David Ellis served as a lieutenant in 2 Para regiment of the British Army in Northern Ireland commencing his deployment on 26th November 1976, to March 16th the following year.

  Operation Banner was launched by the Army in the early sixties to try and stem the conflict between Catholic’s and Protestant’s in the city of Belfast. This conflict also involved Republican IRA supporting Catholics, and Para-military groups supporting the Protestants.  It raged on for thirty seven years becoming the longest operational deployment of the British Army in history. The conflict was finally brought to an end with the Good Friday Agreement in 1978.

  With many pictures on the projector screen David first gave a brief history of the training programme he underwent before the deployment. This covered the main skills required such as Riot control, Vehicle checks, and first aid etc. Further to this was also a training programme in a mock up town at a training camp in Kent.

   David explained the various weapons and army kit used in the deployment, and also ammunition used such as rubber bullets which he had brought along and was passed among members to inspect. There was also pictures of military vehicles used and the regiments accommodation which was an old Victorian Mill…five star it was not😁

   A peace line was established between the Falls road and the Shankhill road to keep communities apart, and also involved eight man patrols in areas throughout Belfast. David experienced many incidents, some quite risky to himself which involved bomb’s and IED’s. Throughout the long conflict of thirty seven years the Para regiment’s lost a total of fifty two men killed with many more injured.

  David’s talk clearly demonstrated that life as a soldier is not for the faint hearted, a point brought up by fellow member Alan Barker when he gave the Vote of Thanks on behalf of members.