History of RMPA-NI

Northern Ireland, during the late seventies and early eighties, was still in turmoil with many gun and bomb attacks being carried out by the IRA as well as protestant paramilitaries adding their own agenda. Security was extremely tight in all areas, many people did not venture out at night, so where do you begin to try and start to form an RMPA Branch in the province.

There had been an association in earlier years which had met in Victoria Barracks Belfast but once the troubles started to escalate it was no longer feasible to have meetings or run the branch, so it folded. Depot had very few records and only a few names of former members – most of these had moved on and were not traceable.

In 1981, the author of this brief history decided to set about re-forming the NI Branch and, with the help of one other, he started out on a task that would take nearly 4 years to accomplish. Because it was a military association everything had to be kept a close secret; there was no possibility of advertising in newspapers, everything had to be done by word of mouth. The first area of concern was where could meetings be held. It was impossible to have them in local pubs or clubs; luckily, the resident Provost Company at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn came to the aid of the fledgling Association and offered it the use of the RMP Cpl’s Mess.

This venue was ideal but still involved massive security to get into the barracks. In the early days Association members would be held at the guardroom, sometimes for up to 45 minutes before being allowed entry into the barracks. Many new members found this too tiresome so did not bother attending. The dedicated and determined members however, held firm and stayed the course. Nowadays, all members are pre-screened for security to accelerate entry into the Barracks.

By 1985 the Association was ready to open the Branch and representatives from Depot attended the inaugural meeting in Sandhurst Block, Thiepval Barracks. A committee was elected, and the branch was up and running. Within the year the Branch had acquired its own Standard and although this was proudly paraded on the UK mainland, it would take many more years before it could be paraded on the public streets of Northern Ireland.

During the early years, most of the members were former members of the corps of Royal Military Police who were either serving or retired members of the RUC, Prison Service, or other areas of the Public Sector. The one thing all members had in common was the fact that in the eyes of the IRA, each was a legitimate target for assassination. Under such circumstances, personal security was understandably incredibly important and a cause for constant concern by members and their families.

A major issue for members was the problem of trying to arrange and hold functions in a safe environment, usually a Prison or Police Service Club, with attendant armed military and police patrols in the immediate area for enhanced security protection. Such stringent security precautions often caused unease amongst members and sufficient numbers to justify holding any social activity could never be guaranteed. Venues and catering would be booked and paid for, only to see a function fall before it commenced due to a security alert rendering the location off limits! More often than not in those early years, social activities were organised with fingers firmly crossed and a positive attitude of ‘it will be alright on the night.’

It was frustrating to know that other branches were free to go about their business whereas the Northern Ireland Branch faced severe restrictions in whatever it did. The Branch not only survived the many hardships occasioned by the ‘Troubles’ but flourished throughout. In no small measure its past and continuing success is due to a membership that has remained constant and loyal throughout its existence.

The Branch can now look back over more than 30 years of meteoric change in the political and social landscape of the Province. The peace process has endured for close to 20 years and such is the change in social attitudes that the Branch now routinely parades at formal public functions across Ireland in full regalia, including berets and medals, with its Branch Standard unfurled and leading the way. It has forged close fraternal links with the recently formed RMPA Branch in the Republic of Ireland and Military Police Association of Ireland, which represents retired veterans of the Republic of Ireland’s Defence Force Military Police.

In 2006, the relaxation in security around the province allowed the Branch to organise and host the RMPA’s very public 60th annual re-union in Bangor, Co Down; an event that would have been unthinkable until the late 1990’s!

The success of the 60th RMPA reunion cannot have been in any doubt when, in 2011, the Branch was once again proud to be selected to host the 65th annual RMPA re-union in Belfast.

In 2015, RMPA Northern Ireland Branch celebrated the 30th anniversary of its reformation. It continues to be a vibrant, thriving organisation which looks forward to the next 30 years and beyond with confidence and determination to leave a strong and successful legacy for all future RMPA members.

The author of this brief history joined RMP in 1965 and served with 101 (Army) Pro Coy, Dortmund Det, HQP&SS Bahrain, 173 Pro Coy (NI), 247 Berlin Pro Coy, Verden Det 111 Pro Coy, BATUS Canada and finally as first RMP CONCO Grand Central Hotel Belfast. He left the army in 1980 and joined the NI Prison Service where he served until his retirement in Dec 2009. He has been the chairperson of the NI Branch for 38 years.