W2C-003 Sunday Life 1-4.txt
The March of Time

Special report on how the Army has changed in twenty-four years on the streets of Ulster.

The march of time in Ulster has transformed the British soldier, as these pictures reveal. Almost twenty-five years after the troops were first deployed in the province their equipment, combat gear, training and role in the conflict has changed dramatically.

The tin-hatted soldiers who were sent into to quell riots on the troubled street of Londonderry and Belfast must look enviously at the gear provided for the modern soldier.

For the troops who were sent here in the summer of nineteen sixty-nine were ill-prepared for urban conflict.

"In the early years training was haphazard. For a start, few were absolutely certain what to train for,' recalled one former officer.

Sent into to keep the peace between warring communities the first soldiers had no more legal powers than the ordinary citizen until the Special Powers Act gave them power to stop and question, search and arrest without a warrant.

Most noticeably the troops were poorly equipped to deal with riots.

Their standard British Army issue tin helmets were not fitted with any kind of visor to protect against stones and other missiles.

And when the first visors were introduced they made the heavy hats flop down over the troops'faces.

Lighter glass-reinforced helmets, with better ballistic and shock protection, were later developed.

Riot shields were issued in nineteen seventy but they were clumsy, metal shields which were later replaced by perspex versions.

And the early soldiers had to endure heavy, badly fitting World War II style combat clothes until the mid-nineteen seventies.

"Today's fatigues are lighter but warmer, showerproof and give a limited protection against flames also. They are a lot more comfortable," said an Army spokesman.

Communications were also a nightmare for first soldiers in Ulster - their primitive radio sets were a disaster in built-up areas.

Helicopters were used to provide an airborne relay station but if they were shot down or ran out of fuel, soldiers on the ground often had to resort to the GPO telephone system.

Over the years the Army turned to off-the-shelf civilian radio equipment to provide essential communications.

Army training has also changed dramatically as a result of the Ulster conflict.

A standard Northern Ireland training package has been in operation for some time including intensive urban and rural patrolling, riot control techniques, shooting at fleeting targets, powers of arrest, orders for opening fire, bomb and weapon recognition.

"Soldiers now go to Northern Ireland well-prepared and trained," said one officer.
