don't go over there children". Sanitised history I suppose? But even when things were happening, incidents didn't always get the priority one might have expected. I can remember the evening news reporting when 18 soldiers were killed at Warrenpoint. One might have thought that would have been the headline news or as they say in the news "the main story". Nope it wasn't, the headline news was some stupid football match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 But even when things were happening, incidents didn't always get the priority one might have expected. I can remember the evening news reporting when 18 soldiers were killed at Warrenpoint. One might have thought that would have been the headline news or as they say in the news "the main story". Nope it wasn't, the headline news was some stupid football match. I'm speechless mate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 (edited) Well I heard no mention of NI at all. I had BBC Breakfast on for an hour, had the radio on for much of the day & watched all of News at Ten, but nothing. Wiped from history it seems, I'm not suggesting there was a D-Notice, but were the media asked not to make a thing of it? We were told about the 40th anniversary of that Woodstock festival & 100 years of the Girl Guides, but that's all. One more anniversary at midnight though, the implementation of the Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967 that closed down (most) of the pirate radio ships. Edited August 14, 2009 by fv1609 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Doherty Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Clive notes that 1st Prince of Wales's Own crossed the Foyle from Ebrington Bks and entered the Bogside. They didn't. They stopped short of the so-called Bogside (which was really only a single street until the media got at it) which then became a no-go area until October. Military aid had been promised much earlier, which led to the deployment of troops to Ebrington, which was then in RN hands, housing the Joint Anti-Aubmarine School as HMS Sea Eagle. I noticed considerable coverage of the 40th anniversary, in both printed and electronic media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Thanks Clive - important date for all. This is what I don't get about our history - everything is too WWII baised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Even The Sun managed a spread on it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.