In 1981, the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) participated in The Royal Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall in London. The commentator, Raymond Baxter, had only a few names jotted down and of those that he had to hand, he read on air.
Among those were WO2 Sgt. Major Eric Montgomery and Sergeant William Irvine, in the front row closest to the camera. Two Green Finches, Eileen Nixon and Vera Harron, along with Rodger Corrigan and piper James Beacom, were also part of the representation.
The group included both full-time and part-time members of the 4th County Fermanagh Battalion (4th D Coy) of the Ulster Defence Regiment, stationed at RAF St. Angelo Barracks near Trory and at Grosvenor Barracks, Enniskillen - the British Army Infantry.
Since when I (Paul Irvine) - it transpired - was 8 years old, I’d held onto a vivid memory of being in our living room near the Rayburn, sat on my grandfather Manley's lap, cosy, as we tuned in to watch the Festival of Remembrance on BBC 1. During the broadcast, there was an unexpected close-up view of my father, William Irvine. I distinctly remember my uncle Walter commenting that if anyone about here watching this didn't know he was in the UDR or across the water, they certainly do now after seeing him full screen on the TV.
Since 2011, I made several attempts to BBC Audience Services and BBC Contributor Access in search of the programme. Despite my memory of there being a close-up featuring my Dad's face, no one could remember the year that the programme was. The Beeb stood firm that it was likely an older recording that had not been converted to a digital format from the original VT, insisting that the posse, who were active soldiers from Northern Ireland during the Troubles, couldn't possibly have been shown up close as I had recounted because the cameraman would have been briefed to not do close-ups.
In 2020 in a • Royal Black Interview w/ RBL Festival... Dad reflected about his Festival of Remembrance part and so I upped the ante with the BBC for they locate the programme.
In January 2021, it was found. The Archivist at AV & R Collections in the BBC Archives, confirmed, "In 1981, the UDR was presented, led by Eric Montgomery. Next to him, I believe, was your father, based on the photo you sent previously. There is a close-up of your father and Eric as they start to come down the stairs." A key clue that helped BBC Archives pinpoint the year was that when Dad came back from London, he brought my brother and me Rubik's Cubes. These puzzles were all the rage in 1981.
After his return, my Dad recalls being at Drumquin mart the following Friday, selling a few calves and a girl in the office remarking, "Did I see you on TV on Saturday night?"
The BBC kindly provided a disc of the broadcast and when Dad received it, he said: 'I watched the DVD and it's remarkable how much things have changed in forty years. Even Her Majesty the Queen looks quite different. It's wonderful to have it and reminisce about all the rehearsals, especially going down the stairs with those two long steps where you had to take a big stride before descending further. It brings back great memories.'
During the 1980s, members of 4th D Coy and their families had the honour of attending The Royal Tournament, the world's largest military tattoo, hosted by the British Armed Forces at Earls Court. Though the exact year is unclear, HM The Queen Mother a key supporter of military charities, such as The Royal British Legion, attended.
Dad enlisted in the UDR on the 15th of September 1972 alongside his friend, Jim Oldman on the same day. The IRA murdered Jim on the 3rd of April 1987. See: / 1378233302558109697
On the 8th of November 1987, having heard the Remembrance Sunday explosion while at another Remembrance Day parade in Ballinamallard, news came in during the church service that a bomb had killed and injured friends we knew at the cenotaph in Enniskillen.
On the 29th of June 1991, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II paid a surprise visit to Northern Ireland, where she bestowed honours at the British Army HQUDR. After arriving in a royal red helicopter escorted by four army helicopters circling at a distance overhead, she presided over a ceremony at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn. This was attended by service personnel and their families, who had the privilege of witnessing the inaugural Presentation of Colours to four battalions of the regiment.
Further reading: A member of the Royal Black Institution has told how his neighbours bravely thwarted an attempt on his life by the IRA** during the Troubles. See https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/ora...
See also: https://www.facebook.com/276489822787...
**Terrorist incident: the night of Remembrance Sunday, the 10th and Monday morning, the 11th November 1991.
Lest we forget.
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