Ulster Defence Regiment

This page is dedicated to those who paid the ultimate price in the name of their
country during the bloodiest thirty-odd years of domestic British history.

The UDR Soldier

As poppy petal gently fall
Remember us who gave our all
Not in the mud of foreign lands
Nor buried in the desert sands.

In Ulster field and farm and town,
Fermanagh's lanes and drumlin'd Down
We died that violent death should cease
And Ulstermen might live in peace.

We did not serve because we hate
Nor bitterness our hearts dictate.

But we were they who must aspire
To quench the flame of terror's fire.

Grieve not for us, but this we ask,
Let others yet take up the task.

© John Potter

Sgt Maynard Crawford Age 38 (Part Time) D. Coy.
13th January 1972. Shot as he sat in a van, waiting to take workers home from a building site in Newtownabbey. He was married with 2 children and off duty at the time of his death.

Cpl Roy Stanton Age 27 (Part Time) D. Coy.
9th June 1972. Shot by the IRA as he left work to drive home. His 2 women passengers were injured in the shooting, The shooting was carried out by a youth and a girl.

Pte Henry J. Russell Age 22 (Part Time) A. Coy.
13th July 1972. His body was found in a lane in Sydenham, East Belfast. He had been badly beaten, stabbed and shot. When found he was only dressed in his underwear and a tie. He had previous service in the RAF. He was married with 2 children and off duty at the time of his death.

Cpl David W. Bingham Age 22 (Part Time) B. Coy.
16th January 1973. Abducted by the IRA on his way to a hospital appointment in Belfast. His body was found off Divis Street. He had been shot in the head 3 times. His car was later used as a getaway vehicle in a bomb attack. He was married with 2 children and was off duty at the time he was abducted and killed.

Pte Steven Carleton Age 24 (Part Time) Coy. Not Known
8th January 1982. Shot by the IRA as he arrived for work in a filling station in Belfast where he had only just started working a few days before. He was hit 9 times and died a short time later. 
He was married with one child and was off duty at the time of his death.