1st Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment
1st (County Antrim) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (1 UDR) was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original battalions specified in The Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969, which received Royal Assent on 18 December 1969 and was brought into force on 1 January 1970. It was amalgamated with the 9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment in 1984 to form the 1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment. History Along with the other six original battalions, 1 UDR commenced operational duties on 1 April 1970. The first training major (TISO) was Major G.D. Issac of the Royal Regiment of Wales, who established battalion headquarters at the Depot Royal Irish Rangers, Ballymena. Where possible accommodation was sought in army bases, as although the old Ulster Special Constabulary (its most notable division being the 'B-Specials') platoon huts were vacant and available, to have used those would have highlighted the 42% continuity in personnel between the Specials and the UDR. One of the first major interventions by the battalion was to, along with elements of the 3rd Battalion, provide support for 7 UDR in implementing the deployment of 31 vehicle checkpoints on all main roads leading into Belfast to prevent the movement of munitions into the