Special Reconnaissance Unit - Revision history

David at 13:20, 17 January 2020

2020-01-17T13:20:15Z

Tom Griffin: /* People */

2015-10-17T15:09:13Z

People

Tom Griffin: /* People */

2015-10-17T15:08:34Z

People

Tom Griffin: /* People */

2015-10-17T15:07:48Z

People

Tom Griffin: /* People */

2015-10-17T15:06:15Z

People

Tom Griffin: Category:State Violence and Collusion Project

2012-09-03T17:46:32Z

Category:State Violence and Collusion Project

Tom Griffin: /* Secrecy and cover names */

2010-08-03T22:21:17Z

Secrecy and cover names

David at 11:28, 11 June 2010

2010-06-11T11:28:02Z

David at 11:26, 11 June 2010

2010-06-11T11:26:51Z

Tom Griffin: /* Structure */

2010-05-25T07:35:46Z

Structure

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 {{Template:Northern_Ireland badge}}
-The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.
+The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.
 ==Formation==

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 *Lance Corporal [[Alan Swift]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.44.</ref>
 *Sergeant [[Paul Oram]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.253.</ref>
-*L Cpl [[William James Simpson]]
+*L Cpl [[William James Simpson]]<ref>Ciarán MacAirt, [http://www.papertrail.pro/special-forces-and-a-casual-cover-up/ Special Forces… and a Casual Cover-Up], Paper Trail, 17 October 2015.</ref>
-*Ranger [[John Patrick Tymon]]
+*Ranger [[John Patrick Tymon]]<ref>*Ciarán MacAirt, [http://www.papertrail.pro/special-forces-and-a-casual-cover-up/ Special Forces… and a Casual Cover-Up], Paper Trail, 17 October 2015.</ref>
 ==External resources==

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 *Lance Corporal [[Alan Swift]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.44.</ref>
 *Sergeant [[Paul Oram]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.253.</ref>
-*L Cpl [[Simpson]]
+*L Cpl [[William James Simpson]]
-*Ranger [[Tymon]]
+*Ranger [[John Patrick Tymon]]
 ==External resources==

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 *Lance Corporal [[Alan Swift]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.44.</ref>
 *Sergeant [[Paul Oram]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.253.</ref>
 ==External resources==

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 *Lance Corporal [[Alan Swift]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.44.</ref>
 *Sergeant [[Paul Oram]]<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.253.</ref>
 ==Notes==
 <references/>
 [[Category:Counterinsurgency]][[Category:Spooks]][[Category:British Military Intelligence]][[Category:Northern Ireland]][[Category:State Violence and Collusion Project]]

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 ::The term "Special Reconnaissance Unit" and the details of its organisation and mode of operations have been kept secret. The SRU operates in Northern Ireland at present under the cover name "[[Northern Ireland Training and Advisory Teams (Northern Ireland)]]" - NITAT(NI) - ostensibly the equivalent of genuine [[NITAT]] teams in [[UK Land Forces|UKLF]] and [[British Army of the Rhine|BAOR]].<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref>
-The secrecy about the unit's name appears to have been maintained until this briefing was released to the [[National Archives]] three decades later. One apparent reference comes in Martin Dillon's 1990 book ''The Dirty War'', which reports that according to Special Branch inspector [[Jimmy Blair]], Special Branch Sergeant [[Charlie McCormick]] and informer [[Anthony O'Doherty]] both "worked for a special unit of the Army. His use of the words 'special unit' is 'in itself' significant."<ref>Martin Dillon, The Dirty War, Arrow, 1991, p.356.</ref>
+The secrecy about the unit's name appears to have been maintained until this briefing was released to the [[National Archives]] three decades later. One apparent reference comes in Martin Dillon's 1990 book ''The Dirty War'', which reports that according to Special Branch inspector [[Jimmy Blair]], Special Branch Sergeant [[Charlie McCormick]] and informer [[Anthony O'Doherty]] both "worked for a special unit of the Army. His use of the words 'special unit' is in itself significant."<ref>Martin Dillon, The Dirty War, Arrow, 1991, p.356.</ref>
 Most accounts refer to what is clearly the same unit by a variety of cover names. The clearest account of these is perhaps in [[Mark Urban]]'s ''Big Boys' Rules''. According to Urban, the NITAT name was replaced in 1978 or 1979 by [[Intelligence and Security Group (NI)]] or [[Int and Sy Group]]. As with NITAT, there were genuine Int and Sy Groups in England and Germany. In the early 1980s, this name was replaced in turn by [[14 Intelligence and Security Company]]:

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:28, 11 June 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	{{Template:~~Ireland~~ badge}}	+	{{Template:Northern_Ireland badge}}
	The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.		The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:26, 11 June 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{Template:Ireland badge}}
	The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.		The [[Special Reconnaissance Unit]] (SRU) was an undercover British Army unit which operated in Northern Ireland from 1972.<ref>[http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Image:PREM16slash154.pdf Defensive Brief D Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach 5 April 1974 Army Plain Clothes Patrols in Northern Ireland], National Archives PREM 16/154.</ref> It is better known even within the Army, by a variety of cover names, most commonly [[14 Intelligence Company]].<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.39.</ref> It seems likely that it was incorporated into the [[Special Reconnaissance Regiment]] on its creation in 2005.

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 According to Urban each detachment consisted of about 20 soldiers, commanded by a captain, assisted when available by a lieutenant as liason or operations officer.<ref>Mark Urban, Big Boys' Rules, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.38.</ref>
 ===3 Brigade area===
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 ::[RUC officer Jimmy] Blair confirmed that both McCormick and O'Doherty worked for a special unit of the Army. His use of the words 'special unit' is in itself, significant. Is it possible that O'Doherty was trained in Castledillon? He was trained by the Army, but the Castledillon unit, according to my source, was one of several in Northern Ireland, which were responsible to London and not Army authorities in Northern Ireland. These units communicated with each other and there was one in South Derry which probably trained O'Doherty and liased with McCormick.<ref>Martin Dillon, The Dirty War, Arrow, 1991, p.356.</ref>
-The significance of the term 'special unit' would seem to lie in the name of the Special Reconnaissance Unit, still secret at the time Dillons account was published in 1991.
+The significance of the term 'special unit' would seem to lie in the name of the Special Reconnaissance Unit, still secret at the time Dillon's account was published in 1990.
 ==People==