An Cosantóir

18 | Endofan 1 Air Defence Reg Colours By Wesley Bourke Photos by Cpl Colum Lawlor, Cpl Paul Millar, Armn Jason Byrne and Sgt JJ Ryan The recent reorganisation of the Defence Forces has resulted in the disestablishment of many proud units with exemplary service, many stretching back to the foundation of the state. For units such as 4 Inf Bn in Cork, 5 Inf Bn, 2 Inf Bn and 2 Fd Arty Reg in Dublin, 4 Fd Arty Reg and 4 Cav Sqn in Athlone, or 1 ADR in the DFTC, the months of November and December saw them fly their colours, standards, and pennants for the last time. For members of these units this was a time of great poignancy and significance. On January 24th 1923 GRO 16 authorised a new establishment for the Army that listed 65 infantry battalions stationed throughout a number of military divisions such as the Donegal Command, the Athlone Command, the Dublin Command, and the Claremorris Command, to name a few. Over the intervening decades the Defence Forces has evolved and reorganised on several occasions to meet different security threats and other operational requirements. In 1998 the command structure gave way to the brigade structure that is still in place today although after the latest reorganisation there are now only two brigades in addition to the DFTC, the Naval Service and Air Corps. Although for the members of these units it is a time of sadness it is also, as Brig Gen Derry Fitzgerald GOC 1 Bde commented, "an opportunity for us to remember and celebrate all that has been achieved by a truly remarkable collection of men and women." He went on to add that An Cosantóir Feb 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie these ceremonies were "a tribute to the service, commitment, and sacrifice of those men and women." Indeed, the units being disestablished have rich histories that do not tell the story of just the Defence Forces but also that of the state at home and abroad. Many of these units, such as 4 Inf Bn, were originally established during the Civil War and helped bring peace and stability to a fledgling nation. Others, such as 2 Fd Arty Reg and 1 ADR, were born during the Emergency. (1 ADR has the distinction of being the only unit of the Defence Forces to fire shots in anger during the Emergency as it responded to the Luftwaffe's bombing of Dublin.) Over the decades every one of these units has provided unstinting support to the state and the Irish people through countless aid-to-the-civil-power (ATCP) and aidto-the-civil-authority (ATCA) operations. These operations covered everything from cash-, prisoner-, and explosives escorts, to intense border patrolling and operations during 30 years of the Troubles, to providing assistance to the general public at times of flooding, heavy snowfall and industrial unrest. Overseas these men and women never hesitated to deploy to some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the world to help and protect the dispossessed and the poorest of the poor. Privates, troopers, medics, signalmen, engineers, gunners, and MPs from these long-standing units have seen peacekeeping service throughout the world from the Congo to East Timor, from Western Sahara to Uganda, Lebanon, Somalia, Kosovo, Cambodia,

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