Ireland/Northern Ireland Timeline

[RN7]

Isn't this missing the 3rd Infantry Brigade in South Armagh?

Yes the 3rd Brigade was not included in this orbat I was sourcing. I just used this orbat to add additional information for British forces in Northern Ireland. The 3rd Infantry Brigade was based in Portadown from 1974 till 2004 which I refered to in an earlier post.

There was also a Royal Military Police presence...I'm not 100% on this but think it might have been 173 Provost Company at Lisburn (at least from August 87 - the lineage of RMP Companies in NI seems a bit complex...a lot of Provost Companies and Regiments have been disbanded then reformed over the years).

I think 6th Regiment Royal Military Police currently covers Northern Ireland.

6 Regiment RMP
Regimental Training Wing
Operations Company
173 (Operations) Platoon
177 (Support) Platoon
Police Company
175 (Provost) Platoon
176 (Provost) Platoon

Also 8 Detachment, 243 Provost Company (Volunteers) was in Lisburn Northern Ireland for a period.

The Infantry Battalions are also complicated by the fact that additional Battalions (and occasionally Royal Artillery Field Regiments) transferred in on short term roulement tours. (I'm guessing the orbat above is showing the Battalions on long term tours at the time?).

They were listed as deployed to Northern Ireland in 1984-85.

Finally, I think at during at least part of the 80's there was also an Army Guard Force at the Maze prison which may have been a detached Squadron from an Armoured Regiment or Battery from an Artillery Regiment (operating in an infantry role without their respective tanks / artilley pieces). Again I think this was a short term roulement posting.

In 1982 I think elements of the Queens Royal Irish Hussars were part of the guard force for the Maze Prison.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by RN7

I think 6th Regiment Royal Military Police currently covers Northern Ireland.

6 Regiment RMP
Regimental Training Wing
Operations Company
173 (Operations) Platoon
177 (Support) Platoon
Police Company
175 (Provost) Platoon
176 (Provost) Platoon

Also 8 Detachment, 243 Provost Company (Volunteers) was in Lisburn Northern Ireland for a period.

You're right, it's currently 6th Regiment that covers NI, although that wasn't established until June 2000, so wouldn't exist in T2K.

As best as I can tell 1st Regiment was in place until March 1985, at which point it disbanded and its constituent Companies (which included 173 and possibly 174 Provost Companies) became independent. So in a T2K setting a GM could probably keep 1st Regiment in place if desired.

That said, I've always thought that canon envisaged most regular British forces being pulled out of Northern Ireland at some point during 1997 and moved to Europe, with their place being taken by a fully mobilised Ulster Defence Regiment.

So, if you go by canon it makes perfect sense to me that the UDR would then take on the title 36th (Ulster) Division (as suggested by Canadian Army), and provide the vast majority of the infantry soldiers in NI, whilst a small number of British Regulars (or TA) from the Royal Signals, Royal Engineers (for EOD), and Army Air Corps fill 36 Division's various support roles. Personally, I would also attach 1 Regiment RMP and (possibly) 3 Squadron RAF Regiment (as you mentioned earlier) to 36th Division.